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2023 TPEA Conference Location
About Bedford – an English county town
Transport
Bedford is located in the centre of England – in between the M1 and A1(M) motorways – about ten miles from each.
Trains: Bedford is on the main trainline north from St Pancras station with trains approx every 15 minutes taking between 40 minutes and an hour. Alternatively Bedford can be accessed via a short taxi ride from Sandy on the main Trainline north to the east. If you are coming on the main north/south trainline to the west through Milton Keynes then you may be able to get the Bletchley to Bedford trainline across or a bus from Milton Keynes train station.
See Trainline https://www.thetrainline.com to buy tickets. For underground travel in London you can use your credit card to check in and out of the system.
Airports: from Gatwick and Luton airports there is a train direct to Bedford from the airport. From Heathrow and Stansted you need to go into London to St Pancras International to catch trains to Bedford.
Parking:
Conference parking is available at the Swan Hotel where the conference is being held. The Swan Hotel is at the river end of Bedford High Street. https://bedfordswanhotel.co.uk
Restaurants
There is a wide variety of restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the hotel: Thai, Italian, Indian etc. Hotel reception staff should be able to help you find one to suit your tastes. A short walk away along the river front to the east is The Embankment Hotel https://www.embankmentbedford.co.uk and a little further along is Radhuni – an Indian restaurant.https://radhunibedford.com
Cafes
There are numerous cafes serving food all day. In the town centre on the riverfront is the Albero Lounge – along with half a dozen other restaurants/cafes. Across the river from the Radhuni restaurant is the Longholme Cafe – beside a boating lake.
Museums
The Swan Hotel is immediately beside four museums/historical remains.
- The remains of Bedford Castle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_Castle are next door to the Swan Hotel – a short walk to the top of the mound brings you to a viewpoint which includes a display about the history of the castle.
- The Higgins Art Gallery and Museum (closed Mondays) is beside the Castle https://www.thehigginsbedford.org.uk/Home.aspx
- The John Bunyan museum https://www.bunyanmeeting.co.uk/museum closed Sundays and Mondays reminds visitors about the history of the suppression of free speech and different religious views in England.
See Trip Advisor for more galleries, WW2 museums etc https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g190737-Activities-c49-Bedford_Bedfordshire_England.html
Shopping
The covid pandemic has led to the closure of many High Street shops. For shopping try the Retail park or Milton Keynes Shopping Centre – for John Lewis, Marks and Spencer etc. or Cambridge which is 25 miles away.)
Leisure activities
There are rural walks along the river from the hotel. Walking east takes you to Priory Marina and lake walks. Four miles out of town on a pleasant walk/cycle ride is the Danish Camp cafe https://danishcamp.co.uk on the site of an ancient Viking settlement. There are of course golf course and horse riding and a host of other activities.
Accommodation
Bedford Swan Hotel
This is our conference venue. Conference attendees can book a special rate B+B offer at the Bedford Swan Hotel for Monday night for only £99. Please book directly with the Hotel (01234 346565) and mention the conference code: GA001593. Please note that only a limited number of rooms are available at this rate.
Mercure Bedford Centre Hotel
This hotel is two minutes walk from the Swan Hotel conference venue at 2 St Marys Street, Bedford, MK42 0AR
De Parys Avenue
There are two hotels and a guest house in De Parys Avenue Bedford which is about ten minutes walk from the conference venue.
Premier Inn :Bedford Priory Marina hotel
This hotel is in a pleasant rural location beside Priory Marina but 1.8 miles from the Swan Hotel – the conference venue.
Address: Priory Country Park, Barkers Lane, Bedford, MK41 9DJ. (They use dynamic pricing – the sooner you book the cheaper the price.)
