Chapel Farmhouse

The house and the cottages nearby belong to the Rothschild Estate – you have access to the Woodland Walk with five shepherd’s huts along the route: one for quiet reading or writing, a yoga retreat, a children’s craft centre, a nature hut with a sofa and a birdwatching hide with binoculars. Children can play in the fairy garden and build dens, or play football and swingball up at the Pavillion Green.

There’s loads of space inside, a library of books, board games, darts board and chess. Cooking in the beautiful kitchen will be a pleasure, but The Platter Company can deliver artisan charcuterie, cheeses and puddings. Bacon, sausages and eggs from the Seven Well’s butcher in Oundle wait in the fridge. The pub, The Chequered Skipper, is a two-minute walk.

A large, grassy garden has uninterrupted views over fields and trees. Light the barbecue and have a long lazy drink in the summerhouse while the children tumble about on the lawn.