Monday 4th April 2022

Debden is quite a long way out of London so it took quite a while to get there but it was a pretty straightforward journey. A big plus was the public loo at the station! Got on the 20 and alighted at my first stop, Forest Road, where I walked to Earl’s Path via Forest Road itself. This is a pretty street with some lovely Victorian cottages, one of which is where the poet George Granville Barker was born.

I found the Path and walked through Epping Forest till I got to Earl’s Pond. There is nothing unusual about the pond but it’s really pleasant and calming.

I then walked back to the bus stop and next got out at Knighton Lane and found Lords Bushes and Knighton Wood. Another pond where fishing is permitted, though being a fairly soggy Monday morning, there were no anglers present. It had originally been a gravel pit which was transformed into an ornamental pond. At the entrance to the Wood is the Pulpit Oak, which is reputed to be approx 400 years old and the widest tree in the forest with a girth of 5 metres. At one time it was a Gospel Oak where preachers addressed congregations, as well as being a rallying point for commoners fighting the enclosure of the forest.

Back on the bus to see the bronze sculpture of Sir Winston Churchill, created by David McFall in 1959. Churchill was an MP for the parliamentary constituency of Woodford from 1945 until 1964, having been the MP for Epping previously from 1924 – 1945. The statue was unveiled by Field Marshal Montgomery, with the ceremony attended by Churchill himself.

Back to the bus stop where the next bus took half an hour to arrive. It seems that being out of the centre, buses are fewer and further between. Luckily the weather had turned more clement.

When the bus did arrive, I got back on and alighted at St Peter’s in the Forest church, which had been built in the Victorian era. The church itself was closed but I had a look round the churchyard. One of the gravestones I came across was of Bernard Alfred Rosentreter, who had been a navigator in the RAF and was lost in aircraft in November 1944.

Final stop was the bus terminus itself. I walked round the corner to Walthamstow Town Square Gardens which were disappointing as it seems to be just a walkway with grass and paths. However, I did see Walthamstow Library which is a lovely building, which has its origins in 1894. I didn’t go in but now wish I had because I missed a stain glass window with an owl inserted.

This route was quicker than most of the others I’ve been on. I noticed that the distance between stops was often very short, especially in the more residential areas. Also it doesn’t go anywhere near central London so most of the places of interest were outdoor and focused around Epping forest. It was a pretty route but there wasn’t too much to see within a 10 minute walk from any bus stop, other than the beauty that is Epping Forest.