Wingrave

Wingrave has no hotels of its own, so anyone wanting a proper bed for the night will need to look just beyond the village. Aylesbury, five miles to the south-west, is the obvious base: the county town has a decent spread of budget and mid-range chain hotels along with a few independent options, all within easy striking distance of Wingrave, Waddesdon Manor and the wider Vale of Aylesbury. For something with more character, the villages around Wingrave — including Wing, Waddesdon and Aston Clinton — have bed and breakfasts and coaching inns that suit a quieter countryside stay better than a town-centre hotel. Self-catering cottages also turn up across this part of Buckinghamshire, popular with visitors who want a rural base for exploring Waddesdon Manor, Ascott House and the network of footpaths that link the vale's villages. Whichever option you choose, having a car makes the most of the area, since Wingrave and its neighbours are connected by country lanes rather than frequent public transport, and Aylesbury railway station is the nearest link to London and the wider Chiltern Railways network. Booking ahead is sensible during the summer season, when Waddesdon Manor's gardens and events draw extra visitors to the area, and during Aylesbury's own calendar of markets and shows. Prices in this part of Buckinghamshire tend to be more affordable than the Chilterns further south, making it a reasonable option for visitors who want to see the National Trust properties and market towns of the vale without the higher costs found closer to London.

Wingrave itself is small, but it sits within easy reach of some of Buckinghamshire's best-known attractions and the market town of Aylesbury.

• Waddesdon Manor — A Rothschild-built 19th-century chateau in the French Renaissance style, set in extensive grounds a few miles west of Wingrave near the A41, with celebrated formal gardens, an aviary and one of the country's finest decorative art collections, cared for by the National Trust.
• Aylesbury town centre — The county town of Buckinghamshire, a short drive south-west, with a historic market square, Georgian streets, the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre and the Buckinghamshire County Museum.
• Buckinghamshire County Museum — In Aylesbury, home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and displays on the county's history, geology and archaeology.
• Grand Union Canal towpaths — The Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Union Canal runs close to the town, offering level, waymarked walking and cycling routes out into the surrounding countryside.
• Wingrave and Rowsham countryside walks — Quiet public footpaths link Wingrave to neighbouring villages such as Cublington and Aston Abbotts across open Vale of Aylesbury farmland, popular with local walkers.
• Ascott House — Another Rothschild property, a National Trust house and gardens near Wing, a few miles north of Wingrave, with notable topiary and a fine collection of paintings.

The village's own pub, the Rose & Crown, is a 17th-century inn on the green serving real ale and traditional pub food with a beer garden. The Queens Head in nearby Wing is another well-regarded local. For a wider choice of restaurants, cafes and takeaways, Aylesbury town centre is the closest option, a short drive south-west of the village.

Wingrave and the surrounding Vale of Aylesbury are gentle, open farming country rather than dramatic wilderness, so there is little scope for wild camping here — and it is worth remembering that wild camping without the landowner's permission is illegal in England, unlike in parts of Scotland. Anyone wanting to camp near Wingrave should use one of the established campsites and caravan parks scattered across Buckinghamshire and neighbouring Oxfordshire, many of which are set on working farms and offer a mix of touring pitches, tent camping and glamping options such as shepherd's huts or pods for those who want fewer of the logistics of a full camping kit. The flat to gently rolling landscape of the vale makes for easy cycling and dog-walking between sites, though it lacks the more rugged appeal of the Chiltern escarpment a few miles south, which offers wooded hills and longer-distance trails for those willing to travel a little further. Because this is arable and pasture farmland rather than heath or moorland, ground conditions can turn heavy after wet weather, so late spring through early autumn is generally the most comfortable camping season, with July and August the busiest thanks to the school holidays and events at nearby Waddesdon Manor. Pitches near the bigger draws — Waddesdon, Aylesbury and the Chilterns — tend to fill up fastest in peak season, so booking ahead for summer weekends is worthwhile. Glamping has become an increasingly popular alternative in this part of Buckinghamshire, with several farms offering safari tents, wooden pods and shepherd's huts that give a taste of the outdoors without needing to pitch a tent, well suited to families or first-time campers exploring the quieter villages around Wingrave, Wing and Waddesdon.