The Midsomer Murders Villages of Buckinghamshire

The Best Campsites in Buckinghamshire

chris@orchardviewfarm.co.uk (Chris Alsworth) — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 16:06:29 GMT

The Best Campsites in Buckinghamshire

Camping, Glamping & Caravanning is a terrific holiday option. It’s great value and a fantastic experience for adults and kids alike. Plus, the family dog is always welcome - you can’t say that for many fancy hotels!

Staying at Orchard View Farm Glamping & Campsite means you can enjoy fabulous food and drink in the Trough Garden Café. We have a farm shop and butchery onsite, BBQs for rental and brand-new wash facilities. With all this great stuff in one place, we’re unique amongst campsites in the area.

We’re also passionate about supporting local businesses and our community. Whilst we’re confident in what we have to offer, we wanted to share some of our local knowledge with you and support our fellow campsites. Here’s our list of the Best Campsites in Bucks.

Town Farm Camping & Caravanning

This working farm near the pretty village of Ivinghoe has been run by the Leach family since the early 1930s. They opened their gates to campers in 2009 and pride themselves on being a rural and non-commercial site. However, they still have all the facilities you’ll need. With guest experience their priority, you’re sure to have a great stay!

Home Farm Camping and Caravan Site

Home farm has been running for more than 20 years and is situated near the picturesque village of Radnage. Local shops and country pubs are all within easy reach. The campsite also makes a good base for visiting historic Oxford, Marlow, and Henley-on-Thames. With on-site toilets, showers, a washing machine, and fridge freezer, you should be set for a comfortable break.

Chiltern Retreat Rural Camping

Located just outside the village of Lane End in Buckinghamshire Chiltern Retreat has 1,000 acres of fields, meadows, and woodlands to explore. Despite their size, their vision is to create a personalised camping experience. You can choose from a secluded area of woods to your own private meadow. They even offer Equestrian Camping, so you can bring your horse! Dogs are welcome too.

The Old Dairy Farm

The Old Dairy Farm is a small and independent site close to the village of Stoke Hammond, not far from Milton Keynes. Fishing enthusiasts will love this one, as angling is available in the River Ouzel and a nearby fishery. Campers can choose between a tent field and hard-standing pitches for tourers, both offering electric.

These are just some of our favourite places to stay locally. We hope that this has kindled some ideas for a stay in Buckinghamshire. It’s a beautiful county, with lots to see and do. To check dates and book in with us, hit the booking tab here or at the top of the page.

Midsomer Moorden

chris@orchardviewfarm.co.uk (Chris Alsworth) — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 15:51:19 GMT

Het klassieke Engelse dorpsmoordmysterie is al lang een favoriet van liefhebbers van detectiveverhalen. De beroemdste exponent van het vaartuig was waarschijnlijk Agatha Christie's spinster sleuth Miss Marple, die vanuit haar huis in het fictieve dorp St. Mary Mead complexe complotten ontrafelde en 'whodunit' aankondigde lang voordat de ploeterende politie-inspecteur die verantwoordelijk was voor de zaak zijn eerste verdachte had gevonden. Miss Marple uit de jaren '30 en '40 loste moorden op die redelijk ordinary.....no seks of geweld waren

In navolging van deze grote traditie hebben we nu de Midsomer Murders met hoofdinspecteur Tom Barnaby, de creatie van schrijfster Caroline Graham op wiens boeken de vroege teleplays waren gebaseerd. Midsomer Murders speelt zich echter stevig in het heden af en de moorden waar Barnaby en Troy mee te maken krijgen, zijn onthoofdingen, levend verbranden en gruwelijke steekpartijen met landbouwwerktuigen en keukenmessen, items die strikt taboe zijn in de tijd van Miss Marple!

De instellingen blijven echter hetzelfde. Het Engelse plattelandsdorp roept een unieke visie op fetes, cricket op het groen en thee in de pastorie. De verzameling dorpen die bekend staan als Midsomer heeft al deze attributen, maar achter de kanten gordijnen en zorgvuldig verzorgde tuinen ligt ook kwaad, chantage, hebzucht, wraak en natuurlijk moord. In feite lijkt het gebied een hoger percentage moorddadige psychopaten te huisvesten dan het slechtste getto van de binnenstad.

