Going away for a few days with friends, we knew we’d have a lovely time, good company and shared interests and an interesting and characterful cottage to stay in… but we were a little dubious about the location… Bedfordshire. Bedfordshire is next to Cambridgeshire, my home county and as children we’d been to various places, and passed through more in our neighbouring county. My mum had lived there as a child and had fond memories of a rural idyll but that was back in the 1920’s and thirties.
We arrived in the dark, but what a surprise when we went out for a walk the next day! good gracious, what an absolutely beautiful county! What a gem! We were constantly exclaiming over the beautiful countryside, the charming villages, and when we went to Biggleswade with such an unprepossessing name we discovered a truly charming and very friendly town.
Looking across at the Mansion House, on the Old Warden Estate
It is quite a small county, the 41st smallest out of 48 English counties, and also with the 36th smallest population. It’s county town is Bedford, which was originally a Danish settlement, but there are of course, many other towns – as well as Biggleswade, there is Luton, Sandy, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, and obviously many more! Originally known for being a wool town, there are many industries there, including a corrugated cardboard factory that we passed on one of our lovely country walks!
If anyone suggests you go to Bedfordshire for a visit or a holiday do so!We are looking forward to going back and exploring some more!
A lovely riverside walk, beside the Ivel… we almost saw an otter… I just caught site of his tail!
…the otter’s tail.. but that’s another story!
Lois Elsden 