Bedfordshire

There are quick and easy city links, but it’s easy to get away from it all too. Dunstable Down is Bedfordshire’s high ground, the northeastern end of the long line of the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Get on your bike on the 170-mile, Chilterns Cycleway circular route, or take it a bit easier along the ‘Redways’, 200 miles of traffic-free trails radiating out from Milton Keynes.

To the west, the Woburn Abbey Estate and nearby Aspley Heath, are crisscrossed with footpaths. Stroll through the woodland Deer Park and nip into the market town of Woburn for a coffee in the square on market day. The M1 cuts through the county via Hertfordshire to the south, and into Northamptonshire to the north. As expected this close to London, the train network is excellent, adding an easy link to Luton Airport as well.