Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hiking & Biking the Chilterns
The
Ridgeway National Trail
(www.
nationaltrail.co.uk) links the downs of
Wiltshire with the Chilterns via a well-
marked and wonderfully scenic 87-mile
path from Overton Hill, near Avebury
(p. 333) to Ivinghoe Beacon in Bucking-
hamshire. The path follows an ancient
track used since prehistoric times, and is
by far the most enticing way to experi-
ence the woods and lanes of the Chil-
terns. You'll probably take 6 full days to
walk the whole thing, an average of 14
miles a day. The trail website has lodg-
ing and transport details, as well as spe-
cialist tour companies that can arrange
the whole trip. There's also the
Chiltern
Way,
a circular trail of around 125 miles;
see www.chilternsociety.org.uk for
more information.
The
Chilterns Cycleway
is a 170-mile
cycle loop through the Chilterns, tak-
ing in the best of its scenery and vil-
lages. The route is mainly on-road and
is signposted throughout. You'll find
several bike-rental shops along the
way, including Dees Cycles at 39 Hill
Ave., Amersham (
&
01494/727165
),
and Henley Cycles at 69 Reading Rd.,
Henley-on-Thames (
&
01491/578984
).
Centre,
which allows fans to dress up as Dahl characters, make up stories and
poems, or get creative in the craft room. The on-site
Café Twit
serves Puro fair-trade
coffee, organic juices, Bogtrotter chocolate cake, giant cookies, and sweet chili jam.
81-83 High St.
&
01494/8921922.
www.roalddahlmuseum.org. Admission £6 adults, £4 children 5-18,
£19 family tickets. Tues-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat and Sun 11am-5pm. Closed Dec 24-25. Great Missenden is
40 min. by train from London Marylebone; the museum is a 5-min. walk from the station. Driving from
London, take the A413; from High Wycombe it's a short ride along the A4128.
HIGH WYCOMBE
High Wycombe, 30 miles west of London, mostly serves as a commuter suburb of the
capital today, and there's little to see in the center. Focus instead on the far more appealing
village of West Wycombe, and the great stately home on the outskirts, Hughenden.
Tur-
ville,
5 miles west of High Wycombe, is as gorgeous a traditional English village you're
likely to find, serving as a backdrop for the British hit TV series
The Vicar of Dibley.
Hughenden Manor
HISTORIC HOME This handsome red-brick Victorian
mansion gives insight into the remarkable Benjamin Disraeli, one of the most enig-
matic figures of 19th-century England and still the only prime minister of Britain to
hail from a Jewish family. He wrote several popular political novels (including
Sybil
)
and served briefly as prime minister in 1868, but his fame rests on his stewardship as
Conservative prime minister from 1874 to 1880. He fashioned a close working rela-
tionship with Queen Victoria (who made him Earl of Beaconsfield in 1876), and
engineered the British purchase of shares in the Suez Canal. He died in 1881 and
was buried in the graveyard of Hughenden Church.
Disraeli acquired Hughenden Manor in 1848, a country house that befitted his
fast-rising political and social position. Today, it contains an odd assortment of
memorabilia, including a lock of Disraeli's hair, letters from Victoria, and a portrait of
Lord Byron.
High Wycombe.
&
01494/755565.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk. Admission £7.25 adults, £3.70 children
5-15, free for children 4 and under, £18 family ticket; garden only £2.90 adults, £2 children. Mar-Oct
daily noon-5pm; Nov, Dec, and Feb daily 11am-3pm. The manor is 1
1
⁄
2
miles north of High Wycombe on
the A4128. From High Wycombe, take Arriva bus 300 (High Wycombe-Aylesbury).
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