Great Waltham

Pages Wood

Harold Wood · 17 miles

Pages Wood is a 74 hectare wood and public park in Harold Wood in the London Borough of Havering. It is the largest Forestry England site in the Thames Chase Community Forest, and 100,000 trees have been planted since it opened in 2002. It also has meadow areas, 6.5 kilometres of footpaths and 2.2 kilometres of bridlepaths.

Raphael Park

Gidea Park · 18 miles

A stretch of green lies north of the railway line that runs between Romford and Gidea Park, forming part of a chain of parks that run in that direction. The southern gateway opens onto Main Road – once called Hare Street – while the northern entry sits just south of the A12 Eastern Avenue. Along the western edge the park follows Black’s Brook, which was dammed before the park’s creation to produce Black’s Canal, a lake ranging from 12 to 20 ft in depth. The dam sits beside the eighteenth-century Black’s Bridge, which still carries Main Road across the water. Within the grounds the lake supports angling, and a bandstand occupies the southern sector. Near the lake’s far end a rockery provides a setting for the Romford Summer Theatre. The open area expands eastwards to hold football pitches in winter, cricket pitches in summer, and sunken tennis courts whose level reflects historic sand extraction for nearby housing. A children’s play area, remodelled in 2009, lies north of the courts; the site previously held water known locally as the “Spoon Pond”. Two ancient pedunculate oaks, recorded by the Woodland Trust, survive among the mature woodland and grassland. The park takes its name from Sir Herbert Raphael MP, who presented the land to Romford Urban District in 1904, and it features a statue of Percy the Park Keeper, inspired by a real keeper who worked here. Admission is free and the park is accessible from both Main Road and the A12 frontage.

Doddinghurst Playground

Stondon Massey · 11 miles

A range of different swings, seesaws, climbing apparatus and slides with a zipline just outside.

Blue Cage

South Woodham Ferrers · 12 miles

Blue wired cage for football and other ball games. Situated alongside children's swing park.

F&B Conservation Area

Allen's Green · 13 miles

Private conservation area, managed and maintained by the infant school next door.

Information Kiosk

Earls Colne · 14 miles

Earls Colne Heritage Museum have converted the old red phone box into an information kiosk; showing "then and now" High Street shops and current museum activities.