London to Amsterdam - Day 2 - Epping to Ingatestone

Rating: 3.8 / 5

Distance: 18.4 miles

This is the second day of my longest hiking adventure yet, where I hiked from London to Amsterdam.

The hike in England was completed over five weekends in July and August, then during my annual leave in late August I caught a ferry to The Netherlands and hiked the remainder of the journey to Amsterdam.

Today's 18 mile hike went from Epping Station to an AirBnb property in a small town called Ingatestone.

I parked my car at Epping Station. I paid £20 for a 2 day parking ticket which unfortunately I paid twice as I added my registration number incorrectly! However, I chose a great day for this hike. Not only was the weather nice and sunny but there was also a heritage railway festival taking place along the Epping - Chipping Ongar Railway Line.

As I was walking past Epping Underground Station at the start of the hike, a classic old London bus was leaving for Chipping Ongar. I later waited by a bridge and watched a heritage train go past at Blake Hall station. The trains only run certain days of the year as it is a heritage line. I looked at the train timetable beforehand so I knew roughly when the trains were coming :)

To get to Blake Hall station I had to take a detour, which meant walking along a fast moving road for a little while. I also saw an old train arrive at Chipping Ongar station. A volunteer on the platform explained to me that the steam trains that were planned for today had to be cancelled today because the hot, dry weather created a risk of fires along the train line. Instead they were using the old diesel trains.

To get to Chipping Ongar I followed a long distance walking path known as the “Essex Way”. On route I passed a reactive Chihuahua. Its owner told me I was the first person the dog had seen on a walk. I therefore made an effort for it to realise people are okay. I bent down low and when the dog gained confidence I stroked him.

The Essex Way is a long distance walking path that goes all the way from Epping to Harwich. I came off the Essex Way at Chipping Ongar and then joined it again on day 7 of this hike at Colchester. Why? Well, I thought a route that would hike along the River Chelmer, visit Maldon & hike along the England Coast Path around the Blackwater Estuary would be a lot more scenic. I wanted my London to Amsterdam hike to be as interesting as possible.

Soon after leaving the Essex Way footpath I saw a herd of deer. I got some cracking photographs of the deer.

I hiked through Blackmore. There were some picturesque buildings and a duck pond in the village.

I had a bit of a feast at the local pizza takeaway when I arrived in Ingatestone.

I finished the hike at an Air BnB property, just south of Ingatestone. It only cost me £40 for the night - a bargain! The host was a lovely lady that had a small dog that she rescued from Basildon’s Dogs Trust.

To watch my short 5-minute film of my London to Amsterdam hike see the YouTube video (below the photographs) Cheers :)