Dogging in Buckinghamshire: area guide

The lie of the land in Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a long county north-west of London. Aylesbury is the county town. High Wycombe, Amersham, Chesham, Marlow and Beaconsfield sit in the south, Buckingham and Winslow in the north-west, and Milton Keynes, a large planned city, fills the north-east corner.

The Chilterns National Landscape sweeps across the middle and south. It is chalk hills, beech woods and deep, sunken lanes, with steep valleys carrying the main roads. North of the hills, the Vale of Aylesbury is flat farmland. Milton Keynes feels like a different county altogether, with its grid squares, roundabouts and tree-lined redways.

The south of the county is commuter belt, so a lot of movement comes from London and Hertfordshire. Even out in the woods and farmland, a spot can fill up on a quiet evening for no reason you can see.

Getting about safely

The M40 cuts through the Chilterns at the Wycombe gap, and the M1 runs past Milton Keynes. The A41 links Aylesbury to Tring and Bicester, the A413 runs from Aylesbury to Amersham and London, and the A421 and A5 serve the north. The M25 and the A355 sit on the southern edge near Beaconsfield. Milton Keynes roads are fast, and the roundabouts are easy to misjudge in the dark.

Chiltern Railways run from London Marylebone to High Wycombe and Aylesbury, and the Metropolitan line reaches Amersham and Chesham. The Elizabeth line stops at Burnham. Milton Keynes Central is on the West Coast Main Line. Last trains out of London leave earlier than most people expect, so check yours or book a taxi home.

In the Chilterns, lanes are narrow, steep and often hemmed in by banks and trees. They are unlit, and phone signal drops in the valleys. Leaves and frost make them slippery from autumn. Muntjac deer and other wildlife cross without warning at dusk. Keep your phone charged and tell someone where you are going.