Bygone Times of Bletchley & Beyond

DAY 1

Journey from your home station to Bedford and, on arrival, we will make our way to the Bedford Centre Hotel, our base for the next four nights. We enjoy free time to explore our new surroundings before meeting for our first evening meal together.

DAY 2

After breakfast this morning, we travel by coach to the Military Intelligence Museum* where we learn the story of British military intelligence and discover the tactics, techniques, and equipment used on our guided tour led by a veteran. Afterwards, we continue to Shuttleworth, the location of the private collection of Richard Shuttleworth who rescued and restored old aircraft and vehicles. After lunch, we can explore the six hangars showing the development of aviation design and wander through the delightful Swiss Garden before returning to Bedford in time for our evening meal.

*Photographic ID is required for entry to the Military Intelligence Museum as this is an MOD controlled site.

DAY 3

Today, we travel to the extraordinary Bletchley Park, home of Britain's World War II Codebreakers. We explore this once top-secret operation enjoying immersive films, interactive displays, museum collections, and faithfully recreated WWII rooms including codebreaking huts where Enigma messages we decrypted, translated, and analysed. We learn of the brilliant minds, intricate methods, and complex machines that helped to win the war.

DAY 4

After breakfast today, our private coach takes us to the Imperial War Museum Duxford where we enjoy a guided tour of this remarkable airfield learning of the history of Duxford, exploring the collection of aircraft and military vehicles, and seeing iconic aircraft take to the skies. On return, if time allows, we make a leisurely stop in Cambridge before continuing back to our hotel for our final evening meal together.

DAY 5

After breakfast, we bid farewell to Bedford and make our way to the station for our homeward journeys.

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner