Berkhamsted is an elegant town, some of which is protected as a conservation area. The town is beautifully situated on the Grand Union Canal and River Bulbourne, and is steeped in history being the location where William the Conqueror received the English crown at the castle in 1066 and where early turnpikes, the canal and rail converge. It is an ideal base to explore the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and West Hertfordshire Downs by foot or aboard a narrowboat. Much of the town’s 16th-century architecture remains and there are a large number of unique retailers and restaurateurs.