Chilterns Countryside

Enjoy an easy walk to the monument (not NT) to see extensive views across the Aylesbury Vale from the highest viewpoint in the Chilterns. Wander back past chalk grassland alive with wildlife to the picnic area where you can explore the natural play trail.

Explore acres of countryside and beech woodland that surround the village that clusters around its village green where cricket is played in the summer. The village also has a pub, a church dating from the 11th century, and a 17th-century manor house, which is now tenanted.

Discover expansive views and abundant wildlife as you walk to the top of Watlington Hill. The hill has a folly in the form of a long, triangular shaped chalk white mark, and it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its areas of rare chalk grassland. It's an especially good place for watching red kites.

There are plenty of opportunities for some fresh air and exercise following one of our downloadable walks in the Chilterns Countryside. Admire the views at Coombe Hill, Pulpit Hill or Watlington Hill, or explore one of our longer walks. Alternatively, discover the Bradenham Estate or the woodland at Low Scrubs.

There are few more uplifting sights than a kaleidoscope of butterflies flittering amongst the flower heads in a meadow. To see butterflies is more than just heartening, they are also nature’s pointers, telling us that the environment is healthy, and that a host of plants, insects and other animals are also thriving.

The Chilterns Countryside is rich in wildlife, ranging from red kites to Duke of Burgundy butterflies. Habitats include endangered chalk grassland, farmland and many acres of beech woodlands. Find out more about our wildlife and how we manage the environment at Chiltern Countryside sites.

The Bradenham Estate is centred on the seventeenth century manor house (not open to the public). The 18th-century cluster of brick and flint cottages is focused on the village green. In the 1956, the Bradenham Estate was acquired by philanthropist Ernest Edward Cook, who donated it the National Trust.

The countryside of the Chiltern Hills is steeped in history, ranging from Iron Age Hill Forts, to Elizabethan mansions, and areas of common woodland where the poor could collect fuel. Here you can explore the history of three of the National Trust's properties between Wendover and Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire

Watlington Hill was originally part of Watlington Park, which originated as a medieval royal park. In the mid-20th century, the Esher family donated Watlington Hill to the National Trust and it is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

We often associate juniper berries with the production of gin, but juniper is a plant of national ecological importance which has been declining, especially in the Southern half of Britain. National Trust ranges are now working to reverse the decline and to ensure that Juniper remains a permanent feature of our countryside.

Chalk grassland in the Chiltern Hills includes some of the rarest habitats in the UK. Since the Second World War, the UK has lost around 80 per cent of grassland habitts like these. Find out how the National Trust works with a range of partners to protect the remaining chalk grasslands and how it plans to reverse this process of decline.

The landscape of the Chilterns Countryside contains several ancient woodlands, and protecting and managing these extraordinary environments is one of the most important conservation activities we undertake. Find out how we manage our woodlands to encourage the widest range of wildlife habitats.