De serie wordt bijna volledig gefilmd op locatie in het prachtige Chilterns-gebied van Buckinghamshire en de naburige graafschappen Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire en Surrey. Het marktstadje Thame ligt op ongeveer 15 minuten rijden en is in veel afleveringen gebruikt als het fictieve dorp Causton. Daarnaast zijn Chinnor, Bledlow Ridge en Princes Risborough slechts enkele voorbeelden van locaties voor veel van de afleveringen van deze populaire serie. Deze plaatsen zijn allemaal in een klein eindje rijden te bereiken.

Een gids van de filmlocaties in het lokale Thame is een goede vriend van onze camping en staat klaar om je mee te nemen op je eigen Midsomer Murders-avontuur. Orchard View Farm Camping is een ideale centrale locatie om te verblijven en ligt binnen handbereik van de meeste plaatsen die regelmatig worden gebruikt bij het filmen van de serie. Controleer uw data en boek hier.

The Midsomer Murders Villages of Buckinghamshire

chris@orchardviewfarm.co.uk (Chris Alsworth) — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 15:21:28 GMT

The Heart of the Story is the English Village

The classic English village murder mystery has long been a favourite of aficionados of detective stories. The most famous exponent of the craft was probably Agatha Christie's spinster sleuth Miss Marple, who from her home in the fictitious village of St. Mary Mead unravelled complex plots and announced 'whodunit' long before the plodding police inspector in charge of the case had found his first suspect. Set in the 30's and 40's Miss Marple solved murders that were fairly ordinary…..no sex or violence!

A Very Modern Tale

Following in this great tradition we now have the Midsomer Murders featuring Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, the creation of writer Caroline Graham on whose books the early teleplays were based. Midsomer Murders, however, is set firmly in the present and the murders Barnaby and Troy are faced with include decapitations, burning alive and gruesome stabbings with farm implements and kitchen knives. They are often forced to confront events strictly taboo in Miss Marple's day!

What a Place To Live!

The settings, however, remain the same. The English country village conjures up a unique vision of fetes, cricket on the green and tea at the vicarage. The collection of villages known as Midsomer has all these attributes but behind the lace curtains and carefully manicured gardens there also lies evil, blackmail, greed, revenge and, of course, murder. In fact the area seems to house a higher proportion of homicidal psychopaths than the worst inner city ghetto.

Some Beautiful Locations

The series is filmed almost entirely on location in the beautiful Chilterns area of Buckinghamshire and the neighbouring counties of Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Surrey. The market town of Thame is about 15 minutes’ drive away and has been used in many episodes as the fictional village of Causton. Additionally Chinnor, Bledlow Ridge and Princes Risborough are just a few examples of locations for many of the episodes of this popular series. These places can all be reached in a short drive.

A tour guide of the filming locations in local Thame is a good friend of our campsite and is ready to take you on your own Midsomer Murders adventure. Orchard View Farm Camping is an ideal central location to stay and is within easy reach of most of the regular places used in the filming of the series. Check your dates and book in here .

The Prettiest Buckinghamshire Villages to Visit from Orchard View Farm

chris@orchardviewfarm.co.uk (Chris Alsworth) — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 15:26:17 GMT

Orchard View Farm is a great place to base yourself if you want to explore the quaint villages of Buckinghamshire and the Chilterns. Here's a few great hamlets to discover near our Glamping & Campsite.

Turville

An impossibly pretty village with a timeless and 16th-century brick cottages charm located in the beautiful Chilterns area not too far from Orchard View Farm Glamping and Camping which has become quite the TV and Film star in recent years.

It’s the quintessential English village having provided the backdrop for Midsomer Murders, Jonathan Creek, Miss Marple, and The Day of the Triffids, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Father Came Too, Goodnight Mr. Tom – so quite a list! Don’t leave without visiting the local church which doubled as St Barnabus in ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ and also pack your walking boots as from here you can easily explore the stunning landscapes of the Chiltern Hills. On a sunny day, the walk up to the famous windmill provides a great view.

West Wycombe

West Wycombe has a very interesting history as this is Francis Dashwood’s (the controversial 18th-century baron and politician), former home and stomping ground.

