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Discover area full of historic charm
Explore quaint town which offers the best of the countryside
This week, why not take time out to explore the small town of Woburn Sands and the delightful neighbouring village of Woburn.
Both are situated approximately 15 miles to the south-west of Bedford.
Woburn Sands, in fact, straddles the border between Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and, as the name suggests, the town is situated on sandy soil, which promotes a countryside alive with heather, gorse and silver birch.
To the south of the town is Aspley Heath, an area of woodland and heathland which extends for several miles and reaches a maximum height of 500 feet above sea level. To reach Woburn Sands from Bedford, take a trip on the scenic Marston Vale railway line.
Trains operate approximately every hour on Mondays to Saturdays, with a journey time of around 30 minutes. Turning left out of the
station, a five- to ten-minute walk leads to two extensive garden centres – Frosts and Wyevale, both of which have cafs and large gift shops as well as stocking a huge range of plants.
Turning right out of the railway station past the Station Hotel, a ten-minute walk leads to the small town centre where there are a number of local shops to be explored.
For those wanting to venture a little further, the number 10/10A bus service provided by Grant Palmer links Woburn Sands with the
picturesque neighbouring village of Woburn.
Conveniently, the bus stops outside Woburn Sands railway station and also in the towncentre.
The journey time to Woburn is around 20 minutes. Woburn itself is a fine Georgian village which has gift shops, antique shops, cafs and restaurants. The Heritage Centre, which is located in the former church of St Mary's, houses a museum of local history and also holds tourist information for the area.
The centre is open on weekday afternoons from 2-4.30pm until the end of September and at weekends from 10am to 5pm until the end of October.
Woburn is where the great tradition of taking afternoon tea was
initiated by the seventh Duchess of Bedford, and there are still numerous places in the village where you may partake in this most English of activities.
For those who like walking, a one- to two-mile ramble through attractive parkland leads up to Woburn Abbey itself. The house is open daily until September 28, when it closes for the winter, but the grounds, deer park and antiques centre remain open daily.
For those who wish to travel by car to Woburn, the renowned safari park is situated just outside the village, while a farmers' market is held on the third Sunday of each month at The Pitchings, a cobbled area in the village centre.
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Weather for Bedford
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 12 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North east
