on your doorstep n chilterns
on your doorstep n chilterns
“If there is a corner of the land that is forever England, this is it”
tretching from the Thames in Oxfordshire through Buckinghamshire and up into Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, the Chiltern Hills epitomise the idyllic image of unspoilt English countryside. Sleepy hamlets of picture-postcard cottages framed by wisteria and rambling roses and set within perfect gardens, quaint village pubs alongside ancient churches, a rolling landscape of grassland, woods and windswirled crops – they are quintessentially English scenes that should be set to stirring music such as Elgar’s Nimrod or Tudor folk song Greensleeves. Kent may be known as the Garden of England, but
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the Chilterns landscape truly embodies a classical English Country Garden; if viewed from above, the fields, chalk downland and meadows would resemble a giant patchwork lawn draped over gentle uplands with magnificent beechwoods and tree-filled valleys as borders, pretty villages like random flower beds, winding country lanes as paths and the snaking Thames a water feature forming its southern boundary. The Chiltern Hills have been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, one of 33 in England. Bounded by the M25 to the east, it is the closest AONB to London and covers 650 square miles of the Home Counties that just beg to be explored.
Cliveden House & Pavilion Spa
The chalk downlands of the Chiltern Hills span some of the country’s prettiest and most pristine countryside – scenery that, according to Peter Ellegard, evokes the true spirit of rural England
footpaths Walking is one of the best ways to explore the area and enjoy its scenery. A network of around 1,250 miles (over 2,000km) of footpaths and bridleways criss-cross n Cliveden is a Chilterns landmark the Chilterns, among them two National Trails. The Ridgeway (www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway) is an ancient path linking Avebury in Wiltshire with IvingLondon, skirts the southern edge of the Chilterns hoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire, along which people between Wallingford and Taplow. Along the way have travelled for 5,000 years or more. It takes it takes in the genteel rowing mecca of walkers through woodlands and nature n Henley Regatta Henley-on-Thames and the Grade I-listed reserves in the Chilterns, offering up formal gardens and parkland of Cliveden panoramic vistas as it traverses the chalk (www.clivedenhouse.co.uk), the former ridge. Shorter, circular walks can be country house where one of the greatest undertaken along the route. political scandals – the Profumo Affair, The Thames Path National Trail involving Government minister John (www.nationaltrail.co.uk/thamespath), which follows the river from its source to Profumo and prostitute Christine Keeler, the
Peter Ellegard
country garden
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English
The pristine scenery is interrupted by only two large towns, Luton and High Wycombe. Mostly, the landscape is dotted by villages and delightful small towns such as Amersham, Tring and Marlow. The Chilterns are a joy to visit at any time of year, with woodlands carpeted in bluebells in spring, meadows erupting in wild flowers in summer, autumnal yellows and golds contrasting the greenery and the frosts and snow of winter. And, all the while, the glorious sight of red kites performing spectacular aerobatics as they wheel overhead. Re-introduced only just over 20 years ago, they are now a familiar and welcome feature of the Chiltern skies.
n Statue at Cliveden
n Watlington Hill, Oxfordshire National Trust Images/John Miller
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Summer 2012
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on your doorstep n chilterns
mistress of an alleged Russian spy – happened in the early 1960s. Owned by the National Trust, Cliveden has been a luxury hotel since 1985, and you can even book a Profumo Affair Break, which includes a guided tour outlining the events. A circular walking route of the Chilterns AONB is offered by the signposted Chiltern Way, set up Chiltern Society (www.chilternsociety.org.uk) volunteers as part of its millennium project. The original 134-mile (214km) route goes from Hemel Hempstead through places including Marlow, Hambleden, Stokenchurch and the Dunstable Downs, taking in part of the Ridgeway. It now has optional extensions at the northern and southern ends, adding 27 miles (43km) and 31 miles (50km) respectively, with a new Berkshire Loop adding a further 28 miles (45km) established in October 2010 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Chiltern Way. That now takes the route to a maximum of 221 miles (352km). There are many short and medium walks to do in the Chilterns, too; some are stile-free and easy for the less able, and a number of them start from railway stations.
watercress beds Among the many available walks are a series wonderfully-called Walk Like the Clappers. These three walks, which range from a gentle 1.5-mile stroll to a sevenmile hike and take in some of the most scenic areas of the northern Chilterns, are not named because you have to speed-walk the routes, but because they go through the National Trust-owned Sharpenhoe Clappers (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sharpenhoe-clappers), a woodland and ancient chalk escarpment offering superb views. The Chiltern Society organises year-round walks open to non-members. Sunday and weekday walks take about two and a half hours while regular day walks cover 10-12 miles. More than 40 free walks leaflets are available on its website, and its online shop also sells a range of footpath maps covering the region. Detailed Ordnance Survey (www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk) maps are well worth buying. Cycling is another great way to see the countryside. Adventurous cyclists can cover all 170 miles of the
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n Marlow and the River Thames
red kites in the chilterns One of the most common sights in the skies above the Chilterns, particularly in the south and east, is of flocks of soaring and tumbling red kites. Yet these beautiful raptors, distinguishable by their forked tails, had been persecuted to extinction in England in the 19th century and were n Red kite only reintroduced in a RSPB project in 1989. in flight The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was one of the first reintroduction sites and over a five-year period more than 90 birds were brought from Spain and released. The first successful breeding happened in 1992, since when numbers have increased steadily. Today, there are up to 600 resident pairs in the Chilterns and the birds have full legal protection. One of the best places to see them is around Watlington, on the Icknield Way trail, as they glide and swoop over the chalk escarpments. Some chicks are tagged and ringed for identification, the tag on the left wing being yellow for the Chilterns with a second colour denoting the year born. For more information, visit www.redkites.net.
