DoorstepTLMsummer12Final

Stretching from the Thames in Oxfordshirethrough Buckinghamshire and up intoHertfordshire and Bedfordshire, theChiltern Hills epitomise the idyllic imageof unspoilt English countryside. Sleepyhamlets of picture-postcard cottages framed

by wisteria and rambling roses and set within perfectgardens, quaint village pubs alongside ancient churches,a rolling landscape of grassland, woods and wind-swirled crops – they are quintessentially English scenesthat should be set to stirring music such as Elgar’sNimrod or Tudor folk song Greensleeves.Kent may be known as the Garden of England, but

the Chilterns landscape truly embodies a classicalEnglish Country Garden; if viewed from above, thefields, chalk downland and meadows would resemble agiant patchwork lawn draped over gentle uplands withmagnificent beechwoods and tree-filled valleys asborders, pretty villages like random flower beds, wind-ing country lanes as paths and the snaking Thames awater 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 AONBto London and covers 650 square miles of the HomeCounties that just beg to be explored.

86 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Summer 2012

Englishcountry garden

The chalk downlands of the Chiltern Hills span some of the country’s prettiest and most pristinecountryside – scenery that, according to Peter Ellegard, evokes the true spirit of rural England

on your doorstep n chilterns

Summer 2012 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 87


The pristine scenery is interrupted by only two largetowns, Luton and High Wycombe. Mostly, the landscapeis dotted by villages and delightful small towns such asAmersham, Tring and Marlow.The Chilterns are a joy to visit at any time of year, with

woodlands carpeted in bluebells in spring, meadowserupting in wild flowers in summer, autumnal yellows andgolds contrasting the greenery and the frosts and snow ofwinter. And, all the while, the glorious sight of red kitesperforming spectacular aerobatics as they wheel overhead.Re-introduced only just over 20 years ago, they are now afamiliar and welcome feature of the Chiltern skies.

footpathsWalking is one of the best ways to explore the area andenjoy its scenery. A network of around 1,250 miles(over 2,000km) of footpaths and bridleways criss-crossthe Chilterns, among them two National Trails. The Ridgeway (www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway)

is an ancient path linking Avebury in Wiltshire with Iving-hoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire, along which peoplehave travelled for 5,000 years or more. It takeswalkers through woodlands and naturereserves in the Chilterns, offering uppanoramic vistas as it traverses the chalkridge. Shorter, circular walks can beundertaken along the route.The Thames Path National Trail

(www.nationaltrail.co.uk/thamespath),which follows the river from its source to

London, skirts the southern edge of the Chilternsbetween Wallingford and Taplow. Along the way

it takes in the genteel rowing mecca ofHenley-on-Thames and the Grade I-listedformal gardens and parkland of Cliveden (www.clivedenhouse.co.uk), the formercountry house where one of the greatestpolitical scandals – the Profumo Affair,involving Government minister JohnProfumo and prostitute Christine Keeler, the

“If there is a corner ofthe land thatis foreverEngland, this is it”

n Watlington Hill, Oxfordshire

n Cliveden is a Chilterns landmark

n Henley Regatta

n Statue atCliveden

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mistress of an alleged Russian spy – happened in theearly 1960s. Owned by the National Trust, Cliveden hasbeen a luxury hotel since 1985, and you can even book aProfumo Affair Break, which includes a guided touroutlining the events.A circular walking route of the Chilterns AONB is

offered by the signposted Chiltern Way, set up ChilternSociety (www.chilternsociety.org.uk) volunteers aspart of its millennium project. The original 134-mile(214km) route goes from Hemel Hempstead throughplaces including Marlow, Hambleden, Stokenchurch andthe Dunstable Downs, taking in part of the Ridgeway. Itnow has optional extensions at the northern and southernends, adding 27 miles (43km) and 31 miles (50km)respectively, with a new Berkshire Loop adding a further28 miles (45km) established in October 2010 to mark the10th anniversary of the Chiltern Way. That now takes theroute 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 lessable, and a number of them start from railway stations.

watercress bedsAmong the many available walks are a series wonder-fully-called Walk Like the Clappers. These three walks,which range from a gentle 1.5-mile stroll to a seven-mile hike and take in some of the most scenic areas ofthe northern Chilterns, are not named because you haveto speed-walk the routes, but because they go throughthe National Trust-owned Sharpenhoe Clappers(www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sharpenhoe-clappers),a woodland and ancient chalk escarpment offeringsuperb views.The Chiltern Society organises year-round walks open

to non-members. Sunday and weekday walks take abouttwo and a half hours while regular day walks cover 10-12miles. More than 40 free walks leaflets are available on itswebsite, and its online shop also sells a range of footpathmaps 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

Chilterns Cycleway, a circular route through the fourcounties that is signposted throughout and mainlyfollows roads. To do it all would need a week, if done atleisure and allowing plenty of stops to take in pubs,villages and historic places of interest en route. Sectionsof it can be done as day trips, and there are many cycle



chilterns commonsAn iconic feature of the Chilterns since the Medieval period,commons are areas of public land ranging from small grass verges towoodlands and expanses of grassland. There are still around 200commons in the Chilterns and they provide an important wildlifehabitat as well as space for people to enjoy.

