Codmore Wood

The woods around Codmore, just outside Chesham, are proper beech country - the kind of forest floor that's soft with decades of leaf fall and genuinely quiet. Walking here, you're moving through the sort of landscape the Chilterns does best: tall straight trunks, dappled light, the occasional sudden clearing where the view opens up across the valley.

It's not a destination in itself - there's no visitor centre or café, no marked trails with interpretive boards. What you get instead is straightforward woodland walking. The main draw is the space and the relative peace. Families with young kids will find it easy enough for a morning wander, though there's nothing specifically to keep them entertained once they've exhausted the sticks-and-logs phase. Serious walkers appreciate it as part of the broader Chilterns network - it connects well with other local routes if you're plotting something longer.

Best visited in autumn when the beech trees colour up, or spring when bluebells cover the forest floor. Summer can feel a bit shadowy and damp. The whole area is free to access, naturally.

If you're based at one of the nearby campsites - Lights Camera Glamping or Fuzzy's Farm are within easy reach - this makes for a decent morning out before or after you've done something more structured in the wider Chesham area. It's the sort of place you'll forget about three minutes after leaving, but you won't regret the visit.