Epping Forest has had short shrift from Cycle Orbital. The rides taken over a decade ago, before this network was conceived, didn’t find a decent alternative to the busy A104 road running as a spine through the forest. Spinoff 2 has a rewarding section crossing the forest east-west; now at last Zone 5 Chingford and Zone 6 Epping are linked into the network.
Not before time; the main path through the forest is now wide and well surfaced throughout, and the Corporation of London encourage the shared use of the forest by cyclists, walkers and riders. And for an 8-mile ride through unbroken forest, this ride is remarkably varied. The first feature of note is Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge 0.3 with the Forest Visitor’s Centre adjoining; thereafter the variety is in the woodland landscape and of relief – flat, then rising, a central switchback section to the halfway point of Wellington Hill 3.2 with its facilities. After that you ride the edge of a high plateau looking west over the Lea valley, and finally an undulating section towards Epping. Throughout, the tree-scape is ever-changing. The details are here on the Cycle Orbital website.