Country Beauty for The Disabled

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South Buckinghamshire, with the River Thames as its southern county boundary, lies almost entirely within the Chiltern Hills and is a charming and delightful area that has, over the years inspired many writers and artists, including Milton, Shakespeare and Roald Dahl. This chalk range, much of which is classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is particularly noted for its beech woods: Burnham Beeches, with its abundance of deer and birdlife, is a fine example. The conservation of this beautiful area of wood and heathland as a place for wildlife and a recreation area for city residents is an interesting story with many parallels with today's struggles to keep the countryside away from the developers and their bulldozers.

In this charming area there are many places of interest. Chalfont St Giles was the temporary home of John Milton while he was escaping the plague in 17th century London. Other famous residents of this attractive region include Benjamin Disraeli and Sir Francis Dashwood, founder of the infamous Hell Fire Club.

The region centred round Aylesbury, the county town since the 18th century and an ancient market place serving the Vale of Aylesbury, is still largely unspoilt vale, running from the Chilterns in the south to Buckingham in the north. This region offers visitors miles of secluded country walks; a thousand miles of footpaths include the ancient Ridgeway, and the quiet country lanes and gentle undulations make cycling a pleasure - the Vale is at the heart of the National Cycle Network. The attractive rural landscape is littered with bustling market towns and charming villages and has been the inspiration for such writers as Shakespeare and Roald Dahl. This is also an area with a great deal for anyone interested in architecture. Now the home of the University of Natural Law, Mentmore Towers, the first of the Rothschild mansions, was the backdrop in the 19th century of the most glittering of society parties; Waddesdon Manor, another Rothschild mansion, is a magnificent building in the style of a French chateau. Here, too, are a number of stately windmills, including those at Pitstone and Ford End.

Perhaps the least discovered part of the county is the region centred round the ancient county town of Buckingham. It was granted this status as far back as Saxon times, and only relinquished it in the 18th century. Not crossed by any of the county's major roads, it has long been a chiefly rural district, with a wealth of attractive villages and old market towns to discover and explore. The wealthy have always found this an excellent place in which to settle and there are many fine houses, including Ascott House in Wing, Stowe (now a school, with magnificent gardens that are open to the public) and Winslow Hall, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Perhaps the most famous house of all in the area, though certainly not the grandest, is Claydon House, the home of the Verney family; Florence Nightingale was a frequent visitor, particularly in the last years of her life. This area of Buckinghamshire also boasts two very fine churches: All Saints at Wing, with its Saxon nave, Perpendicular roof and memorials to the Dormer family; and St Michael's at Stewkley, whose unspoilt Norman interior is among the finest in the land.

The northern region of Buckinghamshire is dominated by the new town of Milton Keynes. It was developed in the 1960s when there was a general move to provide housing away from the sprawling mass of London, and though the town itself is modern there are numerous ancient villages close by.