Sandy, Bedfordshire

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Map sources for Sandy, Bedfordshire at grid reference TL1649

Sandy is a small market town in northern Bedfordshire, England.

The town is located between Cambridge and Bedford along the route of the Great North Road from London to Edinburgh. The area is dominated by a range of hills known as the Sand Hills, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book, where it is referred to as "Sandeia".(Sandeia: Eudo FitzHubert. 2 mills). This is a derivation from the Old English "Sandieg", meaning a sand-island. The River Ivel runs through Sandy.

Sandy was originally a Roman settlement and was probably an important trading centre and staging post in the Roman era. An ancient hill fort, now heavily wooded and known as Caesar's Camp, still overlooks the town.

Sandy is probably best known today as the headquarters of the RSPB. The Society moved to The Lodge, on the outskirts of the town in 1961. The Shuttleworth Collection is also nearby, around 2 miles south west of Sandy.

1 Government
2 Transport
3 Origins
4 External links

[edit] Government

Sandy is governed by three tiers of local government: the town council, the district council of Mid Bedfordshire and the county council of Bedfordshire. It is within the Parliamentary constituency of North East Bedfordshire.

[edit] Transport

Roads layout in Sandy (partial)

Sandy is situated on the A1 which hugs the western edge of the town. The A603 leads west towards Bedford; the B1042 leads east towards Potton and Cambridge. There are a number of bus routes, principally the 171 and 172 from Hitchin to Bedford and the more local East Beds Dart services which serve the Biggleswade and Sandy area.

Sandy has a railway station which is on the East Coast Main Line. Services north to Peterborough and south to London King's Cross are provided by First Capital Connect.

There used to be a railway line from Bedford to Cambridge which passed through Sandy and Potton. The East West Rail Consortium aims to recreate a modified version of this by reinstating the Bedford to Sandy section and utilizing the existing track to Hitchin and then onto Cambridge.