“Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky.” His noble drama of “Harold,” too, doubtless owes its inception to the poet’s residence in and intimate connection with this locality. High Beech church lies a little beyond the King’s Oak Inn and the plain; it is a modern building in the Gothic style. From the church we retrace our steps to the inn named, and make the historic earthworks known as Ambresbury Banks or Camp (a bee line of about two miles) our next objective. The road continues beyond the junction with Honey lane, whence we came, then bears to the right on to the Wake Arms Inn and the main Epping road, a little less than a mile along which brings us to the camp, this lying on the east side of the road. But there is a very pleasant way thither through the heart of the forest, which I will endeavour to describe. Here, however, I would suggest that all who wish to enjoy the real beauty of the forest in this way should take the precaution to carry a reliable compass, for it is very easy to become confused about the geographical circumstances of one’s surroundings among the wood and thicket. We turn off across the open plain to the right, about 300 yards beyond the King’s Oak Inn, where will be found a track or walk, which at times is rather indistinct. Follow this for about half a mile, then turn sharp to the right (east) through the glade into the valley, skirting the swamp and Wake Valley ponds (leaving these to the north) on to the main road. Here we turn to the left and continue to the Wake Arms Inn. Thence the Theydon road (opposite) is taken, down Jack’s Hill for about half a mile, and when the Verderers’ Ride is noticed on the left, this is followed to Ambresbury Banks. This route will take the wanderer through parts of the forest that are almost unfrequented, where oak and beech and hornbeam flourish in all their wild grandeur; where many of the fungi and lichens, for which the forest is so noted, will be met with, as well as many beautiful flowering plants, rare-winged insects, and most of the birds, so large and representative a number of which make their home in the forest. Nor is it at all unlikely that a herd of the forest deer will be seen, for these graceful creatures generally resort to this part. Upon the walk one’s mind almost naturally reverts to the days when this 5,000 odd acres of woodland, now the “people’s playground,” was a mere morsel of the great forest of Waltham, an almost boundless tract of wild forest land, which formed the favourite hunting ground for the Saxon, Norman, Plantagenet, and Tudor kings.