Local Attractions

There are many local attractions within the area which will appeal to a variety of ages.

For general information please visit: http://www.chilternsaonb.org


Whipsnade Zoo

The park covers 600 acres (2.4 km²), and can be located from miles to the north and from the air because of its large white lion hill figure carved into the side of the Dunstable Downs (part of the Chiltern Hills) below the penguin and old lion enclosures.

Due to its size, inside the park, visitors may walk, use the Zoo's bus service, or drive their own cars between the various animal enclosures, or through an 'Asian' area where some animals are allowed to roam free. There is also a narrow gauge train service.

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is one of Europe's largest wildlife conservation parks. It is home to 6,405 animals, many of which are endangered in the wild. The majority of the animals are kept within sizeable enclosures; others, such as the peacocks, the South American mara and Australian wallabies, roam freely around the park.

click here to view the Whipsnade Zoo website

Woburn Abbey & Safari Park

Woburn Abbey is the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.

Woburn Safari Park is a safari park where visitors may drive through the large animal exhibits, which contain species such as White Rhinos, Elephants, Tigers and Black Bears.

The park enables animals to roam freely while visitors drive through their enclosures. The species held in the park include Rhinoceros, Eland, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Sitatunga, Lechwe, Gemsbok, Giraffe, Ankole, Zebra, Elephant, Camel, Bison, Bongo, Lions, Tigers, Wolves, Black Bear, Colobus,Vervet and Patas monkeys and Barbary apes. Animals in the leisure park include lemurs, squirrel monkeys, wallabys and emus, penguins, goats, ponys, seals, reptiles including snakes, and some free ranging marmosets. The park is committed to animal conservation and is involved in international breeding programs to help save endangered species.

click here to view the Woburn Safari Park website

The National Trust Property Ascott House

Ascott House was originally a farm house, built in the reign of James I and known as "Ascott Hall".

It was acquired by Baron Mayer de Rothschild (of the neighbouring Mentmore Towers estate) in 1873. The Rothschild family had begun to acquire vast tracts of land in Buckinghamshire earlier in the century, on which they built a series of large mansions from 1852 onwards.

Baron Mayer gave the house at Ascott to his nephew Leopold de Rothschild, who transformed it over the following decades into the substantial, but informal, country house it is today.

click here to view the National Trust Ascott House website

The National Trust Property Waddesdon Manor

Waddesdon Manor is a country house built in the Neo-Renaissance style of a French château between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839–1898). The Baron, a member of the Rothschild banking dynasty, chose as his architect Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur.

Today Waddesdon is owned by the National Trust, but in recent years, following an extensive restoration, it has been, and continues to be administered by a Rothschild family trust that is overseen by Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild. The house was built on a barren hilltop overlooking Waddesdon village.

click here to view the National Trust Ascott House website

The historic market towns of Tring, Leighton Buzzard, Berkhamstead & Amersham

Ivinghoe Beacon, Ridgeway Walk & Ashridge Forest are all great for walking, cycling and bird watching.

Ivinghoe Beacon

Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill and landmark in the Chiltern Hills, standing 249m (817ft) above sea level. It is situated close to the village of Ivinghoe in Buckinghamshire, between the towns of Dunstable, Aylesbury and Tring. It is the starting point of the Icknield Way to the east, and The Ridgeway long-distance path to the west.
The Beacon lies very close to the borders of nearby Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and is higher than any point in these neighbouring counties.
The Beacon is a popular weekend spot for walkers, sightseers and model aircraft enthusiasts.

click here to view the Ivinghoe Beacon on The National Trail website

The Ridgeway National Trail

The Ridgeway is an ancient trackway described as Britain's oldest road. At 85 miles (137 km), the route follows the chalk hills between Overton Hill, near Avebury, and Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire and represents part of a route in use since Neolithic times.

Specifically, the Ridgeway hugs the ridge tops of open downland west of the Goring Gap and the tree-covered Chiltern Hills east of the River Thames, thus avoiding once difficult woods and marshes in the valleys below.

click here to view The Ridgeway on Ramblers website

Ashridge Forest

Ashridge is an estate and house which is situated in the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, about two miles (3 km) north of Berkhamsted and twenty miles (32 km) north west of London. Surrounding villages include Aldbury, Pitstone, Ivinghoe, Little Gaddesden, Nettleden, Frithsden and Potten End.

The estate comprises 20 square kilometres (5,000 acres) of woodlands (known as Ashridge Forest), commons and chalk downland which supports a rich variety of wildlife. It also offers a good choice of waymarked walks through outstanding country. The estate is currently owned by the National Trust.

Some of the Ashridge Estate have been used for filming parts of the Harry Potter films, including The Goblet of Fire. The Ashridge House, which is now Ashridge Business School has been featured in films such as The Dirty Dozen.

click here to view Ashridge Forest on the BBC website

Dunstable Downs has great walks and is superb for kite & model aircraft flying.

Dunstable Downs

The Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs (usually known as the Dunstable Downs) are a 73.36 hectare (181.27 acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest which are part of the Chiltern Hills, in southern Bedfordshire, England. The site was notified in 1987 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.[1]

The site consists of a chalk escarpment forming the north-eastern reaches of the Chilterns. At 243 m (797 ft), Dunstable Downs are the highest point of the county of Bedfordshire.[2]

Because of its elevation, Dunstable Downs hosted a station in the shutter telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty in London to its naval ships in the port of Great Yarmouth during the years 1808 to 1814.[

click here to view the Dunstable Downs on the Enjoy England website

click here to view the Dunstable Downs Gliding/Paragliding Club website

click here to view the Dunstable Downs on the London Gliding Club website

Golfing

Golfing may be enjoyed at at Mentmore Towers, Dunstable and Ashridge.

click here to view the Dunstable Downs Golf Club website

click here to view the Ashridge Golf Club website

Grand Union Canal

The Grand Union Canal is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 220 km (137 miles) with 166 locks. It has arms to places including Leicester, Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Northampton.

click here to view the Grand Union Canal on the Waterscape website

Horse Riding

Horse riding may be enjoyed nearby at Liscombe Park, Aylesbury

National History Museum at Tring

Over 4,000 animals from around the world are displayed in the beautiful Victorian galleries of the Natural History Museum at Tring. The high-ceilinged rooms and glass cases let you get up close to this amazing collection, which includes many extinct and endangered species.

click here to view the National History Museum at Tring website

Mead Open Farm

Race your friends on the Go Karts, play Crazy Golf and run wild in Shaggy's PlayWorld. Combined with hands-on animal fun and outdoor log play, you're spoilt for choice!

click here to view the Mead Open Farm website

There are also a large variety of eating houses in the area from the village local The Swan to the renowned King’s head at Ivinghoe.

Ivinghoe Aston Farm, Ivinghoe Aston, Buckinghamshire, LU7 9DG