Cool Place of the Day: Chilterns Cycleway, Buckinghamshire

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Chilterns Cycleway, Buckinghamshire

Henley, arguably the most famous rowing regatta in the world, got under way this week, and despite a slightly soggy start is now in full flow. It’s quite a spectacle, but you may feel out of place if you’re not dressed up to the nines, in which case we recommend heading off into the surrounding countryside on the Chilterns Cycleway, a 170-mile signposted loop that takes in the best of the Chilterns – quiet villages, tree-lined backroads, market towns and numerous welcoming pubs. The route follows roads, but only the townier sections experience much in the way of traffic, and you can start and finish pretty much anywhere. Henley is just one of several places you can pick it up – others include Wallingford, Princes Risborough, Wendover, Tring, Amersham, Harpenden and Berkhamsted – and the route is also divided into 23 sections ranging from four to 14 miles, each easily doable in a day, plus a handful of weekend-break-friendly two-day itineraries. One of the prettiest stretches is the 7.5 mile section from Parmoor to Henley, taking in the Chilterns Valley Winery and the picture-postcard Hambledon Valley. You can buy a guidebook for the whole route, or download day or weekend route maps from the Chilterns AONB website.

Cool Places is a website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)