Bedford,the pleasant county town of Bedfordshire,which lies to the north
of London, is forever associated with John Bunyan, the famous 17 th
century preacher,pastor and author of Pilgrim's Progress. Reminders of
this Son of Bedford in this town are never very far away.

When John Bunyan was alive the town of Bedford had a tiny population of about 2,000;today this thriving commercial and industrial centre has around 140,000 people. The town is located on one of the most attractive stretches of the River Great Ouse and enjoys excellent road and rail
communications - it is close to the MI and the AI highways and there are good rail services from London to Bedford,at least when Railtrack is not at work !

Bedford had a large immigrant Italian population many of whom worked in the brick works and in more recent years immigration has come from a number of Commonwealth countries. Perhaps therefore it is not surprising that this quite cosmopolitan place has a diverse range of eateries in town.Among them the Villa Rose Ristorante and Trattoria in Ram Yard, High Street which specializes in fine Italian cuisine, the Gulshaw Restaurant, popular Indian eatery and the George and Dragon town centre pub which serves up some fine pub grub-or it did the last time I was there.

Having got somewhere to stay and fortified yourself with food,what else is there to see and do in and around Bedford ? Quite a lot ! Apart from the John Bunyan Museum in Mill Street,there is the excellent Cecil Higgins Art Gallery which is located in the gardens of Castle Close just off the Embankment. It combines the original Victorian Mansion of the Higgins Family together with the gallery which displays outstanding collections of watercolours,particularly of Constable, Gainsborough and J. S. Cotman, prints, ceramics,glass and lace. The town has a rugby team and after the sad decline of the old Southern league powerhouse Bedford Town,a new non league soccer team once again represents Bedford.

For lovers of wildlife, a trip to Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable, is maybe
what you would enjoy. The Zoo houses over 2,500 animals in some 600
acres of parkland. You can drive a car through the park,or alternatively
hop on one of the regular shuttle buses.I have not visited this Zoo so I
dont know how well the animals are looked after but franky I have not heard of
adverse comments about this place.