Havering is blessed with wonderful country parks, offering a variety of experiences. This one is in the east adjacent to the M25 ‘frontier’*. Thames Chase park was created by hard volunteer work and planning vision. The collaboration between volunteers and planners has created a masterpiece.
Although the park is multi-purpose, I only use two of them. The Forest Centre building neatly separates a wooded hillside walk of about a mile. It’s got an accessible all-weather surface, which is essential for older and less able people. 10/10 for the walking surface. There are enough benches in good condition to have a rest and enjoy the ambience.
The second of the two main walks is flatter with lush vegetation, Again there’s a good walking surface, with sufficient benches. It’s a decent walk of less than a mile. Both walks have wide paths making social distancing rules very easy to abide by.
The Forest Centre is excellent. A very good cafe with plenty of seating inside and outside with good views opposite a large field. There are 2nd hand books available and a small gift shop. The adjacent barn hosts many activities throughout the year. There’s a large cheap car park with an all-weather surface.
Warmly recommended
Note
* The M25 provides a ‘musical’ accompaniment to the Thames Chase experience
Sources
For the Forest Centre see http://www.thameschase.org.uk/visitor-centres/the-forest-centre
For photographs see http://www.thameschase.org.uk/galleries
For the volunteering group see http://www.thameschase.org.uk/get-involved/conservation-volunteers
For a series of walks see http://www.thameschase.org.uk/discover/walking
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