Chinnor Hill

With magnificent views over the Vale of Aylesbury, Chinnor Hill is a patchwork of flowery grassland, scrub and woodland, steeped in ancient history.

Location

1 mile east of Chinnor

Chinnor

OX39 4BJ or OX39 4BB

OS Map Reference

SP 767 002

Know before you go

Size

28 hectares

Entry fee

Parking information

Surfaced car park at the end of Hill Top Lane (OX39 4BJ)

Grazing animals

Yes

Walking trails

1 mile Wildlife Walk. Ridgeway National Trail passes along the foot of the reserve.

Access

Sloping; steep and stony in places, muddy in places; kissing gates, gates. Rest benches.

Wheelchair and mobility vehicle users can gain access to top of reserve with a RADAR key - call 020 7250 3222 or go to www.radar.org.uk

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

All year round

About the reserve

Ash dieback

Ash dieback safety works will be taking place here from January 2020. Diseased ash trees can become very unstable. The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust is employing specialist contractors to fell or reduce diseased trees where they pose a risk to public safety. The work is being planned and timed to minimise the impact on wildlife.

To find out more, read our ash dieback FAQs.

The panoramic views from Chinnor Hill, which crowns the Chilterns escarpment, are breathtaking.

Spring and summer flowers
The chalk grassland here contains an amazing variety of flowers in spring and summer, including several species of orchid and the nationally scarce Chiltern gentian. Pretty harebells can be found here, and if you look closely, you might spot the tiny white flowers of eyebright - once made into herbal remedies for eye disorders.

Birds and berries
Hawthorn, juniper scrub, yew, whitebeam and the wayfaring tree have colonised the once open area of grassland at the top of the hill. In spring, this scrub is alive with birdsong and in autumn, migrant bird populations are attracted to the banquet of berries. Chinnor Hill is also a great place to watch red kites soaring in the sky, as well as kestrels hovering above the slopes looking for prey.

Prehistoric past
Chinnor Hill falls steeply to the Icknield Way, part of the ancient Ridgeway. Made up of prehistoric pathways that follow the chalk 'spine' of England, the Ridgeway is thought to be Britain's oldest road.

Things to do