{{Short description|Geographic region in Buckinghamshire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Use British English|date=March 2012}} {{Infobox settlement <!-- See {{Infobox settlement}} for the full list of available fields --> <!-- Elements common to United Kingdom --> | timezone = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]] | utc_offset = 0 | timezone_DST = [[British Summer Time|BST]] | utc_offset_DST = +1
<!-- Elements common to administrative division of this type (English two-tier district) --> | settlement_type = | subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Sovereign state]] | subdivision_type1 = [[Countries of the United Kingdom|Constituent country]] | subdivision_type2 = [[Regions of England|Region]] | subdivision_type3 = [[Ceremonial county]] | subdivision_name = [[United Kingdom]] | subdivision_name1 = [[England]] | government_type = | leader_title = Leadership | leader_title1 = [[List of MPs elected in the 2015 United Kingdom general election|MPs]] | established_title1 = Incorporated | population_density_km2 = auto | population_blank1_title = Ethnicity | blank1_name = [[ONS coding system|ONS code]] | blank2_name = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|OS grid reference]]
<!-- Elements unique to this article --> | official_name = Aylesbury Vale | image_skyline = Aylesbury Vale 1.jpg | imagesize = | image_alt = | image_caption = Part of Aylesbury Vale taken from the top of [[Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire|Coombe Hill]], looking towards [[Aylesbury]] | image_shield = | shield_size = | shield_alt = | shield_link = | image_map = Aylesbury Vale UK locator map.svg | map_alt = | map_caption = Aylesbury Vale shown within Buckinghamshire | subdivision_name2 = [[South East England]] | subdivision_name3 = [[Buckinghamshire]] | area_total_km2 = 902.75 | population_total = 199,448 | population_as_of = mid-2018 | population_blank1 = 92.3% White<br />3.7% S.Asian<br />1.5% Black<br />1.5% Mixed<br />1.0% Chinese or Other | blank1_info = 11UB (ONS)<br />E07000004 (GSS) | blank2_info = {{gbmappingsmall|SP818138}} | website = {{URL|www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk}} }}
The '''Aylesbury Vale''' (or '''Vale of Aylesbury''') is a geographical region in [[Buckinghamshire]], England, covering the predominantly rural area between [[Milton Keynes]] and [[Chiltern Hills|the Chilterns]]. It is named after its main town, Aylesbury, the [[county town]] of Buckinghamshire. Other key settlements in the region include [[Winslow, Buckinghamshire|Winslow]] and [[Buckingham]].
The bed of the vale is largely made up of clay that was formed at the end of the [[last ice age]].
Before 2020, there was a [[Districts of England|local government district]] known as Aylesbury Vale. It was succeeded by the [[Buckinghamshire (district)|unitary district of Buckinghamshire]] during [[2019–2023 structural changes to local government in England|local government restructuring in 2020]].
In the [[2020 United Kingdom census|2020 census]], the population of Aylesbury Vale was 205,426.{{cn|date=November 2025}} In the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2001 census]], the population of Aylesbury Vale was 165,748, representing an increase since 1991 of 18,600 people.<ref>[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/11ub.asp UK Census 2001]</ref> About half of those live in Aylesbury.
==Government== {{see also|Aylesbury Vale District Council}} {{see also|Aylesbury Vale District Council elections}} Aylesbury Vale was administered as a [[Non-metropolitan district|local government district]] of northern Buckinghamshire, with its own district council between 1974 and 2020. The council's offices were in Aylesbury. The district council's logo included the historical figure of [[John Hampden]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/ |title=Aylesbury Vale District Council website |access-date=5 December 2003 |archive-date=11 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211011946/http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the boroughs of [[Municipal Borough of Aylesbury|Aylesbury]] and [[Municipal Borough of Buckingham|Buckingham]], [[Aylesbury Rural District]], [[Buckingham Rural District]], [[Wing Rural District]] and part of [[Winslow Rural District]]. Aylesbury Vale was absorbed into the new unitary [[Buckinghamshire Council]] on 1 April 2020.
There are 111 civil parishes in the area of the former non-metropolitan district: 84 with a parish council, including three town councils ([[Aylesbury]], [[Buckingham]] and [[Winslow, Buckinghamshire|Winslow]]), and a further 27 operating with a Parish meeting, see [[list of civil parishes in Buckinghamshire|list of civil parishes in Aylesbury Vale]].
