Talk to me about Bedfordshire

[Aylaaaaaaa]

Thinking of moving from London to Bedfordshire to be near family. They live in Flitwick which I don't much like. I like nearby Ampthill. Am also willing to go further north (like Sharnbrook, Carlton, Harrold etc).

What are nice areas? Not nice? Things to be aware of? I've always been a bit put off as there doesn't seem to be much going on (eg national trust places, beauty spots) in that neck of the woods compared to neighbouring counties, but I'm prepared to be proven wrong.

DH and I don't commute so train stations not an issue. We have one primary aged child.

My mil lives in ampthill and loves it...does seem nice ...we are mk and love it here

My DH is worried there isn't much to do at the weekends in the area. Is he wrong? Are there nice walks etc?

Ampthill is nice and has more to do than the surrounding villages which are also quite nice but you'll have to travel for more activities. Ampthill park for walks. Nearby Silsoe has Wrest park. Maulden is nice but a long smaller village as is Clophill. Also like Pulloxhill, Flitton and Greenfield but they are very small villages. Countryside all around though so no worries on walking. Further across, Shefford is a another town which has nice bits but also some bits I wouldnt live in as with any town. And beyond Shefford is Clifton, Henlow, Langford.. all nice. Stofold ok. Wouldn't live in Arlesey.

Have visted Harrold and thought it was lovely. Dont know much about that area as much as central beds though. Hope that helps a bit!

Flitwick is nice enough.

Have u looked at Westoning? Harlington? Pulloxhill?

There's a beauty spot right on your doorstep.... Sundown Hills.

Dunstable Downs and Ashridge (NT) also short drive away.

Thank you all. Our initial choice was to move to the cotswolds which is kind of where my heart is but I don't want to be so far away from family. It's really good to hear that people enjoy living in Beds.

I had good friends in Harlington. Lovely community, really close and they have excellent schools there too

Ah this is all lovely to hear.

We are in a new village/development near Stotfold. Close to Letchworth, Hitchin, easy access to A1 & M1. Great for kids, plenty of walking routes, the local school is great, currently the middle and upper school are a little hit or miss (don't know if you need school info or not). School system is currently moving from three tier to two tier.

i live in the village of woburn. we are not far from flitwick and ampthil.
this village is very lovely and people are very friendly, schools are good.
choice of walks are lovely. however alot of the houses are owned by the duke of bedford so when houses do become available for sale they are pricey,
woburn sands is also nice if you want a little more of a high street area. surrounding areas are pretty to and still benefit from fantastic walks and scenery. (husborne crawley, aspley guise, eversholt, milton bryan)

Sorry just reread your post, so school are relevant. Our local lower school really is a community hub!

Ditto Woburn and Woburn sands also lovely (I go to baby groups in Woburn sands)

Surrounded by woods and country parks and amazing walks

I really like both Woburn and Woburn sands but for what we want I think they are too expensive. Budget will be about 450-500k.

Thanks so much for commenting. There is so little discussion about Bedfordshire as a place to move to that I was starting to wonder who lived there!!!

@Aylaaaaaaa

I really like both Woburn and Woburn sands but for what we want I think they are too expensive. Budget will be about 450-500k.

Thanks so much for commenting. There is so little discussion about Bedfordshire as a place to move to that I was starting to wonder who lived there!!!

we are moving soon as i want to continue my smallholding and just cant get anything for my budget here :( we have lived here for over 6 years and its a fantastic place to bring the children up. you could probably find something in woburn sands or aspley guise with your budget. obviously that depends on what your looking for. :)

We could definitely find somewhere but we'd like a little more space really - looking for 4 bedrooms ideally and a decent amount of downstairs. Lots like that around for our budget but not in Woburn.

@Aylaaaaaaa

We could definitely find somewhere but we'd like a little more space really - looking for 4 bedrooms ideally and a decent amount of downstairs. Lots like that around for our budget but not in Woburn.

yes you are right, woburn is very pricey. you should keep your eyes out after christmas. it looks like there will be a dip in prices and you might be able to grab something.

Leighton Buzzard will give you a decent house for £450k - £500k

20 mins from flitwick ten mins from Milton Keynes and all the lakes and green spaces.

Rushmere park would be on the doorstep as well as Mead Open Farm for Kids

Pretty decent market town which you won't find in Flitwick.

It's also 30 mins direct train from Euston for days out in London post covid.

Look at Cheddington maybe ? Great community , much cheaper than Berkhamsted but close to those amenities.

Bedfordshire is lovely
Your money will go further in Flitwick but Ampthill is very popular for families.
If you'd consider moving further into Bedford, the villages of Bromham, Biddenham and Wootton are lovely too.

North Bedfordshire is a lovely area. Lots of very traditional villages but not millions of miles from civilisation.

We currently live in Yelden, and it’s beautiful. Harold, Odell, Cartlon, Turvey also v nice but much bigger.

Added to say the further south you go in Bedfordshire, the more built up it is and the more expensive it is. We used to live near Biggleswade/Stotfold but the whole area is a sea of new build estates now, very built up.

I'm not keen on Flitwick but have friends in Wootton, which is fine.
Biddenham is lovely but probably too pricey.

Most of the villages are lovely. I grew up in Bedford itself - it has significantly gone downhill in recent years! It does have a very useful train station though and is close to major motorways.

North Bedfordshire is gorgeous with fantastic schools. I really like Sharnbrook and Harrold - both beautiful but have lots going on.

I think there's a bit less in terms of official National Trust places, Cotswoldy villages etc but there's still plenty to do. A walk around Ampthill Park and Houghton House is always lovely and you're very well placed for trips to London, MK, Norfolk.

We’ve just moved to the beds/ bucks borders and love it so far. Loads to do- greensand ridge walks, wrest park, Woburn abbey, Dunstable downs, ivinghoe beacon, Rushmore Park, ashridge forest etc. There tends to be less “big ticket” days out but the place is full of nice pubs, village greens, farm shops and generally nice things to do. I would also speculate that it’s a bit more relaxed than the Cotswolds and much less pricey!

@Heronwatcher u must be spitting distance to me. I'm in bucks by 50m lol