A Quintessential Picture of England...

Located just a few miles outside Bedford, a small town in the South of England is a pathway, now a country walk, which used to be part of the old railway line between Bedford and Northampton.

For those of you that aren't aware, the UK used to be crisscrossed with a great many branch lines interconnecting towns and remote villages across the country. In the 1960's with the popularity of cars and road freight, many of these lines were closed down, which is a great shame. Many of these are now pathways that you can use to cross the countryside, allowing you to retrace the routes taken across the country many years before. It's a shame that a lot of these old routes have now been built over too, as we look to build transport networks that are more environmentally friendly. If only we could turn back time (sometimes).

Along this pathway is a diversion that takes you to Stevington Windmill. This is a very impressive windmill, built in the 18th century and apparently is the only complete working windmill in Bedfordshire. 

Stevington Windmill is an impressive postmill built in the 18th century and is the only complete windmill left in Bedfordshire. It's designed to be turned around using the big post at the rear of the windmill so it can face the wind in any direction. Apparently, it was used until 1939, and was used to grind cattle feed.

It's now owned by the local council who have restored it to working order, and operate it occasionally, on special occasions, and to keep it working.

I was lucky enough to catch this moment during a glorious sunset, which added a dramatic backdrop to this already fascinating structure. If you're ever in Bedfordshire go and check it out...

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