At a glance
Drive up Saturday after lunch, BBQ that night, Sunday lunch you can walk to, home Monday.
DriveN6 6PJ → Maidford NN12 8HT · 73.2 miles · ~1h 30 in typical Saturday-afternoon traffic. Route: A1/M1 north, exit M1 J15a, A43 west toward Towcester, then minor roads via Greens Norton or Adstone. M1 northbound is the typical Spring Bank Holiday pinch point — leaving after lunch (~2pm) puts you past the worst of the Saturday lunchtime peak. M40 → A43 is the fallback if M1 stalls (adds ~12 mi / 20 min).
Car · Tesla Model 3146 mile round-trip, no charging needed. Ask Sarah whether the house has a 3-pin or Type-2 destination charger. Fallback if not: the Northampton (Grange Park) Supercharger at M1 J15, Loake Close NN4 5EZ — six stalls up to 150 kW, 18 minutes from the house.
GroupNine adults + Bing Bong. Working assumption: you 3 (Amit, Bhaswati, Rian) + another family with kids besides Rian. House sleeps 12, max 14 occupancy — Sarah is firm on numbers and explicit that this is not a party-group booking.
Drive times from the houseBartholomew Arms Blakesley 1.8 mi (walk: ~40 min) · Kings Arms Farthingstone 2.0 mi (walk: ~45 min) · Preston Capes trailhead 2.5 mi / 4 min · Royal Oak Eydon 5.2 mi / 11 min · The Folly Towcester 7.7 mi / 16 min · Co-op Towcester 6.7 mi / 13 min · Waitrose Daventry 9.0 mi / 18 min.
Stay
The Old Rectory, Maidford.
WhereMaidford, Towcester, Northamptonshire NN12 8HT. Georgian Old Rectory on the edge of Maidford village (population ~120), set in a 5-acre garden with a medieval pond. Maps · Airbnb listing 8368709. Sarah typically only releases the exact street address close to check-in — ping her on the Airbnb thread for sat-nav and access notes.
WhenCheck-in from 16:00 Saturday 23 May · check-out by 10:00 Monday 25 May. Two nights. Confirmation HMM4Z9QRMW · £3,100 paid in full, non-refundable. Host: Sarah · +44 7803 296702.
What's on siteHeated swimming pool with bean bags and outdoor seating. Gas BBQ by the pool. Games room. Cable WiFi throughout. Unlimited off-street parking (room for 3–4 cars). Dogs allowed by prior agreement — Bing Bong is on the booking. Sleeps 12 across the bedrooms; host quotes 14 max occupancy.
Host explicit asksBring your own pool towels — the house doesn't provide. Stick to the booked head-count (Sarah corrected the original 3-adult booking up to 9 + dog before confirming). Safety note from the listing: a nearby lake / river / other body of water — keep Bing Bong on the lead off the property.
ReputationStrongly positive across 200+ guest reviews on the listing and aggregator sites — spacious, well-equipped, charming, Sarah herself consistently praised. A small minority of historic negative reviews exist without clear themes. Booking is non-refundable in any case.
Booking checklist
Pinned and pending.
Pinned — confirmed
| What | When | Reference | Status |
|---|
| The Old Rectory, Maidford · 9 adults + 1 dog | 2 nights · 23–25 May | HMM4Z9QRMW | Paid in full · non-refundable |
Still to do — this week, today if possible
| What | Where / who | Lead time | Why now |
|---|
| Message Sarah for street address, access procedure, WiFi password, on-site EV charging | Airbnb thread, Sarah · +44 7803 296702 | Today | Address only released close to check-in. Need it for sat-nav and to plan whether to charge the Tesla on the way back. |
| Sunday lunch booking · table for 9 | Headline pick: Bartholomew Arms, Blakesley · 01327 221 233 | Today | Bank-holiday Sunday, party of nine, kids and a dog. Don't expect any walk-in to hold a 9-cover. Phone to confirm Sunday lunch is on that day — their menu has rotated chef-led specials in recent months. See the picks below. |
| BBQ groceries — buy in London, drive up Saturday | Your usual butcher / fishmonger | Friday or Saturday morning | You're bringing the centrepiece protein with you. The Co-op in Towcester handles top-ups on arrival (open till 22:00). |
Walking — out the front door
The headline: walk to Sunday lunch.
