Waltham Abbey is a suburban market town, located 15 miles NNE of central London and is in the Epping Forest District situated in Essex. It lies on the Greenwich Meridian, between the River Lea in the west and Epping Forest in the east, and has a population of about 20,400. It is located entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and is on the M25 London Orbital Motorway. It was situated entirely within the Metropolitan Police district of London until 2000. It is served by Waltham Cross Station on the National Rail network, Loughton Station on the Central Line of the London Underground network, and Theobald's Grove and Chingford stations on the London Overground network. It was home to the London 2012 Olympic whitewater slalom events.