Church Lane Flood Meadow
8ac/3.25ha LNR
Grid ref: TL 494 047 (click for o/s map)
Updated 10/12/2020.
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Three flood storage areas designed to protect North Weald from flooding have been turned into attractive wildlife sites with a fine display of wild flowers.
Church Lane Flood Meadow is a large bowl that can hold 35 million litres of water. The former arable fields were seeded with hay cut from two SSSI wet meadows – Hunsdon Mead and Roding Valley Meadows. Today it contains ragged robin, bugle and marsh cinquefoil, and in late summer is covered with the pale blue flowers of devilsbit scabious. Around a stream-fed pond in the middle grow purple loosestrife, cuckoo flower and common spotted orchids.
Visiting
Access via public footpaths running south from Vicarage Lane near where it joins Church Road. Vicarage Lane is a turning on the left off the A414 about 500m west of the roundabout where it meets the B181 at Tyler's Green.
Central line to Epping and 620 bus from there.
Accessible at all times.
July to September for wild flowers and flying insects.
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