Interesting Places
Here are some random sample locations of interest in Essex. Also take a look at sites shown on our sites map, geology site map and brownfield site map, with the site account and locate site facility.
locate Broaks Wood
Forestry Commission woodland open to the public.
locate Frairs Grove Wood and Plantation
This site consists of an ancient woodland and a relatively new plantation which is part of Highwoods Country Park.
locate Northey Island
An island in the Blackwater estuary reached by a causeway and managed as a nature reserve by the National Trust.
locate Layer Wood
A mainly deciduous wood consisting of Birch, Beech, Hornbeam, Oak, Aspen and a few Sweet Chestnut, Larch and pine's.
locate Colne Point
A few other coastal Essex sites have some shingle banks, and several others have tracts of sandy ground. However, no other location has such extensive dune, shingle ridges, the mix of shingle, sand and mud substrates and the gradation of saltmarsh onto these drier habitats.
locate Swaines Green
Area of four former agriculture fields unused since 1980s, now owned and managed as a nature reserve and Epping Forest buffer land by City of London Conservators and by Epping Town Council. Free public access.
locate Rowney Woods
Plantation ancient woodland in process of reverting to original oak-hornbeam woodland. Well known as an oxlip wet woodland.
locate Tiptree Heath
Best surviving heathland in Essex, an outlier of the 18th century Heath and a remnant of a much larger vast tract to be found in the 15th century. The heath has suffered from succession to scrub and woodland, but recent efforts have returned more areas to open heath.