This road through this part of Epping Forest was once part of the old coaching route from London to Cambridge. This particular section was feared by the coachmen as it was prone to flooding and the poor conditions. In these conditions the coaches slowed to almost a crawl and made the coaches and their passengers a prime target for footpads and highwaymen.It was bypassed at the start of the 18th Century by a new turnpike road that ran a few hundred yards to the west ending the footpads reign of terror, and this part of the road became disused

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