Ancient Beeches Within Reach of Cookham
Burnham Beeches is a large expanse of beech woodland west of Farnham Common in the village of Burnham, Buckinghamshire, and its southern half is owned by the Corporation of London and open to the public. The woods are not untouched wilderness: the beeches have been regularly pollarded over centuries, and many of the trees standing today are several hundred years old. That age, together with the deadwood in and around the trees, is what makes the place so alive — more than sixty of the plant and animal species recorded here are rare or under threat nationally. The woodland is protected as a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a candidate Special Area of Conservation.
The land itself has a story worth knowing before you walk in. It came into the ownership of the City of London Corporation after it was put up for auction in 1879, following the death of a landowner who had allowed public access. The land failed to sell, and Sir Henry Peek then bought it at the reserve price and sold a large part of it on to the Corporation, funded from duties levied on grain landed at the Port of London. Money was also spent improving the roads to the woods, one of which is named after Sir Henry. You are walking through what was, in effect, a Victorian act of civic preservation — open space set aside as relief from polluted towns and cities.
Pollarded Beeches, Deadwood and a Hill Fort
What you actually come for is the trees. The pollarded beeches, gnarled and hollowing with age, give the wood its character, and the deadwood — standing, fallen and rotting — is the reason for its wildlife. Look closely at trunks and stumps and you are looking at the habitat that supports the reserve's rare species. This is a place to walk slowly rather than stride through.
In the south-west part of the Beeches you can find Seven Ways Plain hill fort, a rare example of a single-rampart earthwork, thought to have been used either as a stock enclosure or possibly as a place of refuge. The earthworks have been dated to the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, and the site is a Scheduled Monument. It rewards a detour: the banks and ditches read clearly once you know what you are looking at.
You may also recognise the scenery. The proximity of Pinewood, Shepperton and Bray Studios has made the Beeches a desirable filming location, and productions shot here include Goldfinger, The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Crying Game, First Knight, two of the Harry Potter films, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Deadpool & Wolverine and a Doctor Who story, State of Decay. Filming is tightly controlled — restricted to no more than twenty days a year and to certain times of year, with environmentally sensitive areas off limits — and the revenue goes directly to fund the upkeep and management of the Beeches.
Making the Most of Your Visit
Plan on a half day at least, and longer if you want to combine the woods with the hill fort. Because the southern half is the part owned by the Corporation and open to the public, that is where to concentrate your walking. Bring footwear you don't mind getting muddy: this is working woodland with deadwood underfoot, not a manicured park.
- Give the pollarded beeches and the deadwood your time — they are the reason the reserve exists.
- Seek out Seven Ways Plain in the south-west of the woods; the earthworks are the one piece of built history here.
- Keep an eye out for filming notices — the woods are a working location, though access is managed around wildlife.
- Check conditions before you set out: the reserve's wildlife status means parts of it are protected, and filming is confined to set periods.
Pairing the Beeches with Cookham
Burnham Beeches sits within reach of Cookham, and the two make a natural day together. In Cookham itself you can visit the Stanley Spencer Gallery on the High Street, a small gallery devoted to the painter and holding the largest collection of his works on display at any one time. Nearby, Holy Trinity Church is mostly built in the 12th century, and in its churchyard there is a memorial stone to Sir Stanley Spencer. Cookham Bridge, an iron bridge opened in 1867, was depicted in Spencer's Swan Upping at Cookham.
If you want to walk rather than drive, a waymarked route runs from Cookham to Gerrards Cross via Burnham Beeches — a long but easy-graded trail of roughly twenty kilometres, estimated at about four and a half hours. For something shorter and gentler, walk the shores and islands of the Thames at Cookham: one route starts from Odney Lane near the gallery and crosses to Formosa Island and on to Cookham Lock Island, finishing at the lock; another heads west of the bridge towards Cookham Reach Sailing Club.
Start with a Map and a Free Morning
The appeal of Burnham Beeches is cumulative: the first pollarded beech you notice, then the deadwood, then the realisation that you are standing inside a Victorian rescue of open space that has been quietly managed ever since. Give it a morning, take the hill fort detour, and leave time for Cookham's gallery and churchyard on the way home. Look up the reserve's own guidance on access and protected areas before you go, then set a date.