Hatfield Forest
#536 among destinations in the United Kingdom
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Facts and practical information
Hatfield Forest is a 403.2 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Essex, three miles east of Bishop's Stortford. It is also a National Nature Reserve and a Nature Conservation Review site. It is owned and managed by the National Trust. A medieval warren in the forest is a Scheduled Monument. ()
Hatfield Forest plan & book
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Best Ways to Experience the Place
Wildlife
AnimalsSee what popular animal species you can meet in this location.
Common tern
The common tern is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North...
BirdsCommon chaffinch
The common chaffinch or simply the chaffinch is a common and widespread small passerine bird in the finch family. The male is brightly coloured with a blue-grey cap and rust-red underparts.
BirdsGreat tit
The great tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central and east across the Palearctic to the Amur...
BirdsCanada goose
The Canada goose is a large wild goose species with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to arctic and temperate regions of North...
BirdsCormorant
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed...
Birds
Hatfield Forest – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)
Nearby attractions include: South Mill Arts, Waytemore Castle, Mountfitchet Castle, St Mary & St Hugh.
2.9 miWMuseum, History museum, Art museumSouth Mill Arts, Bishop's Stortford
73 min walk • South Mill Arts is a venue for theatre, contemporary arts and culture, local history, and conferences in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. One of the buildings, today Bishop's Stortford Museum, was the birthplace of Cecil Rhodes.
3 miWHistory museum, Forts and castlesWaytemore Castle, Bishop's Stortford
78 min walk • Waytemore Castle is a ruined castle in the town of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The remains are a Grade I listed structure. This began as a motte and bailey castle in the time of William the Conqueror. A rectangular great tower was added on the motte in the 12th century.
3.3 miNHistorical place, Forts and castlesMountfitchet Castle, Stansted Mountfitchet
85 min walk • Stansted Mountfitchet Castle, also termed simply Mountfitchet Castle, is a Norman ringwork and bailey fortification in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England. The site is currently in use as a Living history museum.
6.3 miSWChurchSt Mary & St Hugh, Harlow
161 min walk • St Mary & St Hugh's Church is a Church of England parish church in Churchgate Street, Old Harlow in Essex, England. The church is of medieval origin and was given Grade II listed status on 5 July 1950. The church has a cruciform plan with a tower at the crossing with a tall shingled broach spire.
2.7 miNChurch, Romanesque architecture, Gothic architectureSt Mary the Virgin's Church, Stansted Mountfitchet
70 min walk • St Mary the Virgin's Church is a redundant Anglican church near the village of Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
5.7 miNEMonasteryTilty Abbey
145 min walk • Tilty Abbey was a Cistercian abbey in Tilty, Essex, England. It was dissolved 3 March 1536. The chapel, with a nave built circa 1220, became a parish church and has survived, with later alterations and extensions.
3.3 miNWWindmillStansted Mountfitchet Windmill, Stansted Mountfitchet
86 min walk • Stansted Mountfitchet Windmill is a grade II* listed Tower mill at Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England which is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It has been restored and can turn by wind.
4.3 miNEParkEaston Lodge
110 min walk • Easton Lodge was a Victorian Gothic style stately home in Little Easton and north-west from Great Dunmow, Essex, England. Once famous for its weekend society gatherings frequented by the Prince of Wales, it was one of many country houses destroyed during the 20th century.
5.7 miSWGarden, Park, SculptureGibberd Garden, Harlow
146 min walk • Gibberd Garden is a garden in Harlow, Essex, England, which was created by Sir Frederick Gibberd. He designed the garden and added sculptures, ceramic pots and architectural salvage from 1972 till his death in 1984.
3.1 miWParkThorley Wash Nature Reserve
81 min walk • Thorley Wash or Thorley Flood Pound is a 17.3-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Thorley, south of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire. It was formerly a flood pound for the Stort Navigation, which was decommissioned in 2004 and converted to a more natural state.
5.5 miNEChurchSt Mary's Church
139 min walk • St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the parish of Chickney, Essex, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.