Bedfordshire
Lush countryside dotted with market towns
Bedfordshire
Amazingly, considering how much there is squeezed in, Bedfordshire is England's smallest county. Perhaps what makes it look so deceptively large are the never ending undulating green fields, cosmopolitan towns and luscious rivers.
With such beautiful and valuable farmland it is little wonder that the area has been attracting new settlers for thousands of years, since it was the homeland of the ancient British Cantvellauni Tribe. From then on it was continually occupied by either the Romans or the Anglo Saxons or Danes, and was for a while known as the Kingdom of Mercia. The region's most famous son John Bunyan began the Pilgrim's Progress in Bedford Prison and a stone marks the prison's original site. In addition there is a museum and a statue in front of the church of St Peter, as well as a meeting-house named after him. For history buffs the county also has Woburn Abbey, ancestral seat of the Dukes of Bedford, built on a medieval abbey and sitting in parklands of over 3000 acres; now of course, a famous safari park. In addition there is the house at Luton Hoo built by Robert Adam (and with gardens landscaped by Capability Brown), the 19th century 5 arch bridge over the River Ouse and hundreds of old churches scattered throughout the region.
But Bedford is really all about the landscape and the rolling Chiltern Hills and Dunstable Downs - from the undulating pastures and farms set in the River Great Ouse Valley and the vast waterway and tributaries of the river itself to forests of alder and willow and endless meadows, thatched cottages, market gardens and ancient villages such as Cardington, Bushmead and Roxton.
Bedford itself has one of the most impressive riverside settings in all of Britain looking out over the River Great Ouse from Castle Mound. Well worth a visit it is a cosmopolitan and exciting town with arts and culture festivals all year round and a number of fine museums.
© Steve Williams
Postcodes in Bedfordshire
Lea (Lee)
Lee (Lea)
East Hyde
Ballingdon Bottom
The Green
Caddington
Chaul End
Farley Hill
Pepperstock
Slip End
Chiltern Green
Lower Sundon
Streatley
Upper Sundon
Chalton
Bidwell
Chalgrave
Fancott
Harlington
Houghton Regis
Parkside
Toddington
Beecroft
Church End
Clement's End
Downside
Dunstable
Holywell
Honeywick
Kensworth
Lower End
Ouzel
Sewell
Studham
Totternhoe
Whipsnade
Battlesden
Billington
Clipstone
Clipstone Brook
Eggington
Fox Corner
Heath and Reach
Hockliffe
Leighton Buzzard
Linslade
Little Billington
Old Linslade
Potsgrove
Rushmere
Sheeplane
Stanbridge
Stanbridgeford
Tebworth
Tilsworth
Wingfield
Aspley Guise
Birchmoor Green
Church End
Eversholt
Froxfield
Higher Berry End
Higher Rads End
Hulcote
Husborne Crawley
Milton Bryan
Pinfoldpond
Salford
Tingrith
Tyrells End
Woburn
Biddenham
Great Ouse
Queen's Park
Brickhill
Clapham
Clapham Green
Goldington
Putnoe
Renhold
Salph End
Woodside
Workhouse End
Bedford
Eastcotts
Elstow
Fenlake
Harrowden
Kempston
Shortstown
South End
Bougton End
Box End
Bridge End
Broad Green
Brogborough
Bromham
Carlton
Caulcott
Chellington
Cranfield
East End
Felmersham
Gibraltar
Gossard's Green
Hall End
Harrold
Keeley Green
Kempston Church End
Kempston Hardwick
Kempston West End
Lidlington
Little Odell
Lower Shelton
Marston Moretaine
Oakley
Odell
Park End
Pavenham
Radwell
Ridgmont
Stagsden
Stagsden West End
Stevington
Stewartby
Turvey
Upper Shelton
West End
Wood End
Wootton
Wootton Bourne End
Wootton Broadmead
Wootton Green
Bletsoe
Blunham
Bolnhurst
Bourne End
Brook End
Bushmead
Cardington
Chadwell End
Channel's End
Chawston
Church End
Church End
Colesden
Colmworth
Colworth Ho
Cople
Cross End
East End
Great Barford
Green End
Hatch End
Honeydon
Keysoe
Keysoe Row
Knotting
Knotting Green
Little Staughton
Melchbourne
Milton Ernest
Mogerhanger
North End
Pertenhall
Ravensden
Riseley
Rootham's Green
Roxton
Scald End
Sevick End
Sharnbrook
Souldrop
Swineshead
Thurleigh
Top End
Upper Staploe
Water End
West End
Wilden
Willington
Wood End
Wyboston
Yelden
Ampthill
Barton le Clay
Beadlow
Chapel End
Clophill
Cooper's Hill
Cotton End
Deadman's Cross
Duck End
Flitton
Flitwick
Greenfield
Haynes
Haynes Church End
Haynes West End
Herring's Green
Houghton Conquest
How End
Littleworth
Lower Gravenhurst
Maulden
Millbrook
Pulloxhill
Sharpenhoe
Silsoe
Steppingley
Upper Gravenhurst
Wardhedges
Water End
Westoning
Wilstead
Little Wymington
Wymington
Hinwick
Podington
Covington
Hargrave
Duloe
Eaton Socon
Little Barford
Staploe
Kym
Lower Dean
Shelton
Upper Dean
Arlesey
Henlow
Hiz
Holwellbury
Lower Stondon
Campton
Chicksands
Clifton
Cliton Manor
Ireland
Meppershall
Shefford
Biggleswade
Broom
Dunton
Edworth
Eyeworth
Hatch
Holme
Holme Green
Ickwell
Ickwell Green
Langford
Lower Caldecote
Millow
Newton
Northill
Old Warden
Southill
Stanford
Stratford
Thorncote Green
Upper Caldecote
Warden Street
Beeston
Brook End
Cockayne Hatley
Deepdale
Everton
Gamlinghay Great Heath
Potton
Sandy
Seddington
Sutton
Tempsford
Tetworth
Wrestlingworth
Apsley End
Astwick
Bury End
Hanscombe End
Higham Gobion
Hillfoot End
Holwell
Pegsdon
Shillington
Stotfold
Upper Stondon
Upton End
Cam (Rhee)
Rhee (Cam)
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