GREAT DRIVES

Morning: To reach the aerodrome, leave the aptly named Hangar Lane Gyratory on the A40 towards Oxford. Continue past RAF Northolt, keeping off the motorway on the old road at the Denham roundabout. Follow signs to Denham Green, turning left onto Tilehouse Lane.

Afternoon: Leaving the airfield, either cross the valley towards Harefield, calling at the Old Orchard or go back towards Denham Green for a meal at the Swan Inn. To reach the Hand & Flowers pub, turn right onto the Ago towards Marlow, crossing the M40 at Hotspur.

The delightfully genuine Denham Aerodrome Pilot Centre, located just inside the M25, offers a range of flying lessons to suit all abilities, including the scenic Thames flypast. This hour-and-a-half route by Cessna 152 takes in the Chiltern Hills, returning over the River Thames past Henley and Marlow. For budding pilots keen to take the next step in gaining their Private Pilot’s Licence, the longer three-hour discovery course is the ideal introduction to learning to fly.

Inn in the nearby village of Denham will provide a cosy retreat and an excellent slap-up meal. Alternatively, cross the valley and call in at the scenic Old Orchard pub to watch the planes come into land. If it’s fine dining you’re after, the excellent Sunday lunch on offer at Tom Kerridge’s two Michelin-starred Hand & Flowers pub in Marlow is just a short but sweet blast up the old A40 – just be sure to book well in advance.

thepilotcentre.co.uk
swaninndenham.co.uk
thehandandflowers.co.uk
brunningandprice.co.uk/oldorchard

Which Car?

FERRARI ROMA SPIDER

Buses and hipsters on ‘fixie’ bikes are a far more common sight on the streets of Hackney than supercars, so the Ferrari Roma Spider is probably the most bohemian option to go for if you’re worried about disapproving looks from the new-age locals – a contemporary take on the chic, pleasure-seeking Italian lifestyle of the 1950s and 60s, 54 years after the launch of 1969’s iconic coupé spider ‘bow-out’, the 365 GTS. And if the weather’s good, the ragtop will retract in seconds for maximum V8-powered, wind-in-the-hair exuberance through Epping Forest.