Ivinghoe

As the large village church would suggest, Ivinghoe was once a market town of some importance in the surrounding area. In this now quiet village can be found Ford End Watermill, a listed building that, though probably much older, was first recorded in 1616. It is the only working watermill with its original machinery in Buckinghamshire, and on milling days stone-ground wholemeal flour is on sale. The farm in which it stands has also managed to retain the atmosphere of an 18th-century farm. Limited opening times – call 01442 825421.

To the east lies the National Trust’s Ivinghoe Beacon, a wonderful viewpoint on the edge of the Chiltern Hills. The site of an Iron Age hill fort, the beacon was also the inspiration for Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. The Beacon is at one end of Britain’s oldest road, the Ridgeway National Trail. The other end is the World Heritage Site of Avebury in Wiltshire, and the 85-mile length of the Ridgeway still follows the same route over the high ground used since prehistoric times. Walkers can use the whole length of the trail (April to November is the best time) and horse riders and cyclists can ride on much of the western part.