The county town of Bedford is in one of England's smallest counties, flanked east and west by tourist hotspots like Oxford and Cambridge and just a 40 minute train journey from central London. Renowned as having one of the finest riverside settings in the country, enjoy panoramic views of the River Great Ouse from the restored Castle Mound; all that remains of Bedford castle, which was destroyed in the siege of 1224. Bedford lies 50 miles north of London on the A6 London/Carlisle road; the A1 and M1 lie to the east and west respectively. Cambridge is a 40 minute drive to the east via A428. To the west are Milton Keynes (25 minutes), Buckingham (35 minutes) and Oxford (75 minutes) via A421. For places of interest you can follow the WW11 'Airfield Trail' around the north of the county, once alive with the Big Band sound of Glenn Miller (who was stationed here during the war). It was from the airfield at Twinwood that he took his final flight. For a real 'vintage' experience, visit the Shuttleworth Collection where aircraft are kept in full flying order and can often be seen 'looping the loop' in the skies above Old Warden.
Contact Branch Secretary at bedfordshire@ipa-uk.org