Burnham Beeches

With centuries old pollarded trees, rough grazing British White cattle and over 500 acres of woodland, Burnham Beeches is a wonderful place to visit at any time of year but particularly so in autumn. We used to go there quite a bit but yesterday was our first visit in three years. It has to be admitted that in the main the City of London Corporation do a pretty good job of looking after Burnham Beeches and the many other open spaces that they maintain in and around London. They tend to manage with a light touch, not fixing what's not broken and allowing places to keep their individuality. So I was surprised to find that they have removed the old cafe that used nestle in a glade on the Southern edge of Burnham Beeches. It was a bit run down, perhaps old fashioned would be a better term, but was run by a cheerful, friendly girl and you could get a decent cup of tea and bacon sarni and browse the veritable library of local information. It also seemed to be a meeting place for local OAP's. This charming little place would of course be beyond the comprehension of corporate thinking and office bound consultants who are no doubt responsible for the soulless, clone cafe and information point that has replaced it.