Aston Clinton can be explored through several clearly distinct themes: activities in the park, a small nature reserve and historic traces in the landscape. When planning your trip, it is worth considering these separately rather than treating them as a single type of outing. They range from play and ball sports to plant diversity, paths and archaeological interpretations. This allows you to shape your trip around your own interests.

Park and activities for an active day

Aston Clinton Park opens at 7 am year-round. In summer, it closes at 10 pm British Summer Time; in winter, it closes at 9 pm Greenwich Mean Time. Check local notices for temporary closures before your visit. At Aston Park Playpark, children with and without disabilities can use the integrated play area. The park also has a multi-purpose sports area for ball games, football, basketball and netball. This gives you a choice of different activities: a play area on the one hand and space for various ball sports on the other. When planning your day, you can first note the opening hours and then decide which option best suits your plans.

Nature at Aston Clinton Ragpits

Aston Clinton Ragpits is a three-hectare nature reserve where eight species of orchid can be found. Visitors can explore the area via a network of smaller paths. The site also includes short, steep slopes and steps, so take these into account when choosing a route and planning your visit. The orchids give the area a distinctive botanical character, while the paths make it possible to explore the nature reserve. This focus on nature is clearly different from the park’s play and sports facilities.

Paths and historic traces

The Icknield Way passes through Aston Clinton and may have been a Neolithic trackway. Grim’s Ditch is a linear earthwork that runs through the parish of Aston Clinton; current interpretations suggest it is more likely to date from the Iron Age. The two historical features therefore also differ in their proposed dates: the Neolithic interpretation of the Icknield Way remains possible, while the Iron Age is considered the more likely date for Grim’s Ditch. The Aylesbury Arm of the Grand Union Canal also runs through the parish. The trackway, earthwork and canal arm represent different kinds of traces in the landscape.

Earthwork remains of a medieval to post-medieval ditch may also be visible in the parkland at the site of Aston Clinton House. The church in Aston Clinton offers another clue to the area’s building history: its nave is believed to have originally been built in the 12th or 13th century. These two details point to different periods, from possible medieval to post-medieval ditch remains to an early date for the nave.

Wendover Woods: two types of trail

The Sensory Walk in Wendover Woods is at the Upper Icknield Way site in Aston Clinton. It is signposted and circular. The route is 1 km long and takes about 30 minutes to walk. It is mostly flat and well surfaced, wide throughout, with picnic areas and benches along the route. Its length and approximate walking time give you a specific block of time to factor into your plans.

The Hill Fort Trail in Wendover Woods offers a different kind of route. It follows surfaced and unsurfaced woodland paths around the Iron Age Boddington Hillfort and offers views across the Vale of Aylesbury and the Chiltern Hills. The trail is step-free and has a relatively wide path with benches. Compared with the mostly flat, well-surfaced Sensory Walk, the descriptions differ in terms of the path surface: the Hill Fort Trail also includes unsurfaced woodland paths. Both descriptions mention benches; the Sensory Walk also has picnic areas along the route.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Chesham, Winslow, Denham, St Leonards, Wing, Worminghall, Chalfont Saint Peter, Ibstone

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