Dunstable sits where Watling Street, the old Roman road from London to the north-west, cuts through the chalk of the Chiltern Hills, and the town has been a stopping place for travellers for nearly two thousand years. Henry the First founded a priory here in the twelfth century, and its great church still stands, though much reduced. Today the town is busy and practical, with plenty of service stations and supermarkets.
Just south-west of town, the Dunstable Downs rise to the highest point in Bedfordshire, a long chalk escarpment with views over the Vale of Aylesbury. The London Gliding Club operates from the foot of the downs, and on a good day the sky is full of gliders riding the updraughts along the ridge. Kite flyers and walkers gather on the top, and the visitor centre has a café.
A little further south, at Whipsnade, a huge white lion is cut into the chalk hillside below the zoo, visible for miles. Nearby, the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is a remarkable memorial garden planted in the shape of a cathedral after the First World War.
As a start and fuel stop, Dunstable is convenient, with easy access to the M1 and the A5. From here, the roads north towards the Peak District or west into the Chilterns are open. The lanes over the downs and through the Chiltern villages are narrow and winding, with plenty of bends and some steep climbs. Traffic can be heavy around the town, especially at rush hour.