End of the Line at Chesham

If you're not familiar with the county of Buckinghamshire, it's something of a surprise to arrive at a small country town and find signs for the London Underground - the instantly recognisable circle with a line running through it. At Chesham's charming little station you can board a tube train and travel 25 miles (40.2km) to Aldgate in the City of London via places like Finchley Road, Northwood Hills, Wembley Park and Pinner - the heart of Metroland.

Chesham lies at the end of a branch of the Metropolitan Line, which opened in 1889. Together with nearby Amersham, it's one of London Underground's furthest outposts. Work began on extending what was then known as the St John's Wood Line beyond central London during the latter years of the 19th century. By the mid-1880s the railway had become known as the Metropolitan, running 17½ miles (28km) from Baker Street. The plan was to continue the line all the way to Aylesbury, but financial problems restricted its extension at that time to Chesham.

Most of the land for the new sections of railway was acquired from the Duke of Bedford and Lord Chesham, but the land for the final half mile (800m) of the Chesham branch was presented to the railway by local residents to enable a station to be built in the centre of the town instead of on the outskirts, as was originally planned. In May 1889 the people of Chesham were invited to inspect the branch and afterwards entertained to a banquet. Seven weeks later, the line from Rickmansworth to Chesham was opened. For the next three years, until the main line from Chalfont and Latimer Station to Amersham and Aylesbury was opened in 1892, Chesham was the Metropolitan's most northerly terminus.

Where to eat and drink

There are no pubs on the rural stretches of the walk, but Chesham offers plenty of choice - including the Last Post and the Cock Tavern, which has a wide-ranging menu, with everything from pizza to jumbo sausage and toasted sandwiches.

What to look for latimer house, once the home of lord chesham and now a conference centre, was originally an elizabethan manor house, but was badly damaged by fire during the 1830s. the house was later restored and during the second world war it became an interrogation centre. later, the house was used as the headquarters of the joint services staff college, then the national defence college. a short distance from latimer station lies the entrance to beel house, the former home of the film star dirk bogarde (1921-99). it was here that he entertained some of hollywood's most famous celebrities, including judy garland, ava gardner, gregory peck and elizabeth taylor.