==Literature== The Aylesbury Vale countryside is described in the English novel [[The War Hero]].<ref name="Bucks Herald">{{cite news |url=https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/people/aylesbury-vale-setting-for-author-s-debut-novel-1-8944213|title=Aylesbury Vale setting for author's debut novel| work=[[Bucks Herald]] | date= 29 May 2019| author=Neil Shefferd}}</ref>
==Tourism== The Vale has a number of historic buildings and landscapes which are tourist attractions. The [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]] owns several properties including [[Waddesdon Manor]], [[Claydon House]] and the landscaped gardens at [[Stowe House]]. The [[Silverstone Circuit]] sits on the northern boundary of the Vale with [[South Northamptonshire]], and the [[Buckinghamshire Railway Centre]] is located near [[Quainton]]. Aylesbury is home to the [[Buckinghamshire County Museum|County Museum]] (which includes the [[Roald Dahl Children's Gallery]]), and Buckingham features the [[Buckingham Old Gaol|Old Gaol Museum]].
==Transport== There are no motorway junctions in the Vale although the [[M40 motorway|M40]] does cross it for five miles between junctions 8A and 9. The [[A41 road]], the [[A413 road]] and the [[A418 road]] meet at Aylesbury. The [[A421 road]] passes through the north of the Vale providing connections to [[Milton Keynes]], [[Bedford]] and the M1 to the east, and the M40, [[Oxford]] and [[Birmingham]] to the west.
The Vale is served by rail connections to the capital, containing several railway stations on the [[London to Aylesbury Line]]{{snd}} the major station being [[Aylesbury railway station|Aylesbury]]. At Aylesbury there are connecting services to [[Princes Risborough railway station|Princes Risborough]]. In addition, the [[Chiltern Main Line]] passes through the district, stopping at [[Haddenham & Thame Parkway railway station|Haddenham & Thame Parkway]]. The [[West Coast Main Line]] passes through the Vale twice along its eastern borders, with national intercity services stopping at nearby [[Milton Keynes Central railway station|Milton Keynes Central]] which, with {{rws|Bletchley}}, is also served by regional services.
As of 2023, construction work is underway on two further rail lines across the Vale, [[High Speed 2]] (HS2) and [[East West Rail]] (EWR). The HS2 route runs north-west, largely following the former [[Great Central Main Line]] route, but without providing any services to any towns in the county. EWR runs across the Vale, with trains between [[Oxford railway station|Oxford]] and Milton Keynes Central, calling at {{rws|Winslow}} and {{rws|Bletchley}}, due to commence in early 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Doyle |first1=Dave |last2=Ovens |first2=Ruth |title=Return to rail for historic Buckinghamshire village station |url=https://www.buckinghamshirelive.com/news/buckinghamshire-news/east-west-rail-see-trains-5486874 |access-date=22 June 2021 |work=buckinghamshirelive |date=2021-06-04 |language=en}}</ref> Buckinghamshire Council has established a cycleway between Buckingham and Winslow to maximise use of the new station.<ref>{{cite news |title=Extended Buckingham and Winslow cycleway officially opens |url=https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/people/extended-buckingham-and-winslow-cycleway-officially-opens-827297 |first=Neil |last=Shefford |date=2 July 2019 |work=Bucks Herald}}</ref>
There are also proposals for a branch line from East West Rail, to run from [[Claydon LNE Junction]] via {{rws|Aylesbury Vale Parkway}} to Aylesbury, which were discussed in Parliament in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=East West Rail: Aylesbury Spur - Monday 24 May 2021 |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-05-24/debates/09A8F0C6-86A6-43EF-92CA-625063B5B32A/EastWestRailAylesburySpur |website=hansard.parliament.uk |publisher=House of Commons |access-date=22 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref> This proposal remains "under review" and is not in any current plans. (The route of HS2 uses the same corridor and, {{as of|August 2023|lc=on}}, the Claydon line is needed to move materials for its engineering works.)
== References == {{Reflist}} {{Commons category|Aylesbury Vale District|Aylesbury Vale}} {{Aylesbury Vale}} {{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Aylesbury Vale| ]] [[Category:Former non-metropolitan districts of Buckinghamshire]]