Landscapes

We believe that landscape is more than just ‘the view’. It’s the ever-changing relationship between people, place and nature.

The landscapes we know and love all have their own distinctive character and sense of place.

We want as many people as possible to access these landscapes and enjoy their benefits to our wellbeing, and so we work locally for a positive future for all landscapes.

For a small county, Bedfordshire contains a remarkable variety of landscapes. The walkers amongst you will notice the difference when you shake off your boots – the sand from The Lodge RSPB reserve at Sandy, the coating of clay when it’s slightly damp underfoot in some of our Country Parks, the white chalk from Dunstable Downs.

There are four distinctive elements to Bedfordshire:

1. The chalk downs of the Chilterns AONB

2. The Greensand Ridge which runs from Leighton Buzzard to Gamlingay

3. The limestone villages of the Great Ouse Valley in North Bedfordshire

4. The reclaimed brick and gravel pits that are the remains of quarrying and industry that now form the lakes in country parks such as Priory Country Park, Stewartby (Millennium Country Park) and Harrold-Odell