Chesham Bois Wood

Chesham Bois Wood lies between Amersham and Chesham and is divided in two by the A416 road. It is situated on the sides of a valley overlooking Chesham and lies within the Chiltern Hills AONB. The site is connected to other woodland to the east and west. The wood is characterised by tall, straight, mature beech trees up to 25 metres high and this is the main impression of the wood from the A416 road. The beech trees would have been planted in the early 1900's to service the furniture industry, which was buoyant during that period. Chesham Bois Wood is in fact made up of 4 historic woods: Hodds Wood, Little Hodds Wood, Hilbury Wood and Elvidge Wood. These names still appear on maps. An impressive old quarry pit called Aldridge's Dell is situated on the northern edge of Little Hodds Wood and a veteran beech tree with some character is growing on the lip of the quarry. The flora is quite diverse, especially on the east side of the road, with specialist woodland plants such as bluebell, yellow archangel and woodruff. The wood is well used by the people, being within walking distance to settlements, and there are good rights of way links to these from the north and south of the wood. There is a good network of paths throughout the wood allowing the visitor a varied experience. Blackwell Stubbs is located approximately a kilometre further south and east of Chesham Bois Wood, on the eastern edge of the Chesham Bois settlement. It is positioned in a steep-sided valley, again in the Chilterns AONB. The wood is ancient in origin and quite mixed, with the major species being beech and sycamore. Being directly next to houses it is a well-used wood and there is a circular network of paths around it. The wood is best accessed from St Leonards Road.