Bedfordshire is one of England’s quieter landlocked counties, and a popular hub for London commuters, as it’s just 30 minutes away. There are a few towns, but mostly this is a county of villages on the River Ouse. Here you’ll find the main habitats for flying kites (previously hunted almost to extinction), endangered dormice (Maulden Wood|) and playful otters (Flit Valley).
why HS2 is not good for the Chilterns
Like many home counties, local wildlife has been decimated by HS2 (the Chilterns are home to ancient beechwoods, a pink & white ‘monkey orchid’ and the extremely rare Adonis blue butterfly). Wildlife campaigners are asking the company to pause construction until routes use updated methodology, to remap existing routes.
The high-speed train project is already destroying fresh drinking water in precious chalk streams, with the Barn Owl Trust saying that HS2 is a ‘very expensive way of killing owls’. Financial journalist Simon Kuper (who regularly ‘zips into London’ from his Paris home) says that HS2 is a vanity project, and money is better spent on updating rolling stock and better rural public transport.
please don’t build another terminal at Luton
Another local controversy is the building of a second terminal at Luton airport. Previously known for hat-making, today the airport ferries 17 million passengers each year to 60 worldwide destinations. Another terminal would create more pollution and noise, and destroy wild orchids and ancient hedgerows (natural homes for hedgehogs) to build aircraft hangars and car parks. Considering the airport does not have great reviews, it may be best to return to making hats!
birthplace of England’s ‘afternoon tea!’
Bedfordshire is where the traditional afternoon tea was born. The story goes that when the Duchess of Bedford got hungry one day at 4pm, she ordered bread, butter and cake with her cuppa!