Maidford to Blakesley is 1.8 mi on quiet lanes through Adstone — about 40 minutes at an easy pace. Lunch at the Bartholomew Arms, kids loose in the games room, dogs welcome in the bar, a pint, a slow walk back, swim, easy Sunday. This is the version of the day that uses zero cars and removes the drink-driving question entirely. Details on the pub below.
If you want a longer walkFrom Maidford via lanes north-east to The Kings Arms in Farthingstone is 2.0 mi / ~45 min — a pint stop, then on across fields towards Blakesley (~2.5 mi further) for lunch at the Bartholomew Arms, then 1.8 mi back to the house. Roughly 6 mi total — proper Sunday walk territory.
Walking — drive to the start
Two well-rated loops within 15 minutes.
Preston Capes · Everdon · Snorscombe Circular6.2 miles, 797 ft elevation, ~2h 36 · Moderate. Trailhead 2.5 mi / 4 min drive from the house — or walk the lanes for ~30 min to the start. Three South Northants villages, rolling country, big skies. Worth knowing: the climb up from Snorscombe at the end of the loop is the sting in the tail. The right pick for the energetic adults while the kids stay at the pool. Route 4.5★ · 104 reviews · Maps (start).
The Brington Circular3.0 miles, 367 ft elevation, ~1h 14 · Easy. 7.7 mi / 15 min drive from the house. Through Great and Little Brington, past Althorp estate land (Diana Spencer's family seat — visible from the lane, not entered). Kid- and dog-friendly on lead. The default group walk if you'd rather not start with a walk to Sunday lunch. Route 4.5★ · 52 reviews · Maps (start).
Sunday lunch — pick one
Walkable first, drive options second.
1. The Bartholomew Arms, Blakesley · walkable — 1.8 mi / 40 min on foot from the house · £20–£30 pp · Sunday 12:00–22:00. Maps · 01327 221 233. 4.5★ across 60 reviews. Family-run village pub, cosy open fires, freshly prepared menu with the steak / ale / Stilton pie called out by recent reviewers. Dogs welcome in the bar. Crucially has a games room with pool, darts, table tennis, foosball and a skittles table — kid containment solved while the adults linger. Phone to confirm Sunday lunch is on — their kitchen rotates chef-led specials (Italian, steak nights, Indian banquets), so the standard Sunday roast isn't a given every week.
2. The Folly, Towcester · 7.7 mi / 16 min drive · £30–£45 pp · Sunday 12:00–17:30. follyinntowcester.co.uk · Maps · 01327 354 031. 4.5★ across 733 reviews — the largest sample on the shortlist. Listed in the Hardens guide for Northamptonshire. Family-run, thatched 18th-century building on the A5 opposite Towcester Racecourse, head chef Nikki Folwell — British classics with a contemporary twist.
3. The Plough at Shutlanger · 10.4 mi / 20 min drive · £30–£40 pp · Sunday 12:00–18:00. theploughshutlanger.co.uk · Maps · 01604 864 644. 4.8★ across 441 reviews — the most consistent rating in the area. Self-described "award-winning village gastropub", though no specific named award is publicly verifiable. Family-friendly, dogs in the courtyard and bar.
4. The Royal Oak, Eydon · 5.2 mi / 11 min drive · £25–£35 pp · Sunday 12:00–15:00 (lunch only — book the 12:30 sitting). theroyaloakateydon.co.uk · Maps · 07738 215 788. 4.6★ across 154 reviews. Closest of the drive-to options. 17th-century ironstone village pub with rooms, four interlinked rooms and a snug, flagstone floors. Refurbished April 2024 under new operators Nathan and Gemma. Dogs welcome in the bar, not in the dining area.
Honest note: none of these pubs hold a MICHELIN star or sit in the UK Top 50 Gastropubs — the closest Top-50 entry is the Killingworth Castle in Woodstock at ~35 miles, in the Cotswolds. The ranking above leans on rating consistency, walking-distance practicality, and the Folly's Hardens listing.
Sat evening / Sun evening pint
The Kings Arms, Farthingstone — walkable for a drink.
