Chackmore

Chackmore is far too small to have a hotel of its own, so anyone wanting a proper bed and bathroom rather than a tent will generally base themselves in nearby Buckingham, two miles to the south, or look slightly further afield to Milton Keynes or the surrounding Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire countryside. Buckingham's town centre has a small but useful spread of options, including traditional coaching inns and pub-with-rooms style accommodation within easy walking distance of the Old Gaol and Market Hill, making it possible to explore the town on foot before driving out to Stowe.

Milton Keynes, around twenty minutes away by car, offers a much larger choice of hotels, from budget chain properties to more comfortable mid-range options, along with better public transport links via Milton Keynes Central railway station for onward travel to London. For a quieter, more rural stay, the villages and farmland surrounding Chackmore and Buckingham have a scattering of bed and breakfasts and small country guesthouses, often converted from farmhouses or period cottages, which suit visitors keen to stay close to Stowe's gardens and the walking routes that radiate out from the village.

Wherever you choose to stay, Chackmore's position just off the Buckingham to Stowe avenue means it works well as a day-trip base even without accommodation of its own — close enough to reach on foot or by a short drive from hotels in Buckingham, and central enough to combine a night's stay with visits to Silverstone, Bletchley Park or Bicester Village further afield.

Chackmore's own charms are modest, but it is superbly placed for some of Buckinghamshire's best days out, with Stowe's landscape gardens on the doorstep and Buckingham, Silverstone and Bletchley Park all within easy reach.

• Stowe Gardens and House — the National Trust's landscape gardens are one of the great set-pieces of English garden design, laid out by Charles Bridgeman, William Kent and Lancelot "Capability" Brown, and scattered with more than thirty temples, monuments and follies around lakes and sweeping lawns. The main entrance avenue runs right past Chackmore.
• Buckingham town centre — a compact market town two miles south, worth an hour or two on foot for its handsome Georgian streetscape, the domed Old Gaol museum and the Buckingham town trail.
• Silverstone Circuit — the home of British motor racing and the British Grand Prix is a short drive away, with its interactive museum charting the history of motorsport.
• Bletchley Park — the wartime home of the Enigma codebreakers is within reach for a day trip, with exhibitions on the codebreaking huts and the machines that helped shorten the Second World War.
• Bicester Village — a popular designer outlet shopping centre lying to the south west, a good option for a change of pace from countryside walking.
• Walking around Stowe and Chackmore — several waymarked circular routes start in the village, linking Chackmore, Stowe Park, Akeley and Maids Moreton across quiet farmland and parkland paths.
• Stowe School grounds — the house itself is now home to Stowe School, and parts of the grounds and gardens are open to visitors alongside the National Trust land.

The village's own Queens Head is Chackmore's social hub, a traditional pub serving food and drink to locals, walkers and visitors heading to or from Stowe. Buckingham's town centre, a short drive or a good walk away, has a broader spread of cafes, pubs and restaurants along Market Hill and the surrounding streets, ranging from casual coffee shops to more formal dining. For something more special, the area around Stowe and Buckingham has a handful of country pubs and restaurants making the most of local Buckinghamshire produce, worth seeking out after a day spent exploring the gardens and footpaths nearby.

Chackmore's setting on the edge of Stowe's parkland makes it a pleasant base for a countryside camping trip, though it's worth being clear from the outset that wild camping without the landowner's permission is illegal in England, including here in Buckinghamshire, so any camping trip needs to be booked at a proper campsite, farm pitch or glampsite rather than pitched informally in a field or wood. The gently rolling farmland around Chackmore, Buckingham and the wider Vale of Aylesbury is well suited to touring caravan and camping sites, with a mix of small, family-run fields and slightly larger touring parks within a short drive, many of them geared towards walkers and cyclists exploring the footpaths around Stowe.

The terrain here is gentle rather than dramatic — rolling arable land, hedgerows, small copses and the landscaped parkland of Stowe itself — which makes for easy, comfortable camping without the exposure or steep ground found in hillier parts of the country. Pitches tend to be sheltered by mature hedges and trees, and the flat to gently undulating ground suits tents, trailer tents and caravans alike. Being inland, Chackmore avoids the coastal weather swings of many UK camping destinations, though English summers are never entirely predictable, so it pays to pack for both sunshine and showers whatever the forecast says.

Late spring to early autumn, broadly May to September, is the best season for camping around Chackmore, when the ground is drier, daylight hours are longer for exploring Stowe's gardens and the surrounding walking routes, and campsite facilities are running at full capacity. School summer holidays bring the busiest weeks, so early booking is worthwhile if visiting in July or August, while shoulder-season stays in May, June or September often mean quieter sites and a better chance of a pitch with less notice.

For those who prefer a roof over their head without giving up the outdoor feel, glamping has grown steadily across Buckinghamshire in recent years, with options ranging from simple bell tents and shepherd's huts to more fully equipped safari tents and pods on farms within reach of Chackmore and Buckingham. These sit well with the area's appeal as a gentle, garden-and-countryside break rather than a wilderness escape, offering comfortable evenings after a day spent among Stowe's temples and lakes or walking the quiet lanes around the village.