Does Bedfordshire's version of the Cotswolds beat the real thing? I visited to find out

Telegraph

4 hours ago

Imagine a landscape of rolling hedgerows, thatched cottages, traditional pubs and villages criss-crossed by little bridges. But not a tourist in sight. Welcome, my friend, to [checks notes] North Bedfordshire.
Wait, North Bedfordshire?
Having grown up in neighbouring Hertfordshire, the suggestion that Bedfordshire can rival the Cotswolds seems like the punchline to a poorly constructed joke. Bedfordshire is all about Vauxhall garages, low-flying orange planes and hat manufacturing, isn't it?
Apparently not. The narrative, according to a flurry of articles published earlier this year, is as follows: since the pandemic, Londoners, lured in by 40-minute rail links to Kings Cross, have discovered a secret network of rural, Cotswolds-esque villages just north of Bedford.
With places like Bourton-on-Water and Bibury straining under the weight of their popularity, the notion of there being 'alternatives' to the Cotswolds is well-trodden ground.
Somerset and Norfolk are regulars, but until this year I had never seen Bedfordshire in the conversation. With my preconceptions pushed to one side, I went to see if the comparisons ring true, or if the moniker is the work of a plucky estate agent trying to shift a damp three-bed in Bromham.
A chocolate-box likeness
To begin, a quick geography lesson. The 'Cotswolds of Bedfordshire' falls between the A1 and the M1 and is centred around four villages on the River Great Ouse.
Each sounds more like a character from Brideshead Revisited than the last: Bromham, Sharnbrook, Turvey, and Harrold. The easterly tip of the real Cotswolds is only 50 miles south-west of here.
Lured in by the name alone, I began my tour in Harrold. On its charming village green, an 18th-century 'Buttermarket' (an old market stand) transported me to the merry old fairs from centuries past.
Just across the green, the conical 'lock-up' once housed prisoners before standing trial.
The effect of these historic buildings, plus the Old Smithy flanking the west of the green and the stout terrace of thatched cottages to the east, is – I must concede – of a distinctly Cotswolds-y flavour.
But then I walked a few yards down the road and found a chippy-cum-kebab house called Oh My Cod. Was the Cotswolds comparison only skin deep, I wondered?
The local pub, The Oakley Arms, suggests not. When landlords Lizzie and Andy Slater left London in 2021 to take over this 400-year-old pub, it was in a semi-derelict state. Four years later, it is the only pub in Bedfordshire with a double AA rosette.
'We probably did say the exact words, 'Wow, these buildings look like the Cotswolds',' says Lizzie, who doubles as the pub's pastry chef.
'There's that old-school vibe that you don't get in London. Everyone knows everybody, there are so many independent people doing their thing. There's a lot of local support.'
Slater says the wellness trend, popularised at spas in the Cotswolds, has landed in the area too, with 'switch-off weekends' at Turvey House and The Falcon at Castle Ashby being renovated into a wellness retreat. But the transition is not yet complete, she admits.
'The area is still very 'back in the day'. It's not got that spruced up, glamorous side to it, at the moment, but it could happen,' she says.
The Oakley Arms is something of a destination in its own right. And not only for its culinary credentials. Back in 1968, one Paul McCartney was driving back to London from the north with his entourage and they decided to stop off in the village on a whim.
They popped into the pub and McCartney was promptly directed to the piano in the corner of the room, where (legend has it) he performed Hey Jude in public for the first time.
I don't remember hearing of anything quite so cool happening in Chipping Norton, I thought, as I finished my pint of Tring Brewery ale and went on my way.
More 'Little Belgium' than 'Little Switzerland'
I spent the next few hours driving between the villages of North Bedfordshire. What I found can only accurately be described as intermittent Cotswoldsiness, like a radio station on a slightly dodgy signal.
In Turvey, the crescent-shaped Carlton Road, with its Post Office, church, pub, stone houses and manicured hedges, has a certain chocolate-box appeal. The rest of the village, however, while perfectly pleasant, would look quite out of place 50 miles to the south-west.
In Sharnbrook, there was a high density of thatched roofs, low stone walls and groomed hedges along the narrow high street. Were there a Cotswolds bingo card, it would be scoring well, not least for the excellent Sharnbrook Deli Cafe, whose coffee, cordials, honeys and juices have all been sourced from the local area.
But in the countryside between these villages, the long, straight, low-altitude farmland failed to transport me to the wilds of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire or Oxfordshire.
I have previously written about the beauty of the Stroud Valley, nicknamed 'Little Switzerland' for its pathways pitched at elevations more suited to donkeys than humans. North Bedfordshire's landscape was, at best, more like a Little Belgium.
An influx of thirsty Londoners
The next stop on my tour was The Mill in Bromham, a charming coffee shop and museum set in a quite remarkable old water mill.
Owner Mitch Macfarlane took charge of the site a few years ago, with no background in grinding coffee beans but a good eye for a gap in the market. The influx of thirsty commuters had arrived, but there was nowhere for them to get a decent coffee.