2.0 mi / ~45 min walk from the house. Maps · 01327 361 604. 4.7★ across 113 reviews. Classic dog-friendly village pub — well-kept ales, traditional cheeses, pork pies and sausage rolls (limited food menu — not a Sunday lunch destination, but a brilliant pre-dinner or after-BBQ stop), food vans outside some weekends. Saturday open 12:00–22:30; Sunday 12:00–17:30 only. If you fancy a Sunday-afternoon stretch-the-legs walk for a pint before supper, this is it.
Provisions — top-ups only
You're bringing the centrepiece. Here's where to fill the gaps.
General supermarket — Your Co-op Food, Towcester92 Watling St, Towcester NN12 6BT · 01327 350 942 · 6.7 mi / 13 min from the house. Open late — charcoal, veg, salad, soft drinks, wine if you forgot, the inevitable forgotten thing.
Proper weekly shop — Waitrose & Partners, Daventry13 Bowen Square, Daventry NN11 4DR · 01327 705 939 · 9.0 mi / 18 min from the house. 4.4★ across 527 reviews — proper Waitrose, the right call if you need a serious top-up (multiple meals' worth of veg, decent wine, decent meat backup, fresh bread).
Wine — Sally's Wine & Whisky, Towcester72 Watling St, Towcester NN12 6AF · Maps · 01327 366 453 · 6.7 mi from the house. Independent merchant. 4.9★ across 30 reviews (smaller sample but consistently strong). Worth a stop on the same run as the Co-op for something better than supermarket wine.
Cheese — The Cheese Place, Towcester2 Brackley Rd, Towcester NN12 6DJ · 6.6 mi from the house. 5★ across 17 reviews (a tiny sample, take with appropriate salt). Independent cheesemonger — useful for a proper cheese course after the BBQ.
If you forgot meat entirelyHartwell's & Towbury Court, 181 Watling St West, Towcester NN12 6BX · 01327 350 454 · Maps. High-class local butcher, 4.9★ rated. Saturday only 07:00–14:00 — closed Sundays — so this is the Friday-pre-order or Saturday-morning option only, not a recovery if you realise on arrival.
Practical
Charging, taxis, emergencies.
Tesla chargingRound-trip 146 miles — no charging needed for the drive itself. Ask Sarah whether the house has a 3-pin or Type-2 destination charger before Saturday. Fallback: Northampton J15 Supercharger, Loake Close NN4 5EZ, 6 stalls up to 150 kW, 18 minutes from the house.
MinicabsOnly really relevant if Sunday lunch ends up at one of the drive-to picks (Folly / Plough Shutlanger / Royal Oak Eydon) and you don't want a designated driver across the group. The two strongest local firms: Midland Taxis Daventry · 01327 702 702 and UK Taxis Daventry · 01327 877 888. Towcester-side: Zoom Taxis · 01327 765 765.
EmergenciesSarah (host) · +44 7803 296702. UK emergency 999 · NHS non-urgent 111. Nearest A&E: Northampton General Hospital, Cliftonville NN1 5BD · 01604 634 700 (~30 min). Local vet for Bing Bong: Taylor Vets, Brackley · 30 Market Pl, Brackley NN13 7DP · 01280 733 800.
Day shapes
A loose weekend.
Sat 23 MayLeave Highgate around 14:00. M1 north, J15a, A43 west, into Maidford by 16:00. Check-in. First swim. Co-op top-up run if needed (Towcester, 13 min away). BBQ as the sun goes down — bringing the protein from London, salads and sides put together at the house. Pack reminder: pool towels (host explicit), Bing Bong's gear, long BBQ tongs, fire-starter, corkscrew.
Sun 24 MayPool / breakfast / coffee on the terrace through the morning. ~11:30am: walk out from the front door. Easy lanes to Blakesley via Adstone — ~40 min. Sunday lunch at the Bartholomew Arms (book today). Kids in the games room, dogs in the bar, lingering pints. Slow walk back early afternoon. Second swim. Easy evening — BBQ leftovers, cheese board, an early-ish night. If anyone wants more walk, the Kings Arms Farthingstone is a 45-min stretch in the other direction for an evening pint.
Mon 25 May (Spring Bank Holiday)Last swim. Breakfast. Pack. Sweep the kitchen and lounge for left-behinds. Check out by 10:00. Straight drive home — ~1h 30, lunch in London.
