Princes Risborough

It's on the A4010 about halfway between High Wycombe and Aylesbury. The population is around 10,000. Why "Princes"? Because Edward the Black Prince apparently had a palace near St Mary's Church. (The site is now, in the finest British tradition, a car park.) Before then, it was "Great Risborough" on the same pattern as Great Missenden, and there was a Little Risborough, which changed its name to Monks Risborough as it had a monastery (no longer extant).
Getting information about Princes Risborough ("Risborough" for short) is very easy. No emigrants to other parts of the world seem to have called anywhere else by the same name, so a Google search for "Princes Risborough" (with the quotes) will get useful results. Unless you want to look a chump, don't say or write "Princess Risborough".

By road

A4010 from Junction 4 of the M40 south of High Wycombe, or B4009 from J6 - both about 10 miles of driving from the motorway junction.

By rail

• Princes Risborough Railway Station

  address: Station Approach, Princes Risborough HP27 9DN
  Chiltern Main Line trains from London (Marylebone) or Birmingham (Moor Street or Snow Hill). There's a branch line from Risborough to Aylesbury, but trains are not frequent. Station managed and services operated by Chiltern Railways.

By bus

• Ariva 300 bus route runs from High Wycombe to Aylesbury and both stop in Risborough.
• Redline Service 320 runs between Princes Risborough and Chinor.
• Redline Service 321 runs between Princes Risborough and High Wycombe.

By bicycle

• National Cycle Route 57Passes through the town. Runs Farmington, Gloucestershire near Northleach to Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire.

• The Chiltern CyclewayA 170-mile (274-km) circular cycle trial running through Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire, runs through the town

For the town, you can just use your feet. For the local countryside, you need a car or bike unless the bus routes or railway lines suit.

• The High Street and Duke Street - some old buildings and good local shops among the vast number of estate agents. Note the Trumpton-style market square.
• Manor Park Avenue and Church Lane are worth walking along for some nice private houses, and one cottage in Church Lane has a plaque commemorating Amy Johnson the aviator.

• St Mary's Church

  address: Church Ln, Princes Risborough HP27 9AW
  The spire is visible from almost anywhere in town and parts of the church are quite old, though there are no particular features that would get it into a list of churches to visit. Outside the church by the Mount car park is a sign about the Black Prince's Palace.

• Whiteleaf CrossA large chalk engraving in the side of a hill can be seen from nearly anywhere in the town. A steep uphill walk (or drive) to the top will give you views of the entire town and beyond as far as Didcot to the west and Aylesbury and Milton Keynes to the north.

• Red kites: the population started from a breeding programme to the west has reached Risborough, and you can quite often count six or more kites soaring above the town.

• Cymbeline's CastleA motte and bailey castle.

• Kop Hill Climb½ mile hill climb event with a gradient of 1 in 4 at its steepest. Event originally started in 1910 but ended in 1925 following a minor accident involving a spectator. The RAC then banned all motorsport on public roads. In 1999 the event was revived as a non-competitive charity event.

Get into local countryside for walks - the Ridgeway National Trail and Icknield way pass close by.
Nightlife: for anything other than pubs and eateries, you need to go to High Wycombe or Aylesbury.
Visit the Tourist Information Centre in Horns Lane opposite Marks & Spencers to find out whats on in and around Princes Risborough. Walking & cycling leaflets available.

• Brush Hill Local Nature Reserve15-ha nature reserve owned by Wycombe District Council

• Chinor & Princes Risborough Railway

  phone: +44 7979 055366 (mobile)
  address: Station Approach, Station Rd, Chinnor OX39 4ER
  Car parking at Chinnor station.

• Whiteleaf Golf Club

  phone: +44 1844 274058
  address: Upper Icknield Way, Princes Risborough HP27 0LY

• Princes Risborough FestivalWide variety of events including concerts, sports events, open days, street fair.

Food: Clark's is an excellent butcher. Tesco and Marks and Spencers Simply Food supermarkets are just what you'd expect, though anyone used to modern Tesco stores should be aware that this one is tiny. There's a deli in the High Street as well as the usual shops you would expect in a small town. Thursday sees a street market with some stalls selling some more exotic items. There are about four charity shops with the usual range of stuff - reasonable quality as Risborough has plenty of wealthy people.

• Princes Risborough Weekly Market

  phone: +44 1844 275912

• M&S Simply Food

  phone: +44 1844 275910
  address: 2 Horns Lane, Princes Risborough HP27 0AN

• Tesco

  phone: +44 345 677 9553
  address: Longwick Rd, Princes Risborough HP27 9TS

Three curry houses of which Radhuni, which replaced a Chinese in the helf-timbered old library building, is the most ambitious, and an expensive one, Coco Tamarind, on the road to Aylesbury. Snacks/sandwiches at the deli and a sandwich bar. Many pubs in and around town will serve you food.

• Radhuni

  phone: +44 1844 273741
  address: The Old Library, Church St, Princes Risborough HP27 9AA

• Bella Vita

  phone: +44 1844 345777
  address: 1 Bell St, Princes Risborough HP27 0DE

• The Plough at Casden

  phone: +44 1844 343302
  address: Cadsden Rd, Princes Risborough HP27 0NB

• Coco Tamarind

  phone: +44 1844 343111
  address: Aylesbury Rd, Askett Princes Risborough HP27 9LY

• The Three Crowns

  phone: +44 1844 347166
  address: Askett, Princes Risborough HP27 9LT

About four pubs.

• Dukes Wine Bar

  phone: +44 1844 274060
  address: 19 Duke St, Princes Risborough HP27 0AT

• The Bell

  phone: +44 1844 274702
  address: 21-23 Bell St, Princes Risborough HP27 0AA

• The George & Dragon

  phone: +44 1844 346785
  address: 74 High St, Princes Risborough HP27 0AX

• The Red Lion

  phone: +44 1844 344476
  address: Upper Icknield Way, Princes Risborough HP27 0LL

• Pink & Lily

  phone: +44 1494 489857
  address: Pink Road, Lacey Green HP27 0RJ

There are no longer any hotels in the town, but a number of B&Bs and inns in the surrounding area.

• Ridgeway Lodge B&B

  phone: +44 1844 345438
  address: Upper Icknield Way, Saunderton, Princes Risborough Bcks HP27 9NL

• The Peacock Country Inn

  phone: +44 1844 353519
  address: Henton, Nr Chinnor, OX39 4AH

• The Red Lion at Longwick

  phone: +44 1844 344980
  address: Thame Rd, Longwick Princes Risborough HP27 9SG

• Manor Farm Cottage

  phone: +44 1844 353301
  address: Henton, Chinnor OX39 4AE

• Chadwell Hill Farm

  phone: +44 7414 984599 (mobile)
  address: Lower Icknield Way, Longwick Princes Risborough HP27 9RL

• Post Office

  address: Tower Court, Horn Lane, Princes Risborough HP27 0AJ

• Wendover 5½ miles to NE
• Aylesbury 8 miles to N
• Thame 7 miles to E
• High Wycombe 9 miles S
• Great Missenden 7½ miles E
• Oxford 25 miles to W
• Bicester 22 miles to NW
• Leighton Buzzard 19 miles to NE