Stokenchurch Gap is the old road to London winding its way up the steep scarp slope of the Chilterns. This former stagecoach road was once the main route between Oxford and London. One section was so steep that extra horses had to be put at the bottom of the hill to help struggling stagecoaches get to the top.

The route was originally known as the Stokenchurch Turnpike. Many of the old villages which the route passes through retain vestiges of these stagecoach days, with numerous coaching inns en route.

Stokenchurch Gap is also a birdwatchers' paradise, and one of the best places in southern England to see Red Kites which are making a welcome return to the area following their persecution by game keepers in Victorian times. Red Kites are now widespread across the central and southern Chilterns.