High Wycombe
High Wycombe is a hilly town in the county of Buckinghamshire in England.
Get in
High Wycombe is easy to reach: it is on the railway line from Birmingham to London Marylebone and served by both local and fast trains. Wycombe is also served by buses to and from many of the nearby towns and villages, though due to the sheer number of traffic lights installed along London Road and around the entrance to the bus station it's generally quicker to walk. There are also bus services to Oxford and Stansted Airport.
The town boasts a spacious park and ride facility, see National Park and Ride Directory which unfortunately stops running at 19:00 - rendering it useless to anyone wanting to have dinner, visit the cinema or go late-night shopping. At 18:30, however, the Eden Car Park changes its pricing plan to £1.50 for the rest of the evening.
Get around
Buses: Buckinghamshire County Council have a guide to bus services in the High Wycombe area. http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/travelinfo/Services/WycombeIndex.htm
Trains: Chiltern Railways serve High Wycombe. The station is located on Amersham Hill, a short walk from the town Centre. There are usually 3 trains an hour between High Wycombe and London Marylebone and 1 train an hour between High Wycombe and Birmingham. Check timetables as trains do not run overnight.
Walking/Cycling: The town centre is largely pedestrianised.
Car: Good links with the M40 and M4.
See
Wycombe Museum, Priory Avenue. Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 2pm to 5pm. Closed Bank Holidays. Free admission.
Hughenden Manor
The Rye, off London Road : This extensive park is bordered by two rivers; the Wye and The Dyke; and features two attractive playgrounds and free-to-use tennis courts.
Hellfire Caves, West Wycombe
- Hughenden, HP14 4LA (3 miles north of High Wycombe), ☎ +44 1494 755565, e-mail: hughenden@nationaltrust.org.uk.
- West Wycombe Park, Village and Hill, West Wycombe, HP14 3AJ (3 miles west of High Wycombe), ☎ +44 1494 755571, +44 1494 513569, e-mail: westwycombe@nationaltrust.org.uk.
Do
The hilly terrain of High Wycombe was used to good advantage by the Wycombe summit, the longest dry ski slope in the UK which burnt down in November 2005. It is now being rebuilt as a real snow ski slope (snoDome) instead which, when completed, will be the largest of three in the country (and one of two in Buckinghamshire with another in Milton Keynes). Wycombe Summit
The town centre offers a 12 screen cinema (Cineworld) and a 22 lane bowling alley (AMF Bowling) The bowling can have some offers on Sundays.
The Cressex area of High Wycombe (near the main M40 junction) offers a few options close to the Holiday Inn hotel, including a 6-screen cinema (Empire Cinemas), a badminton centre, Cressex Astroturf, and Handycross sports centre ( http://www.wll.co.uk ) which has many facilities including a Gym and Swimming pool.
Wycombe Swan Theatre, with a capacity of 1076, in the town centre offers a varied program of entertainment.
High Wycombe also hosts two known professional sport teams at Adams Park, located in an industrial estate outside town:
- Wycombe Wanderers F.C.. Football club who currently play in Football League two, the fourth level of the sport in England.
- London Wasps. Rugby union club in the top-level Aviva Premiership. A perennial contender for top honours in the Premiership, Wasps also compete regularly in the top Europe-wide club competition, the Heineken Cup, and also contest the Anglo-Welsh Cup (currently sponsored as the LV= Cup) alongside the other Premiership clubs and the four top-level Welsh regional sides.
- Odds Farm Park, Wooburn Common, High Wycombe, Bucks HP10 0LX, ☎ +44 1628 520188. Open daily from 10am. With a guaranteed Ahhhh factor, there’s always something new at Odds Farm Park. Meet new babies, enjoy Animal Activities/Demonstrations and discover the NEW Giant Indoor Playbarn!
Award winning Odds Farm Park is located just minutes from Junction 2 of the M40, near Beaconsfield. Visitors should call 01628 520188 or visit www.oddsfarm.co.uk for more information. See website for admission prices.
Buy
The town centre has undergone a major refurbishment project (see http://www.mywycombe.com ) and now has one of the largest shopping centres in the country (see http://www.edenshopping.co.uk ) with over 100 shops, including a large House of Fraser and Marks and Spencer. It is probably also the coldest as it has no roof in some areas, so wrap up warm. The way the building was built it acts as a wind tunnel.
John Lewis have a department store in the Cressex area of Wycombe, near the M40. The store does not stock clothing - only household goods and furnishings.
The town centre has four shopping areas - the High Street, Eden shopping centre, Chiltern Shopping Centre and Desborough Road. There is a market on Tuesday, Fridays and Saturdays in the pedestrianised High Street.
Eat
There are many places to eat in the town centre, but it can be worth visiting some of the country pubs in the surrounding villages which often offer excellent food.
Drink
Someone says: "There are no pubs in High Wycombe. There are some restaurants that have an alcohol license, but none of any note." It's not true! In High Wycombe is not a lot of pubs, but they are. Although alcohol and beer selection is not great, there is always to choose. In restaurants the choice really is not great, especially beer.
There is a pub called The Antelope, which although rough in appearance serves only drink and is popular every night of the week. The prices are inexpensive but the place could be described as "the worst pub in the world".