Dunstable and Whipsnade Downs

Dunstable Downs are part of the Chiltern Hills, in southern Bedfordshire in England, located near (and named after) the town of Dunstable. They are a chalk escarpment forming the north-eastern reaches of the Chilterns. At 243 m (797 ft), Dunstable Downs are the highest point in the county of Bedfordshire.Because of its elevation, Dunstable Downs hosted a station in the shutter telegraph chain which connected the Admiralty in London to its naval ships in the port of Great Yarmouth during the years 1808 to 1814.Whipsnade Zoo has cut an enormous lion shape into the chalk on the side of one of the hills. The lion can be seen from the B489 (Aylesbury to Dunstable road). The downs are used by gliders, kite fliers, hang gliders and paragliders in the area because of their height. The London Gliding Club is based at the foot of the downs. Much of the downs is managed by the National Trust as part of the Dunstable Downs & Whipsnade Estate property.

The London Gliding Club (LGC) is a members' club whose airfield is located at the foot of the Dunstable Downs. Many privately owned gliders are based there. It has the facilities to train pilots in powerless flight, and in the skills necessary to fly cross country using nature's sources of energy. Aerobatics and instructor training are also available. The LGC is open 364 days a year and is the second largest and one of the oldest Gliding Clubs in the United Kingdom, smaller only than Lasham Gliding Society. The club provides gliding courses, one day courses and trial lessons for members of the public.

Dunstable Downs Golf Club is a golf club in the southwest of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. It was established in 1906. As of 1995 the course measured 6251 yards. The club has hosted the British PGA Matchplay Championship. The present layout after 24 years of its formation was designed by five times Open Champion, James Braid. The course sits at an elevation of about 800 feet above the sea level.

The California Ballroom, nicknamed "Cali" and "Soul City", was a 2000-capacity music venue, being one of the United Kingdom's best-known soul music venues outside London. Located in Whipsnade Road, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, the venue was open from 1960 to 1979.The opening act in 1960 was pop singer Russ Sainty. Soul artists appearing included Stevie Wonder, Ike & Tina Turner, Roy Ayers, Brass Construction and Grover Washington, Jr. It also hosted rock acts including The Detours (later named The Who), The Rolling Stones, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Clash and The Damned, Killing Floor, Ten Years After, Jethro Tull, Chicken Shack and The Herd.

Sallowsprings is a 1.3-hectare (3.2-acre) nature reserve in Whipsnade in Bedfordshire. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.This site was formerly a caravan park, and it is now a traditional hay meadow. A rich variety of flowers includes common knapweed, bluebells and cowslips. An ancient hedgerow has a variety of shrubs such as holly.There is access from the road called Sallowsprings.

Queensbury Academy (formerly Queensbury Upper School) is an 11–18 mixed, secondary school and sixth form with academy status in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. It was established in 1972 and adopted its present name after becoming an academy in September 2012. It is part of the Anthem Schools Trust (formerly CfBT Schools Trust).

Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is a 9.5-acre (3.8 ha) garden in the village of Whipsnade in Bedfordshire, England. It is planted in the approximate form of a cathedral, with grass avenues for nave, chancel, transepts, chapels and cloisters and "walls" of different species of trees. The tree cathedral was planned by Edmond Blyth in the 1930s as an act of "Faith, hope and reconciliation" in response to his memories of World War I. As a cadet at Sandhurst in 1916 Blyth had made close friends called Arthur Bailey, John Bennett and Francis Holland who were all killed prior to the end of the war. In 1930 he paid a visit to Liverpool Cathedral, which was then under construction. Blyth wrote: "As we drove south through the Cotswold hills on our way home... I saw the evening sun light up a coppice of trees on the side of a hill. It occurred to me then that here was something more beautiful still and the idea formed of building a cathedral with trees." Work began in 1932 and continued in stages. The site became overgrown during World War II, but development recommenced after the end of the war. The first religious service at the site was held in 1953, and services continue to this day. In 1960 the Tree Cathedral was accepted as a gift by the National Trust. The independent Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Fund is responsible for the religious use of the site. Services have been conducted by many different denominations. It is Grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.The Tree Cathedral contains chapels meant for each of the four seasons.

Lancot Meadow is a 2-hectare (4.9-acre) nature reserve in western Dunstable in Bedfordshire. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.The site is a grassland remnant on chalk soil, and a remnant of flower-rich meadows in the area. Flora include common spotted-orchids, ox-eye daisies and bird's foot trefoils. There are fauna such as song thrushes and marbled white butterflies. Hedgerows provide and additional habitat.There is access from Badgers Gate.

Whipsnade is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, about 2+1⁄2 miles (4.0 km) south-south-west of Dunstable on the top of the Dunstable Downs, which drop away steeply to the south of the village.

Weatherfield Academy (formerly Weatherfield School) is a mixed special school located in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. The school accepts pupils from all over the Central Bedfordshire area. The school is for pupils whose special educational needs are categorised as Moderate Learning Difficulties. The school educates children aged 7 – 19 Facilities at Weatherfield include a school farm, IT suites, CDT department, Food economics department, and a science laboratory. In February 2011, Central Bedfordshire Council submitted proposals to merge Weatherfield with Glenwood School and Hillcrest School over the three sites in Dunstable and Houghton Regis. However, after consultation with pupils, staff and parents, Weatherfield was not included in the merger, and was converted to academy status instead. Glenwood School and Hillcrest School merged to form The Chiltern School in 2012.

Whipsnade Zoo, formerly known as ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, is a zoo and safari park located at Whipsnade, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of two zoos (the other being London Zoo in Regent's Park, London) that are owned by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats.

Landpark Wood is a 3.6-hectare (8.9-acre) nature reserve near Whipsnade in Bedfordshire. It is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.This wood has mature beech trees, hornbeam, oak and ash. The understorey is hazel and hawthorn, with bluebells, yellow archangel and woodruff. Birds include woodpeckers and nuthatches.The wood is on the corner of Dunstable Road and Land Park Lane.