Hunsdon and Eastwick Meads | Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust

Hunsdon and Eastwick Meads are two of the finest surviving wet meadows in Hertfordshire, managed in the same way for hundreds of years, where orchids and wildflowers thrive.

Location

One mile north east of Roydon

Roydon

Hertfordshire

CM19 5EH

OS Map Reference

TL 414 105

Know before you go

Size

35 hectares

Entry fee

Free

Parking information

There is no official parking, the nearest place to park is Roydon rail station.

Walking trails

Between March and July please do not walk across or into the Mead itself until the hay is cut. Trampling damages the plants and also reduces the value of the grass as hay for the farmer. During this period please keep to the towpath or walk in single file along the permissive path beside the River Stort.

Access

Grass paths. The towpath running alongside the reserve can be suitable for wheelchairs and buggies but there are some steps on the tracks around the reserve.

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

April to July

Environmental designation

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

About the reserve

The larger site, Hunsdon Mead, is an area of common land between the River Stort and the Stort Navigation and offers valuable unimproved grassland. In April and May both meadows are yellow with Cowslip and Marsh Marigold, turning pink and purple with Ragged Robin and Black Knapweed in the summer. Rare Green-winged Orchids flourish here.

Seasonal Highlights
Spring: Buttercup, Cowslip, Cuckooflower, Skylark.
Summer: Green-winged Orchid, Meadowsweet, Ragged Robin, Yellow Rattle.
Autumn/ Winter: Fieldfare, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Redwing.

Directions

Site entrance: Entrance is via River Stort towpath.

Access by road: From Stanstead Abbotts take B181 Roydon Road for one mile. Park at Roydon rail station and walk for one mile along the Stort Navigation towpath towards Harlow to reach the reserve.

Access by public transport
Bus: 380, 381, 382, 391 – Telephone Exchange, Epping Rd (1.5 miles).
Rail: Roydon (1 mile).