October ended in the UK with an autumnal heatwave, caused by warm winds blowing directly from the Sahara. So we enjoyed the intense autumn colours on a surprisingly warm day. A circular drive from Berkhamsted, took in the wonderful woods near Wendover, and the pockets of woods all the way to Princes Risborough. The colours have developed to an intense bronze, despite the week of warm weather. The drive was stunning, although unfortunately it seems impossible to accurately capture the autumn colours with a camera.
Thame was on the route, and we did a town trail walk picked up at the local free museum. The town has many attractive historic buildings, and was once a bustling coaching inn town.
The tour continued to several 'hidden gems' - villages which were just off to the side of routes we have travelled often. Mentmore has a stunning 'Rotheschild mansion', not far from other ex Rotheschild homes we have visited in Buckinghamshire. But our favourite new discovery was Haddenham. This is a large sprawling village, and the more we explored, it seemed to have more and more narrow streets of lovely old houses, and several grass greens. The largest of these was in front of the church.
After using the current Daily Mail afternoon tea coupons in a surprising tea room in a village we have never visited before, we ended the day at the Ashridge Estate. There are two roads running through the forests here. The lower road passes through the Golden Valley and past Ashridge House. This private road, was just stunning, with golden foliage in all directions. The road along the ridge passes through National Trust land, and we stopped at their car park for a walk through the forest at the end of this balmy afternoon.
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