Bedford
Explore this fine market town with its shops big and small, many in the undercover Harpur Centre. There are some good delis and several places selling stunning Indian fashions and fabrics.
Relax by the river or stroll along its banks – the gardens are quite exquisite. A less well-known treasure of Bedford is the Cecil Higgins collection of fine paintings and superb English ceramics, which are being rehoused and scheduled to open in March 2009.