The Chilterns & the Thames Valley (Slow Travel)

Part of Bradt's award-winning 'Slow' travel guide series

Discover the charm and character of the Chilterns and Thames Valley with this thoroughly updated second edition. Written by two locals with intimate knowledge of the region, this is the only guidebook to provide in-depth coverage of this distinctive area spanning Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire. Divided into six user-friendly sections, this guide reveals what makes this English region—nestled conveniently close to London—so special and worth exploring.

The landscape here is remarkable: chalk grasslands, beech woods, streams, and wooded valleys create perfect terrain for walking, all easily accessible from the capital. About half the region is designated as a 'National Landscape'—the closest such designation to London—and this edition includes several new walking routes to explore it. Look out for rare plants like fleawort and various orchids, and birds including red kites, lapwings and skylarks. The area is also world-famous for its film and television locations (this is Midsomer Murders country), and home to significant historical sites including Windsor Castle, Chequers, and Runnymede. Literary giants have lived and written here, and the villages host some of Britain's finest restaurants, including two of only eight triple-Michelin-starred establishments in the country.

From Windsor Castle to Whipsnade Zoo, from Britain's oldest road (The Ridgeway) to National Trust properties such as Cliveden and Waddesdon, from the Henley Regatta to the Grand Union Canal, the Chilterns and Thames Valley offer an enchanting blend of world-famous attractions and wonderfully quirky, lesser-known gems. This is your perfect companion to exploring this paradoxical and captivating region.