Mentmore Towers

London to Birmingham by water — the trunk route of the canal age, with arms reaching Leicester, Aylesbury, Northampton and Paddington.

2.4 km NE · spans 9 counties

A half-timbered former Rothschild home, with a yew-and-box sundial and terraced lawns.

3.7 km NW

Beech woods and chalk downland within easy reach of London, laced with old ridge paths and grazing red kites

4.8 km SE

Nature reserve in a former chalk quarry near Pitstone, with wetland birds, chalk flowers and a lakeside visitor centre.

5.5 km SE

Four Victorian reservoirs built to feed the Grand Union Canal on the Chiltern edge near Tring, now a noted birdwatching reserve.

5.9 km S

Bare chalk hilltop at the north-east end of the Ridgeway, an Iron Age hillfort with sweeping views over three counties.

6 km SE