Enjoy the sights and sounds of Hainault Forest wildlife
It’s a wildlife reserve just a tube ride from central London. It’s a thriving ecosystem with a diverse population of birds, mammals and invertebrates. You might even call it a safari park, dedicated to native English species.
For lovers of wildlife, Hainault Forest is a rewarding location, perhaps one of the great natural history secrets of Essex. Best of all you can visit it for free, any day of the year.
No monsters of the deep lurk in its ponds. No man-eating big cats sun themselves on its grassland. But the Forest still offers a surprising mix of sights and sounds for nature watchers of all ages.
Four habitats
Consisting of four main habitats – ancient woodland, grassland, heathland and ponds – the Forest has been home to a great variety of creatures for centuries. Indeed, there are Common Shrews scampering through the scrub whose ancestors would have roamed this area when Shakespeare was writing ‘The Taming of the Shrew’.
Whether you are drawn to creatures that scuttle or scurry, slither or slide, flutter or float, you are sure to find plenty to interest you here. To learn more about what’s on offer, take a look at our pages on Hainault’s:
