Cardington is a small village and civil parish just to the south‑east of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, set amid arable farmland and the floodplain of the River Great Ouse. The settlement sits close to the small planned village of Shortstown and retains a quiet, rural character while being within easy commuting distance of the larger town.
The village is best known for the enormous airship sheds of the Royal Airship Works at RAF Cardington, where the R101 was built and the site later served as an RAF depot and barrage‑balloon school; the huge hangars still dominate the skyline and are often used for film, TV and events. Locally the economy mixes farming with small businesses and commuters, the parish church and community groups keep a strong social life, and the airship history gives Cardington an unusual industrial and historic identity for a rural Bedfordshire village.
Postcode districts covering Cardington
Most populated places nearby
- Milton Keynes 15.5 miles25 km
- Northampton 22 miles35.3 km
- Luton 14.7 miles23.7 km
- Cambridge 23.8 miles38.3 km
- Bedford 3.2 miles5.2 km
- Stevenage 16.8 miles27 km
- Hemel Hempstead 24.7 miles39.7 km
- St. Albans 24.7 miles39.7 km
- Kettering 23.9 miles38.5 km
- Kettering Town 23.8 miles38.4 km
- Welwyn Garden City 22.7 miles36.5 km
- Dunstable 16.1 miles26 km
Neighbouring places
- Cardington Built-up area 0.8 miles1.4 km
- Cotton End Built-up area 0.9 miles1.5 km
- Shortstown Built-up area 1.1 miles1.8 km
- Cople Built-up area 1.3 miles2.1 km
- Kingsbrook Ward 1.9 miles3.1 km
- Willington Built-up area 2.3 miles3.7 km
- Riverfield Ward 2.4 miles3.8 km
- Wilshamstead Parish 2.4 miles3.8 km
- Elstow Parish 2.5 miles4.1 km
- Wilstead Built-up area 2.6 miles4.1 km
- Haynes Built-up area 2.8 miles4.5 km
- Cauldwell Ward 2.8 miles4.6 km
Example postcodes in Cardington
MK44 3SH, MK44 3SS, MK44 3ST, MK44 3SE, MK44 3SJ, MK44 3TA, MK44 3SU, MK44 3SZ, MK44 3SX … See all
Transport links
- Luton Airport 16.1 miles25.9 km
- Stansted Airport 31.2 miles50.3 km
- Bedford St Johns Railway Station 3.1 miles5 km
- Bedford Railway Station 3.8 miles6.1 km
Hotels near Cardington Ad
- The Kingfisher Pub and Hotel 4 1.6 miles2.6 km
- Holiday Inn Express Bedford 3 3.1 miles5 km
- D'parys 3.6 miles5.9 km
- Verve Hotel 4 4 miles6.5 km
- The White Hart 4 6.4 miles10.4 km
- Woodland Manor Hotel 3 5.1 miles8.2 km
- Bedford Swan Hotel and Thermal Spa 4 3.2 miles5.1 km
- The Crown Pub, Dining & Rooms 7.4 miles12 km
- The Willows Training Centre 8 miles12.8 km
- Mercure Bedford Centre Hotel 4 3.2 miles5.1 km
Local points of interest
- Moot Hall Museum 2.8 miles4.5 km
- Wrest House Estate 6.8 miles11 km
- Silsoe College - Cranfield University College 7.1 miles11.4 km
- Redbourne College College 7.2 miles11.6 km
- Flitwick Moor Nature reserve 7.9 miles12.7 km
- Woburn Abbey Estate 11.8 miles19 km
- Santa Pod Raceway Recreation 12.1 miles19.5 km
- Toddington library Library 12.2 miles19.6 km
- British School Museum Museum 12.4 miles19.9 km
- Hayley Wood Forest 13.6 miles21.8 km
- Putteridge Bury Estate 13.6 miles22 km
- Wimpole Estate Estate 15.2 miles24.5 km