Chiltern Hills

Great Missenden at the head of the Misbourne valley is an attractive small town, with a long curving High Street of half timbered and Georgian shops, a graciously proportioned Baptist Church and a number of traditional pubs. Within a short stroll of the station is the award winning Roald Dahl museum which was established in 2001 with the aim of setting up a centre to tell Roald Dahl’s life story, to care for his archive and to promote a love of creative writing in everyone.This great little family-friendly museum features two fun and fact-packed biographical galleries, and a fantastic interactive Story Centre. While half of the museum tells the fascinating story of Roald Dahl’s life, the other half focuses on the process of creative writing.Departure station: London Marylebone.

Back blogging and about time too. What to do when the days are grey and every other blog seems more interesting than your own? Well ANGER has finally stirred me. Lord Adonis (you can already tell he is a complete 'banker' with a moniker like that) is promoting a high speed rail link through the heart of the Chiltern Hills. I already know what a rum lot they are in the Department for Transport re my road tax application last year. It took almost 6 months to process, I was threatened with legal action, spent hours online and on the phone and received no apology when they finally conceded that my car tax had been applied for. Letters to the Lord were ignored. I know I went a bit over the top but doesn't bureaucracy drive you crazy?
Anyway, today  he announced that our beautiful Chiltern hills will be trashed for a high speed rail link to Birmingham. Lovely little market towns like Wendover, pretty medieval high streets like Amersham and - oh travesty - the peaceful churchyard resting place of Roald Dahl our best loved storyteller, will be sacrificed for a 45 minute journey to Brum. This is the pretty picture and blurb that British rail uses to promote days out in Great Missenden - guess they just want to cart the people in faster.......will the trains have time to stop?
I have to say I have thought of visiting B once or twice mostly because the city gallery houses a fine collection of Preraphaelites but I always thought better of it and waited for a showing at the Tate or RA. I certainly won't be using the link. There is a perfectly good line that could be improved running through Berkhamsted and MK. And for the first time in my life I won't be voting Labour because they don't give a monkeys about anywhere south of Brum anyway and seem to have a pathological hatred of anything remotely rural. I hear the beautiful house at Chequers is hardly used anymore as Gordon prefers to spend his w/ends further north. Stay there mate!