The Cricket Pitch That Sits Above A Motorway

In a small part of greater London, a quintessential example of British sport hides one of the UK’s worst eyesores, with tarmac and car fumes giving way to a grassy wicket and cucumber sandwiches.

Epping Forest’s 6,000 acres straddles Greater London and Essex. Within it, you’ll find an amateur cricket side, who have managed to play their games in a small part of the forest for over half a century, despite the fact that one of the UK’s busiest highways runs right through their home pitch.

The Epping Foresters Cricket Club have played in the same location on Mill Plain since 1947, after they negotiated a license with the Conservators of Epping Forest. It was at that point they adopted the name they still use today.

The club plays its game in the Herts & Essex League, with two sides competing across the divisions. There are also age-group teams for children, as well as a Sunday league for more casual players.

The addition of Greater London’s notorious motorway underneath the team’s home ground, in truth, had very little negative effect on the team, the temporary relocation aside. Once they returned to Epping Forest they had a new clubhouse, and have played their games there ever since.

Motorists can be driving along the motorway completely oblivious to the fact they’re heading under the Epping Foresters home ground, while the cricket’s side’s opposition could turn up to a game without knowing one the country’s busiest roads is running underneath the wicket.

The M25 circles the whole of London, with 117 miles of road. While the vast majority of it, and even the mere mention of its name, brings little but misery to drivers, it’s nice to know that a section of it, however small, can bring a small section of London a bit of joy each week. That’s assuming the Foresters win of course.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.