Aylesbury, good place to visit?

In my home town, Aylesbury, a defiant sweep of unity has gripped the population. A national newspaper article, actually reviewing the film Elizabethtown in the Mirror on 4 November 2005 compared the town directly to Baghdad and Kabul as places in the world which aren't worth visiting.

"There are certain places you probably don't want to visit. Kabul. Baghdad. Aylesbury. Now add to the list Elizabethtown, a nowheresville in Kentucky that's home to star Orlando Bloom's latest endurance test of a movie. Man, oh man, is this bad"

Firstly, George Bush doesn't seem to think so about the first two places. No, Aylesbury doesn't have any oil, just incase you are wondering. It is conveniently near Chequers, yes, but hardly worth visiting, much better to stay in the scenic countryside away from the centre of Aylesbury, chatting to the PM about world hegemony.

Secondly, despite its fascinating past and central place in national history, Aylesbury, I would have to admit, is much less worth visiting than Kabul or Baghdad, unless: you have relatives living there, you like Roald Dahl, are going to court (which you have no choice) or wish to look at the oldest courtyarded pub in the country, the King's Head.

However, this does not hinder the interesting, nay, unique place Aylesbury exists in the nation.

• John Hampden, of ship tax fame, one of the 12 MPs who started the break between King and parliament which began the English Civil War.
• The UK's largest drug haul, in value of goods seized.
• The Great Train robbery, up until this year the largest armed robbery in the UK.
• The town farthest from the sea in the UK, hence the first point, obviously.
• The beginnings of the Para Olympic games. In the village of Stoke Mandeville which is part of Aylesbury. The smallest settlement to hold an Olympic event.
• The start of the late, great Ronnie Barker's acting career.
• Home of Jermaine Lindsey, one of the 4 suicide bombers on July 7th 2005.

Aylesbury is a reasonably good place to live, it is quiet and set in nice countryside, a good place overall. However this week has got me thinking whether it contains the nicest people, Captain Aylesbury's site is an example, briefly read the comments to his article if you can be bothered, you will see what I mean. Not captain Aylesbury, aka David Summer, our local newspaper's Editor in Chief, the man behind the mask, who I am sure is just a well meaning resident.

Can I now compare other similar places to Aylesbury which constantly receive stick, Slough and Bognor, to an extent, Torquay (from Fawlty Towers). These places have now grown a defiance, a character with which to defy the critical words of people like John Betjeman, silently, by their own successes, overcoming the comments with their own achievements. Can Aylesbury, please do that as well, or I am leaving. Another good comment that Edwards puts in his review which I think sums up Aylesbury's character. It "is so spectacularly dull, you keep wondering why". With all the potential for excitement and a thriving town Aylesbury continues to remain a boring place to visit and a quiet place to live in.

Unless, very unless, there is not only one Aylesbury in the world, there are infact 3. one in the UK, one in New Zealand, one in Saskwatchen, Canada. Could Edwards possibly mean one of these places instead. Both quiet, small colonial towns, in the middle of nowhere? Where nothing happens, just like the fictional place of Elizabethtown. Will now the Canadian and Kiwi residents put their arms up in anger of the insult done to them?

Apparently not, Edwards says he drives through the Aylesbury he talks about in the article, "to see relatives". Not a good reason to go to Aylesbury, bring on the bypass.