Walking in London. Peter Aylmer

      One type of such fungal invasion gives rise to the artist’s bracket fungus, which might well be seen on older beech and hornbeam trees in the Forest. As the bracket grows each year (it will live at least as long as the afflicted tree, so quite likely a decade or more), it lays down rings, mimicking the tree’s behaviour. The fungus itself is a ‘white rot’, turning the heartwood moist and spongy.

      The artist’s bracket fungus is immune to the forager’s knife. Even if it could be prised off, it is rock hard, and no matter what the cooking would break teeth before it could do any damage to the stomach or brain. It can, however, be carved, hence the name.

WALK 4

      Wanstead Flats and Park

Start/finish	Forest Gate station (TQ 404 853) or Wanstead Park station (TQ 405 856)
Distance	6 miles (10km)
Time	3hrs
Maps	OS Explorer 174, Landranger 177
Refreshments	Pubs and cafés in Forest Gate, tea hut in Wanstead Park
Parking	Centre Road car park, E7 0DL (TQ 405 861)
Local group	Friends of Wanstead Parklands www.wansteadpark.org.uk and Wren Wildlife and Conservation Group www.wrengroup.org.uk

      This, the southernmost section of Epping Forest, has a fascinating human history, of which the fate of the great house at Wanstead Park is just one facet. It also boasts a remarkable biodiversity. Although part of the area is managed for football, there is also an acid grassland Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) here, plus the Forest’s southernmost woods and a complex water system in the former ornamental grounds.

      The ornamental waters

      Cross the road in front of Forest Gate station and walk to the railway bridge, where Wanstead Park station is situated for those arriving by Overground. Keep walking to the junction with Capel Road, where you cross over to a drinking fountain and enter Epping Forest land. Keep on along a narrow track on Wanstead Flats, not far from the main road, until Centre Road car park. This is where car drivers will start.

      Advisory sign on the Flats