Bedfordshire is the smallest of the 'Shire' counties and has no cities. The busiest towns in the county are the market towns of Bedford, Luton, Leighton Buzzard and Dunstable. The name Bedfordshire is derived from the Anglo-Saxon Beda's Ford or the river crossing of Beda.
Bedfordshire covers just 480 square miles of central to southern England gently undulating in a series of hills and valleys across the plain of the Ouse to the Chiltern Hills where most of the land is rich clay through a belt of sandy hills stretching from Woburn to Sandy to a higher ridge of chalk downs in the south of the county, where the highest point of 801 feet is reached. The north of Bedfordshire is mainly agricultural and the south around the town of Luton mostly industrial.
Bedfordshire lies in southeastern part of the Midlands England. The county town is Bedford. The administrative county is divided into three districts: Mid Bedfordshire, South Bedfordshire, and the borough of Bedford. These districts cover largely rural areas centred on the towns of Ampthill, Dunstable, and Bedford. Bedfordshire also includes the unitary authority of Luton.
The town of Linslade in South Bedfordshire district of the administrative county lies in the historic county of Buckinghamshire, and a small area north of Sandy in Mid Bedfordshire district belongs to the historic county of Cambridgeshire. The historic county of Bedfordshire, however, includes the town of Eaton Socon, which lies in Huntingdonshire district in the administrative county of Cambridgeshire. The outstanding architectural masterpiece of the county is Woburn Abbey,
Bedfordshire's main attractions are Whipsnade Wild Animal Park near Dunstable and Woburn Abbey – the home of the Duke of Bedford. John Bunyan, author of 'Pilgrim's Progress' (written while imprisoned in Bedford jail) was born in the Bedfordshire village of Elstow.
4tourists.co.uk is a guide to Bed and breakfasts, hotel accommodation and Holiday accommodation in England UK. Our Search directory will help you find your ideal holiday accommodation, special offers and list places to visit and places to stay in Bedfordshire UK.
To search for holiday accommodation in England, use the search facility at the top of the page. Clicking on the map search facility shows a map of Bedfordshire.