Coombe Hill

Coombe Hill is the highest point in the Chiltern Hills at 852 feet, looking out over the Aylesbury Vale to the Cotswolds and down to Chequers, the prime minister's retreat. Once part of the Chequers Estate, it was given to the National Trust in 1918 by Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham, and its summit monument honours the men of Buckinghamshire who died in the Boer War. The chalk grassland is a Site of Special Scientific Interest with over 30 species of wildflower and 28 of butterfly, among them the chalkhill blue, whose caterpillars are buried and unwittingly guarded by the yellow meadow ants behind the round mounds; red kites soar overhead and a play trail keeps children busy. Dogs are welcome across the hill under strict control, on a lead where cattle and sheep graze. Trust trails from the car park range from an easy 1-mile loop to the 7-mile Coombe Hill and Chequers trail. Reviewers rate the memorial among the region's most impressive and like the picnic tables near the car park, where an ice-cream van often parks up. One tip: the free car park fills at weekends, so arrive early.