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Buckingham
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Unassuming
BUCKINGHAM
is tucked into a sharp bend in the River Ouse about twenty-five miles northeast of Oxford. It became the county town of Buckinghamshire in the tenth century and flourished during medieval times, but it was bypassed by the Industrial Revolution and remained a forgotten backwater until a recent wave of incomers created the modern suburbs that surround it today. The town centre is at its prettiest along the wide, sloping Market Hill, standing in the middle of which is the
Old Gaol
, a chunky, stone structure that is home to the
tourist office
and a modest, local history
museum
(Mon-Sat 10am-4pm; A?1.50). Otherwise, Buckingham is short on sights, though you might take a peek inside the sombre
Churchof St Peter and St Paul
, which perches on the hill where the castle once stood - take Castle Street from the west end of Market Hill and you can't miss it.
There's no train service to Buckingham, but there are
bus
links from neighbouring towns, principally Milton Keynes. Buses stop on the High Street a few yards from the
tourist office
in the Old Gaol (July & Aug Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm; rest of year closed Sun; tel 01280/823020). They have a small supply of
B&Bs
, which they will book on your behalf, or you can target Buckingham's best
hotel
, the
Villiers
, which occupies an imaginatively modernized old inn bang in the centre of town at 3 Castle St (tel 01280/822444; A?110-150). Most of the rooms flank the courtyard to the rear of the main building and each is decorated in smart modern style. The best spot for
food
is the
Dipalee Indian Restaurant
(tel 01280/813151), just along Castle Street from the hotel and with a good range of dishes; main courses average about A?7. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United Kingdom,
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