Explore the ancient town of Bedford, with its riverside gardens and connections to John Bunyan. To the north are pretty limestone villages with warm and welcoming village inns and pubs, many of which were used by airmen, including Glenn Miller, based at the WWII airbases in the area during the War. A new WW2 trail links many of the former airbases in the area. To the east, the giant airship hangers at Cardington and the world famous Shuttleworth collection at Old Warden Park provide an insight into Bedfordshire’s history of aviation innovation. Lovers of antiques should head to the Georgian towns of Ampthill or Woburn, which is also home to the magnificent abbey – home of the Duke of Bedford and Woburn. Get back to nature in Luton’s landscaped parkland, amongst the chalk-life flora and fauna of the magnificent Dunstable Downs or on a safari at Woburn.

Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough. According to Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town of Kempston. The wider borough, including a rural area, had a population of 153,000.