Surprisingly, when you consider how much is packed into its borders, Bedfordshire is one of England’s smallest counties. Equally surprising is the fact that people in the south of England will think nothing of jumping on the internet and looking for cheap coach hire abroad from the UK when they haven’t ever taken the time to go and tour some of their own country’s most beautiful and most fascinating counties. Bedfordshire is one such county and perhaps what makes it seem so much larger than it actually is are the seemingly never ending rivers, valleys, cosmopolitan towns and undulating green fields. Bedfordshire is truly a charming and not-to-be-missed corner of England.

Indeed with so much fertile and beautiful rolling farmland it is no surprise that the county has been bringing in new travellers and settlers, farmers and traders for thousands of years. It has been constantly inhabited at least since the arrival of the British Cantvellauni Tribe in ancient times and then continually occupied by either the Anglo Saxons, the Danes or the Romans. It was, for a while, referred to as the Kingdom of Mercia. However, the area became most famous when it was the home to a prisoner, John Bunyan in Bedford prison. From there John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, a book that is second only to the bible in numbers sold and has never been out of print. Bunyan wrote the book in prison and a stone celebrates the spot – there is also an entire museum dedicated to the writer and the book (well worth visiting) and a statue of him sits in front of the charming church of St Peter.

Out and about in Bedfordshire it is worth taking a coach tour to take in Woburn Abbey (famous ancestral seat and home of the Duke of Bedford) which was itself constructed on the site of a medieval abbey. The grounds run to over 3000 acres and have been turned into a world-famous and wonderful safari park. If that is not enough grand history you can also head over to Luton Hoo, a stunning house designed by Robert Adam and complemented by some incredible Capability Brown gardens. From there you can head out to see the 19th century bridge over the Ouse River with its five arches, and the hundreds of ancient churches that you seem to come across on every other corner.

If you’re touring Bedfordshire the real beauty is in the scenery however. Bedfordshire is a county of simply enchanting landscapes that run from the Chiltern Hills to the Dunstable Downs through the River Ouse Valley and into the charming market towns of Roxton, Bushmead and Cardington. And of course there is Bedford itself, one of the best-loved and most picturesque riverside cities in the UK. Spend the night in one of the many stunning old hotels or if you’re on a budget pick up a Travelodge discount code that will allow you to stay there for next to nothing. Wherever you’re staying, in the evening make sure you get a chance to stare out over the Ouse from Castle Mound – you will not regret giving that package holiday abroad a miss.

A large number of people planning their holidays will be thinking about the usual package holiday to Spain next summer. But if you are looking for cheap holidays abroad from the UK there is a much better way of finding them that does not involve doing the same thing you do each and every year. Instead, why not look into taking a coach tour of any of the most beautiful regions of France where you can experience all of the usual essentials of a summer holiday – hot weather, gorgeous scenery, lying by the pool, dining outside with a glass of wine – whilst seeing some of the most incredible and beautiful sights that Europe has to offer.

One such holiday is a tour of Bordeaux by coach. All you need to do is jump on the coach and head out from Calais before driving across France and stopping in an overnight hotel. Once you get to Bordeaux the tour will take you to the fantastic Atlantic coast where you can spend a night or tow in the picturesque seaside resort of La Rochelle, after which you can head to Bordeaux itself for a few nights.

Bordeaux is one of Europe’s truly wondrous cities with some of the most beautiful ancient and elegant squares, tiny cobbled streets and old churches and buildings, all built between the 13th and 18th centuries and now packed with an eclectic mix of small boutique shops, restaurants and cafes. It has been at the centre of the French wine trade since Roman times and was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2007.

Once you have had your fill of Bordeaux, you can head out in the coach to visit the wonderful Medoc wine growing area, stopping en route to sample some of the world famous wine grown there of course. Your tour would then rejoin the Atlantic coast and take in the charming resort town of Lacanau. No tour of the region is complete without stopping off in Arcachon, a town that is known for its fantastic selection of 19th century architecture and its almost perfect year-round climate as well as the magical views from its bay.

If you have time take a trip to Biarritz, a town that was for a long time considered to be the most affluent and upmarket destination in all of France, a fact that is easy to believe when you see the incredible buildings. It has a faded elegance to it and still retains a haughty grandeur as well as some beautiful beaches and again, a perfect year round climate.

Depending on how long you have left Biarritz is the perfect place to get some much needed rest and enjoy a day or two in the sun before heading back to the UK.