First: Merry Christmas! Or, at least, as merry a Christmas as circumstances will allow. Our thoughts go, in particular, to everyone who’s alone and doesn’t want to be, and/or those who have lost loved ones and friends in 2020. The … Continue reading World go local
Those lovely people at Bradt have published an item online about one of the many excellent local suppliers here in the Chilterns. If you haven’t already made your Christmas lunch arrangements – and particularly if you’re on the lookout for … Continue reading Proof of the pudding…
We can’t travel much right now, but Munich is in the Chilterns at the start and end of next month. No 2 Pound Street in Wendover, which offers an innovative range of wines and British cheeses, is hosting Oktoberfest on … Continue reading Oktoberfest in Wendover
Last year we reported on the start of a major local project Chalk, Cherries and Chairs. This aims to connect local people to the wildlife and cultural heritage of the Central Chilterns. The scheme operates under three themes – wildlife, … Continue reading A Chilterns celebration
Hildreth’s in Prestwood isn’t quite as old as the dinosaurs, even though a model tyrannosaurus rex used to adorn the entrance to the garden centre. These days it’s reproductions of a boar, a couple of chickens and a bear whose … Continue reading Old business, new cafe: bear with us
Unlike the Moon landing, there was never going to be one giant leap back to normality. A series of small steps will be the way out of lockdown. Yesterday we took three, in and around our home village, supporting local … Continue reading Local returns: three small steps
Can local people help to revive their high street while addressing the implications of the world climate emergency? A new café in the central Chilterns village of Prestwood is giving it a try. The Pantry at No 51, which opened … Continue reading Something old, new… or refilled
A little piece of history has returned to the hamlet of Ford in the Vale of Aylesbury. Just before Christmas, the Dinton Hermit – a historic coaching inn and pub which closed in 2013 – re-opened for business. It’s being … Continue reading The Hermit is back
Not a real polecat, I should say at the outset; you can sometimes glimpse polecats in parts of the Chilterns, and our friend Tony Marshall of Prestwood Nature tells us they are now breeding regularly. But in this case I’m … Continue reading Polecat returns: sorry, no (live) sheep
The Chilterns region has a number of distinguishing features: its beech woodlands; its chalk streams; red kites and rare orchids; the number of great writers and artists who’ve lived and worked here; and a generous sprinkling of marvellous historic houses … Continue reading Princes Risborough: half a millennium of markets
Slow Travel: The Chilterns and Thames Valley 