The Chilterns is pure rambler’s paradise, with dozens of scenic walking trails running from Amersham, Henley Marlow and the surrounds. If you prefer pavements to pastures, London is a half-hour Underground ride away. Disraeli’s country home, Hughenden Manor in High Wycombe makes an excellent day trip, with insights into Victorian stately life and lovely riverside parkland for picnicking. A short drive from Amersham, Cookham was a ‘village in heaven’ according to the famously religious British painter Sir Stanley Spencer, who was born and buried there and often featured scenes of the village in his paintings: see them at the Stanley Spencer Gallery.