Chiltern Hills

Chiltern Hills or Chilterns, range of chalk hills, southern England, stretching for about 45 miles north-east to south-west from the border of Suffolk through Bedfordshire, northern Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. The range is 24-32 km (15-20 mi) wide, and rises to 260 m (852 ft) at Coombe Hill, south-east of Aylesbury. Further north-west the hills fall steeply away, but slope gently towards the Thames in the south. The Chilterns were once densely wooded, gaining a reputation as a hideout for robbers; this beech wood later enabled the growth of a furniture industry in the area. Major towns of the Chilterns include St Albans, Luton, Aylesbury, and Stevenage. Parts of the range come under the jurisdiction of the National Trust.