Chilterns Cycleway, a circular route through the four counties that is signposted throughout and mainly follows roads. To do it all would need a week, if done at leisure and allowing plenty of stops to take in pubs, villages and historic places of interest en route. Sections of it can be done as day trips, and there are many cycle
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n Burnham Beeches comprises woodland and common land
An iconic feature of the Chilterns since the Medieval period, commons are areas of public land ranging from small grass verges to woodlands and expanses of grassland. There are still around 200 commons in the Chilterns and they provide an important wildlife habitat as well as space for people to enjoy. With commons under increasing threat from development, a new four-year initiative called the Chilterns Commons Project was launched in September, 2011, with a ÂŁ400,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant. Coordinated by the Chilterns Conservation Board and with volunteers helping from the Chiltern Society, the scheme aims to research their history, study how they are faring and encourage people to make the most of them for recreation. For more information and to find out about volunteer opportunities, go to www.chilternsociety.org.uk/commons-project.php.
National Trust Images/John Miller
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chilterns commons
on your doorstep n chilterns
n Pitstone Windmill in Buckinghamshire
chiltern facts
shops located throughout the AONB or just beyond where you can rent bikes for the day or longer. There are many fascinating places where you can lose yourself for an hour or two, or even a day. The Chiltern Society runs three places worth a visit. Lacey Green Windmill, near Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire, is the oldest smock windmill in England, dating from 1650, and is open on Sundays and Bank Holidays from the first Sunday in May to the last Sunday in September. The Ewelme Watercress Beds, on the western edge of the Chilterns AONB in Oxfordshire, extend the entire length of the village and cover 6.5 acres (2.5 hectares), with produce still going to Covent Garden Market. It is owned as well as managed by the society, as is 36-acre (14.5ha) Bottom Wood, a nature reserve comprising mostly ancient woodland near Stokenchurch in Buckhinghamshire.
model village Buckinghamshire’s Chiltern Open Air Museum (www.coam.org.uk) is a collection of over 30 reconstructed traditional buildings from the area tracing 2,000 years of history, with its information centre in what was reputed to be one of Henry VIII’s hunting lodges. Themed events are held from the end of March to late October and the museum has also had starring roles in TV and movie productions, including Downton Abbey and Midsomer Murders. The timeless village of Turville is another favourite TV and film location. On a smaller scale, the Bekonscot Model Village & Railway (www.bekonscot.co.uk) is the world’s oldest original model village and has enjoyed many royal visits during its 80-plus year history. Enid Blyton’s book, Enchanted Village, is based on Bekonscot. The National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org.uk) maintains a number of attractions in the region. They encompass several scenic beauty spots such as Watlington Hill, Dunstable Downs, Pulpit Hill and Coombe Hill, the highest point in the Chilterns, as well as pretty villages including West Wycombe and Bradenham and stately homes such as West Wycombe Park and Greys Court. Nature lovers will also love exploring Chilterns woods, among them the Forestry Commission’s Wendover Woods (www.forestry.gov.uk/wendoverwoods), on the edge of an escarpment near Tring which is notable for its extensive spring bluebell displays and as the habitat of Europe’s smallest bird, the firecrest. If you want to get active, there is a family cycle trail as well as horse riding, a nearby
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n Queen’s Head Pub, Little Marlow By car, the M25 skirts the eastern edge of the Chilterns region, while the M40 and M1 bisect it. Chiltern Trains (www.chilternrailways.co.uk) operates through the Chilterns from London’s Marylebone station. London Midland (www.londonmidland.com) trains from Euston stop at Berkhamsted and Tring, First Capital Connect (www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk) serves Hitchin from Kings Cross and First Great Western (www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk) trains stop at Henley-on-Thames from Paddington.
getting around Several bus operators run services in the Chilterns. For information, go to http://traveline.info. There are 20 Chiltern rail stations on four lines, so getting around by train is also feasible.
accommodation The Chilterns offers a host of options for stays in the region, including campsites, holiday cottages, B&Bs, pubs and luxury hotels. Find B&Bs online at the Chiltern Accommodation Association website, www.chilternsaccommodation.co.uk. Notable hotels include Cliveden (www.clivedenhouse.co.uk) and the Crown (www.thecrownamersham.com), in n Waddesdon Amersham, where movie Four Weddings and Manor a Funeral was partly filmed.
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getting there
more information
The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: www.chilternsaonb.org The Chiltern Society: www.chilternsociety.org.uk Visit Buckinghamshire: www.visitbuckinghamshire.org Tourism South East: www.visitsoutheastengland.com
n The Roald Dahl Museum
mountain downhill bike track and the Go Ape forest adventure course (http://goape.co.uk/days-out/wendover), with tree-top high wires, crossings and zip wires. One attraction definitely worth a family visit is the award-winning Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre (www.roalddahlmuseum.org) in the picturesque Buckinghamshire village of Great Missenden. The author lived in the village for 36 years and the museum, which is aimed at six to 12-year-olds, features two fun galleries including his original writing hut, as well as the interactive Story Centre. You can grab a meal, including a slice of Bogtrotter cake, at the on-site Café Twit. One dark cloud hangs over the Chilterns – the threat of the HS2 high-speed rail line carving its way through the landscape. Campaigners have already taken the battle to Westminster and they have promised to fight to the bitter end. Who can blame them? If there is a corner of the land that is forever England, this is it.
VisitBritain/ Olivier Roques-Rogery
90 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
Summer 2012