Epping to Debden Tube Walk

Today I started my Central line tube walk. The Central line is the longest underground line at 46 miles. The East section of the line is not covered by my London A-Z so for this part of the walk I’m relying on the .

Epping to Theydon Bois

After journeying to the end of the line I arrive at Epping.

Epping is a leafy and hilly area. Most of the houses I see as I walk down Bower Hill are small but detached.

At the bottom of Bower Hill I get to a footpath leading up another hill to some farm buildings.

Near the top of this path a small track takes a course around the hill and then towards the M25 motorway. A tunnel provides a route to the other side of the motorway. The tunnel is longer then it initially looks and it is quite dark inside due to its length and lack of lighting.

The footpath goes along the edge of the field – the easiest way to walk it is to follow the tractor tyre marks. There are a few signs to tell you where the footpath is if you spot them. As I walk along the path a farmer in a tractor is busy working the field.

As I get closer to Theydon Bois I pass a derelict building.

A foot bridge takes me over the train track and to the Theydon Bois tube station.

Theydon Bois to Debden

Theydon Bois is a small village, I pass some local pubs, shops and houses as I walk through.

The most direct way for me to get to Loughton seems to walk along Loughton Lane and then Debden Lane. Looking at the map I was doubtful that this kind of road (which goes through an area with no properties on either side) would have a pavement along its length but I decided to try it anyway.

To my surprise the pavement did continue all the way along these road and I soon reach Loughton.

The next part of my route takes me along Pyrles Lane and Rectory Lane. On The Broadway is the shopping street for Loughton.

After passing onto Chigwell Lane I turn left and reach Debden tube station.

Central Line Walk – Day 1 Summary

Today’s walk took about two hours to complete. I could have gone further but I stopped where I did as the Sun was starting to go down.

3 thoughts on “Epping to Debden Tube Walk”

  1. Dear Sir

    I would like to inform you of a unique fundraising event that a group of us are undertaking on November 22nd 2008

    A group of me and my family members (currently we are 7 in total) are planning to walk from West Ruislip to Epping via each station on the Central Line being the longest line on the London Underground network. We imagine that it will take us approximately 18 hours as it is 46 miles. At each station we will take a photograph and if possible will swipe our Oyster cards at the station to prove that we have visited there. At the end of the record attempt we can obtain an Oyster usage report that logs where and what time we visited the station. We are doing this as a sponsored fundraising event to raise money for a mobile sensory unit for a special needs school based in Leeds. My niece attends this school, Broomfield Special School, as she suffers from autism and it is for this school that we wish to raise funds.

    Seeing as you have completed this walk before, I would be highly thankful for any tips you can give us.

    Many thanks

    Faraz Hussain

  2. Hi Faraz,

    It sounds like you have an interesting challenge ahead of you. Here’s a few tips that I can think of.

    1. As there are 7 of you, you probably need to have a good idea of your route in advance. As I was alone I could afford to take my chances here and there but in a group you need to be a bit more organised.

    2. Have a look at my route – some of the sections between the Central line station (especially in the outer zones near to the East) are not obvious. I’d recommend you have an A-Z and Ordnance Survey maps showing the rights of way.

    3. Keep an eye out for toilets! Sometime there are long sections without any so don’t get caught out.

    4. I think the standard Oyster printouts only show the last 10 journeys so you’d have to check with the Underground staff to see if it is possible to get the printout you want. If not you could always get printouts every 10 stations.

    Good luck with your journey and I hope your fund raising goes well.

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