'As soon as the train link went to 40 minutes, house prices shot through the roof. Being a coffee shop we see commuters all the time, like young couples who lived in London but missed the countryside life,' he said. I asked why they moved here, of all places, on a latitude almost as northerly as Northampton or Cambridge.
'St Albans is quite expensive, so they're slowly coming up the rail line to the next best thing,' said Macfarlane. 'I've also had customers who have moved here, bought lovely homes, and then missed the London life and gone back.'
As it happens, Macfarlane was in Burford and Daylesford just the day before. 'I get a lot of inspiration from the Cotswolds to bring back here. It's a lovely part of the world, but I was laughing at the prices they charge over there. I would say the food we do is much better, but you pay the price when you're in the Cotswolds.'
The Mill has become a community hub. Aside from coffees and cakes, there are food trucks parked here on Fridays, a volunteer-led 'fairy trail' walk on the site (great for children) and this September will see the second Millfest, with live music running across two days. After selling 600 tickets last year, Macfarlane hopes to more than double that number to 1,500 attendees in 2025.
There are more exciting rumbles on the horizon. Macfarlane disclosed that planning permission has been approved for a number of other units on the site.
Nothing is set in stone, but a farm shop, a florist and treatment rooms are among the possible businesses. If that came to fruition, our Cotswolds bingo card would start to look rather full.
A tourism boom on the horizon
An impending tourism boom in north Bedfordshire is anything but hypothetical. It is highly likely that within ten years the area will change beyond recognition due to an influx of visitors, although it won't have anything to do with its thatched roofs and characterful pubs.
In April, Universal Studios was given the green light to build one of its world-famous theme parks in Bedford. The US firm has bought a 500-acre former industrial site just two miles south of Bedford city centre. So far, information about the theme park is thin on the ground (will Harry Potter feature, given there's already the studio tour in Leavesden?) but what we do know is that the park is set to open in 2031, and it will have a capacity of between 18 and 32 million visitors per year.
The projections suggest Universal Studios Bedford will deliver a £51bn boost to the UK economy, and if Bedfordshire plays its cards right it will be able to cash in on that economic boom. But work needs to be done between now and then.
'Bedford's going to have to be invested in,' says Lizzie Slater. 'There are places to stay, but maybe there needs to be more information pulled together to sell it as a package.'
'Everyone's talking about it,' agrees Mitch Macfarlane. 'What everyone's trying to do is figure out how to piggy back off the back of it. It's a fantastic opportunity. It'll definitely bring a lot of tourists. But I grew up in Bedford, so something that big will be a bit strange.'
Sure. But only as strange, I suppose, as a Beatle rocking up at your local boozer, or your home attracting thousands of London commuters almost overnight. Or, indeed, a growing count of column inches being written about your village for its resemblance with the most beautiful corner of England.
Where to stay
I was slightly surprised, and disappointed, to find a dearth of boutique hotels or posh pubs with rooms in the Cotswolds of Bedfordshire. (The Pig, Beds? You heard it here first.) All is not lost: The Telegraph 's hotel reviewers rank The Woburn, around 11 miles south of the villages, as the best in the region.
What to see and do
Harrold Odell Country Park (free) is a tranquil, 144-acre park set around two lakes with meadows alongside the Great River Ouse.
Castle Ashby Gardens (adults from £14 in summer) is also worth a visit, with its Italian gardens, arboretum and orangery. The house itself is not open to the public, but there is a children's play area and tearoom on-site. Soon, you will be able to attend a wellness retreat there, at The Falcon. Turvey House has occasional open days.
Three alternatives to the Cotswolds
The 'Notswolds'
One Cotswolds rival, particularly popular among the celebrity set, is a corner of Northamptonshire dubbed 'the Notswolds'. Local writer Alan Moore, author of V for Vendetta and The Watchmen, once described it as the 'nation's best kept secret'.
Residents Geri Horner and Claudia Schiffer evidently agree. Come for the large concentration of stately homes, stay for the hospitality: The Tollemache (aka the Tolly) in Harrington was voted the best pub in the country in 2024.
Bruton, Somerset
Not unknown, but it would be an oversight to omit Bruton in a conversation about alternatives to the Cotswolds. Apparently locals are so used to seeing famous faces that they no longer bat an eyelid. This is a land of high fashion, raucous garden parties, summer-long barbecues and a smattering of very high-end accommodation options nearby. The Newt and Babington House (the first Soho House outpost beyond Greek Street) are just around the corner.
Norfolk
England's well-heeled easterly county is already popular amongst a certain breed of thoughtful celebrity – Stephen Fry, comedian Adam Buxton, actor Jessie Buckley and Bill Bryson (who has since moved away from little Wramplingham) are notable residents. Why? There are smart towns like Holt or Wells-next-the-Sea, four Michelin-starred restaurants, and a relaxed atmosphere that – unlike the Cotswolds – can feel a million miles from the snooty London set.