Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing your fond memories of Epping Forest!
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Rebecca’s story
I grew up in Forest Gate by Wanstead flats and every summer with my extended family we would travel to Debden to camp for a long weekend on the edge of Epping forest.
My cousins and I looked forward to this weekend all year round. During the day we would explore the forest looking for trees to climb, playing run outs and hide and seek, and finding rope swings. We would scramble over the ditches and follow the paths or go off track. Some memorable experiences include my cousin hiding in a bed of stinging nettles and one time a few of us exploring too far, getting lost and eventually emerging into a road where a kind woman gave us a lift back to the campsite.
At night we would play charades or board games by lamp light, huddle around the camp fire and then squeeze into tents with our cousins and hope that the tent wouldn’t leak if it rained!
It felt like a proper holiday and as a child it felt ages away from home but I was surprised when I got older to realise how close it was! I will always have fond memories of those trips.
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