A Fungi walk in Epping is available for the following date in 2019. Please select the date below to begin the booking process.

The walks are carried out under license and are insured by the British Mycological Society

Epping Forest-Sunday October 20th

Queen Victoria visited Chingford in May 1882 she declared “It gives me the greatest satisfaction to dedicate this beautiful forest to the use and enjoyment of my people for all time” and it thus became “The People’s Forest”. The City of London Corporation still manage Epping Forest in strict conformity with the Epping Forest Act. The area is over 12 miles long but only 2 1/2 miles wide and is situated between Greater London and Essex.

This is a valuable area for wildlife, and it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Its former status as a ‘working’ forest has had a great effect on its ecology. This is particularly evident with the trees which are not cut since the late 1800s but pollarded which results in massive crowns of thick, oversized branches with correspondingly massive trunks.This gives the trees an unusual appearance, not known in other forests. As a result of the parent trunk not being able to support the branches, they break off which creates a large amount of dead wood which, in turn, provides a great habitat for fungi.

Forays begin at 10am and last for around three and half hours. In order to maintain a personal approach numbers will be limited to approximately 15 people per foray, excluding children. It is hoped that these forays will give those that attend a chance to interact with the natural environment in a responsible and respectful manner and to learn about the various mushrooms and toadstools of Epping Forest.

Once you have made the booking, you will be sent a map with directions.

In terms of attire,  we are walking off the beaten track in many of these walks so please have a sensible pair of walking shoes or ‘wellies’ if it’s wet weather. If it is raining I would suggest waterproof trousers as well as jackets if you have them available. Layers always work well with our unpredictable British weather too………it’s amazing how changeable the climate can be within several hours.

Bring a packed lunch or snack as we will take a break for 30 minutes or so and of course bottled water. It doesn’t hurt to have a compass too as every now and then we can lose someone and cell phone signal can sometimes let us down.