The village is a particularly pretty place to visit in Buckinghamshire and is only a 15-minute drive from Orchard View Farm. It's now mostly owned by the National Trust. It was once an important coaching stop and today it still displays its perfectly preserved 16th – 18th-century buildings and pubs as well as a few traditional shops and cafes.

Just outside West Wycombe village you’ll find West Wycombe Park and Hill (an amazing place for walks, stunning views, and picnics) where St Lawrence’s Church which has a tower with a mysterious Golden Ball Spire at the top.

Near by is West Wycombe House set in 45 acres of charming landscaped park land, which was the home for the Dashwood family for over 300 years, the menacing Mausoleum which sits strikingly on top of West Wycombe Hill, and the creepy West Wycombe Caves which were said to house the notorious Hellfire Club and are available to be visited.

Latimer

Latimer is a typical beautiful English village surrounded by an area of outstanding beauty. It’s a hamlet buried deep in a network of stunning country lanes this is the ‘Shire’ counties at its tranquil finest. The real draw is the stunning surroundings, it looks out over the beautiful Chess Valley and The Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and there are numerous walks and cycling paths here. Nearby is Chenies Manor – a wonderful Tudor Manor House and gardens, and Little Chalfont Nature Park. Sit back and absorb the peace, tranquillity and atmosphere of England.

O ld Amersham

This charming Buckinghamshire town is a 30 minute, picturesque drive from Orchard View Farm and it’s new campsite, its full of character and was made famous by the popular film, Four Weddings and a Funeral. Old Amersham is the historic hub of the town of Amersham, nestled in the foot of the Chiltern Hills and steeped in history.

Whilst picturesque and quaint it has religious significance, there is even a street devoted to several people who were burnt at the stake in this village in the 16th century. The famous romantic hotel scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral was filmed in The Crown Inn in Old Amersham (Room 101 to be precise).

You will notice that Old Amersham is in a fairly straight line from London to the north of England. For this reason, it is packed with historical coach houses, for the 16 ^th - 18 ^th travellers to stop for a meal and a drink before continuing their journey.

Great Missenden

This gorgeous place lies on a major route between the Midlands and London and is about 20 minutes drive from Orchard View Farm. Several coaching inns, particularly the Red Lion (now an estate agency) and The George (with new owners), provided rest and refreshment for travellers and their horses.

Following the arrival of the Metropolitan Railway, (later the London Underground's Metropolitan line) in 1892, Great Missenden became a commuter village for London with writers, entertainers and even Prime Ministers, Clement Attlee and Harold Wilson were among the resident. For example Gipsy House was the home of author Roald Dahl. The house is situated on Whitefield Lane, an old drovers' road on the outskirts of the village. From 1954 until his death in 1990, it still remains in the family and many local scenes and characters are reflected in his work. A Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre is situated on the main road through the village.

G reat Missenden was home to the late actor Geoffrey Palmer (Butterflies; As Time Goes By), and his wife Sally still lives there. Model turned cookery show presenter Sophie Dahl (granddaughter of Roald Dahl) and her husband jazz musician Jamie Cullum also own a property in the village.

The village has been used extensively as a filming location for TV drama Midsomer Murders. During 1980, Hammer Film Productions filmed a small series of horror films for television, many of them filmed in and around Great Missenden. Of note is the episode "Rude Awakening" starring Denholm Elliott who plays an Estate Agent trapped in a recurring nightmare. The location of the premises used as the Estate Agent's office is located in the centre of the village. Nowadays the property is a barbers.

The 10 Benefits of Camping

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 14:55:38 GMT

My name is Steve, and I am the Site Manager at Orchard View Farm Camping & Glamping in rural Buckinghamshire. Here's 10 reasons why I think camping is good for you.

I have to be honest; I have never been much of a camper. I have done it a few times, but no bathrooms and tons of bugs were not for me. It wasn’t until last summer when I tested out our newly finished campsite with my family, that I really understood its magic.

Whether you stay in a cabin, RV or tent, camping has amazing health, mental, physical and social benefits! As a convert to camping, I’d like to share some of my enthusiasm with you. Here’s my “10 Benefits of Camping”.

1. Promotes Family Bonding

What’s a better way to bond as a family than being out in the middle of a meadow surrounded by nature? Through camping, families learn to work together, and problem solve to have a fun and successful camping experience.

