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English CountiesNational Parks |
Walking in Buckinghamshire
To the north of the Vale of Aylesbury lies the valley of the Great Ouse River and the original county town of Buckingham. It was Alfred the Great who made Buckingham a county town in 888AD, a distinction it retained until 1725 when, during a period of decline after a terrible fire, it lost out to Aylesbury. Nevertheless the old town has charm and is worth a visit; it also provides a good base for walking in The Claydons, a particularly quiet and lovely area just south of Buckingham.
Hambleden - Hambleden is a pretty Chilterns village which gives the impression of being stuck in a time warp. It's not surprising therefore that TV and film producers have been drawn to it with Disney's '101 Dalmations' and TV's 'As Time Goes By' and 'Midsomer Murders' amongst its credits. The village green is enclosed by Georgian houses, including the rectory, and old cottages have been transformed into village shops. There is still a village pump under tall chestnut trees in the centre of the square.The fourteenth century church of St Mary the Virgin dominates its surroundings. OS Maps: Explorer™ 171 A Walk from Hambleden [SU 785865]
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Buckinghamshire,
a county of delightfully varied landscape, sits astride the beech covered
Chiltern Hills which effectively divide it's northern and southern areas.
The Chilterns are designated an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).
The grandeur of a dramatic scarp along the north-west edge contrasts
with landscape of a more intimate nature in the south; woods, hedge-rows,
deep valleys and charming villages. To the north of the Chilterns lies
the Vale of Aylesbury, a rich well irrigated agricultural region with
clay soils and many dairy farms. Here the county town of Aylesbury has
retained some of the character of a market town within it's historic
centre. The narrow alleyways and courtyards around the market square,
church street and the churchyard of St. Mary's provide a pleasant stroll.
To the
south of the Chilterns are the Thames and Colne valleys where the Buckinghamshire
border is crowded by the urban sprawl of Slough and Maidenhead. Villages
and towns in the south of the county are London commuting communities
but many have retained an authentic Chiltern character. With the exception
of the Thames valley most of southern Buckinghamshire comprises the
low chalk ridge of the Chiltern Hills, famous for glorious beechwoods.
Cool and shady in summer with a canopy of dense green foliage, and providing
a stunning blaze of flaming russets and golds in autumn, it's no surprise
that the Chiltern's many footpaths are a walker's paradise. In springtime
too, when the woodland floor is carpeted in bluebells, and shafts of
sunlight create a blue mist, the Chilterns are a joy to walk.