With commons under increasing threat from development, a newfour-year initiative called the Chilterns Commons Project waslaunched in September, 2011, with a £400,000 Heritage Lottery Fundgrant.

Coordinated by the Chilterns Conservation Board and withvolunteers helping from the Chiltern Society, the scheme aims toresearch their history, study how they are faring and encouragepeople 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.

red kites in the chilternsOne of the most common sights in the skiesabove the Chilterns, particularly in the south andeast, is of flocks of soaring and tumbling red kites.Yet these beautiful raptors, distinguishable bytheir forked tails, had been persecuted toextinction in England in the 19th century and wereonly reintroduced in a RSPB project in 1989.

The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty wasone of the first reintroduction sites and over a five-year period more than 90 birdswere brought from Spain and released. The first successful breeding happened in1992, since when numbers have increased steadily. Today, there are up to 600resident 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 Waytrail, as they glide and swoop over the chalk escarpments. Some chicks are taggedand ringed for identification, the tag on the left wing being yellow for the Chilternswith a second colour denoting the year born. For more information, visitwww.redkites.net.

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shops located throughout the AONB or just beyondwhere 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. TheChiltern Society runs three places worth a visit. LaceyGreen Windmill, near Princes Risborough in Bucking-hamshire, is the oldest smock windmill in England,dating from 1650, and is open on Sundays and BankHolidays from the first Sunday in May to the lastSunday in September. The Ewelme Watercress Beds, onthe western edge of the Chilterns AONB in Oxfordshire,extend the entire length of the village and cover 6.5acres (2.5 hectares), with produce still going to CoventGarden Market. It is owned as well as managed by thesociety, as is 36-acre (14.5ha) Bottom Wood, a naturereserve comprising mostly ancient woodland nearStokenchurch in Buckhinghamshire.

model villageBuckinghamshire’s Chiltern Open Air Museum(www.coam.org.uk) is a collection of over 30 recon-structed traditional buildings from the area tracing2,000 years of history, with its information centre inwhat was reputed to be one of Henry VIII’s huntinglodges. Themed events are held from the end of Marchto late October and the museum has also had starringroles in TV and movie productions, including DowntonAbbey and Midsomer Murders. The timeless village ofTurville is another favourite TV and film location.On a smaller scale, the Bekonscot Model Village &

Railway (www.bekonscot.co.uk) is the world’s oldestoriginal model village and has enjoyed many royal visitsduring 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. Theyencompass several scenic beauty spots such as WatlingtonHill, Dunstable Downs, Pulpit Hill and Coombe Hill, thehighest point in the Chilterns, as well as pretty villagesincluding West Wycombe and Bradenham and statelyhomes 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 edgeof an escarpment near Tring which is notable for its exten-sive spring bluebell displays and as the habitat of Europe’ssmallest bird, the firecrest. If you want to get active, thereis a family cycle trail as well as horse riding, a nearby



chiltern facts

mountain downhill bike track and the Go Ape forest adven-ture 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 Buck-inghamshire village of Great Missenden. The author livedin the village for 36 years and the museum, which isaimed at six to 12-year-olds, features two fun galleriesincluding his original writing hut, as well as the interac-tive Story Centre. You can grab a meal, including a sliceof 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 throughthe landscape. Campaigners have already taken the battleto Westminster and they have promised to fight to thebitter end. Who can blame them? If there is a corner ofthe land that is forever England, this is it.

getting thereBy car, the M25 skirts the eastern edge ofthe Chilterns region, while the M40 andM1 bisect it. Chiltern Trains(www.chilternrailways.co.uk)operates through the Chilterns fromLondon’s Marylebone station. LondonMidland (www.londonmidland.com)trains from Euston stop at Berkhamsted andTring, First Capital Connect(www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk) serves Hitchin from Kings Crossand First Great Western (www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk) trains stopat Henley-on-Thames from Paddington.

getting aroundSeveral bus operators run services in the Chilterns. For information, goto http://traveline.info. There are 20 Chiltern rail stations on fourlines, so getting around by train is also feasible.

accommodationThe Chilterns offers a host of options for stays in the region, includingcampsites, holiday cottages, B&Bs, pubs and luxury hotels. Find B&Bsonline at the Chiltern Accommodation Association website,www.chilternsaccommodation.co.uk. Notable hotels includeCliveden (www.clivedenhouse.co.uk) and the Crown

(www.thecrownamersham.com), inAmersham, where movie Four Weddings and

a Funeral was partly filmed.

more informationThe Chilterns Area of OutstandingNatural Beauty:www.chilternsaonb.org

The Chiltern Society:www.chilternsociety.org.uk

Visit Buckinghamshire:www.visitbuckinghamshire.orgTourism South East: www.visitsoutheastengland.com

n Pitstone Windmillin Buckinghamshire

n The RoaldDahl Museum

n WaddesdonManor

n Queen’s HeadPub, Little Marlow

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