It’s also a wonderful time for kids to learn from their parents and develop a greater level of respect. It can help strengthen bonds between family members — brothers and sisters, parents and children and the list goes on. You’ll all return home feeling much stronger as a group.

3. Encourages an Appreciation for Nature

Camping gives families the opportunity to appreciate the beauty and wonder of nature!

How can you not appreciate nature when camping? Some campsites offer views that are breath taking and inspiring. Orchard View Farm Camping and Glamping is a short distance from the Chiltern Hills and is home to our own rare breed pigs, sheep, deer and chickens. Without television, electronic devices and even electricity (we have no electrical hook ups), we can learn to take in all the sights and sounds of nature. We appreciate its beauty and wonder. In turn, we care more about protecting it!

4. Enhances Problem Solving Skills

Camping requires a great deal of problem solving from the moment you arrive at the campsite. Families must learn to properly pitch a tent so they stay dry and safe, start a fire so they are warm and can cook meals and, of course, you can’t get lost in the countryside, so someone has to figure where to hike and how to make a trail home. Other camping activities can involve problem solving skills!

If you want an easier introduction, you can opt to stay in a ready-to-go Glamping tent (we have them!). You still get the outdoor experience without needing all the equipment.

5. Fosters a Healthy Lifestyle

Studies have shown that being outside improves health, physical and mental. In addition, being relaxed and forgetting about the worries of the world, can also help a person improve their physical health. Lastly, camping often involves some form of exercise, and we all know that being physically active helps improve mental and physical health!

Leave the overbooked scheduling at home. When you’re camping, there’s no place to be at a certain time, and there’s nothing interrupting you or competing for your attention. The natural outcome of this type of setting is stress reduction and relaxation like you can’t find anywhere else.

You may not realize how scarce fresh air is in your day-to-day life. When you go camping, you get the wondrous scents of the outdoors, as well as the smell of dinner cooking over an open fire.

6. Exposure to Scientific Concepts

Camping is a great time to explore nature and learn various scientific concepts!

Science is everywhere in nature! When camping, you learn about various plant life to not get a rash or eat a poisonous berry. Campers also learn about what various plants and trees look like, what they need to survive and what animals eat them.

While camping, campers are also exposed to astronomy as they gaze at the stars at night. Lastly, you can’t make a fire without using science. You have to understand the science behind chemical reactions if you want a long-lasting fire!

We’ve also teamed-up with local expert Alex DeWitt and have Bushcraft experiences available. His outdoor courses allow kids and adults to learn fun new skills in an outdoor setting. Find out more here

7. Increased Self-Awareness

What’s a better way to learn more about yourself than roughing it in the great outdoors? First, you will learn if camping is for you or not. Next, you find out what kind of camper you are: tent, caravan or cabin. Then you find out what you are made of. Can you put up a tent, build a fire, cook over an open flame or make it through a 3-hour hike in the countryside? You discover that you can do more than you ever thought possible.

8. Exposes People to New Challenges and Adventures

Exploring Orchard View Farm and the surrounding countryside. Either walking or cycling, visiting historical towns or simply signing up for one of our Bushcraft courses.

Campsites and surrounding areas are often full of outdoor adventures and challenging activities. You are sure to find a new adventure that will test your strength and endurance! Trying new challenges helps people build self-confidence and self-esteem. Whether you succeed or not, you can be proud of yourself for trying!

9. Creates New Friendships

Many may think that camping is just the family in the countryside, all alone! That is often not the case. Today, camping can be a community of friends and family enjoying a common interest. Often, campers congregate around each other’s tents or campfires and share fun stories. Not only do parents make new friends but so do the kids. Last summer, my friends met new people while camping. This year, they are planning a camping trip together. Camping not only brings on new experiences, but new friends too!

1 0. Allows Families to Relax, Unwind and De-Stress

There are so many pressures in life today, for adults and kids. From working to getting good grades to paying the bills, everyone feels a little anxious during the year. Camping can help families relax and unwind. They can put down their phones and textbooks and just concentrate on having fun. Kids can play without any worries and parents can relax or an engage in a new adventure. Being able to de-stress can help increase productivity when returning to work and school!

So, there you have it, my 10 benefits of camping!