Why a Self-Catering Apartment Beats a Hotel for a Weekend in Oundle

Most small English market towns have a hotel. Some have a decent pub with rooms. What they rarely have is somewhere genuinely luxurious to stay - the kind of place where you walk in, look around, and feel immediately at ease.

Oundle has Great Escapes.

Three individually designed one-bedroom apartments occupy No. 1 Market Place, a Grade II listed stone building right in the centre of town. They were renovated over six months in 2023 by Gracecliffe Developments, a local company that had the unusual idea of doing the job properly. Here's what that means in practice.

The Building

No. 1 Market Place is one of those buildings that has been here so long it's stopped attracting attention - which is precisely what makes it special. The stone is original. The proportions are original. The sash windows are original.

The renovation preserved all of that and added everything you'd want in 2025: bespoke kitchens handbuilt in Lincolnshire, Corian worktops, integrated appliances, wine coolers, herringbone hardwood floors, walk-in showers with oversized heads, pocket sprung mattresses, and 55" 4K Smart TVs.

The result is a building that feels genuinely old and genuinely comfortable at the same time - which is harder to achieve than it sounds.

The Apartments

Flat 1 - War Memorial Views

A first-floor apartment with an open-plan reception, kitchen, and dining area. The windows look over Oundle's War Memorial - a quiet corner of the town centre, especially lovely in the early morning.

Flat 2 - The Duplex

Two floors: reception, kitchen, and WC on the first floor; a beautifully calm bedroom and ensuite shower room up the spiral staircase on the second. The upstairs feels genuinely private, removed from the world in the best possible way.

Flat 3 - Market Square Views

Large sash windows in both the bedroom and reception room, looking directly over Market Square. This is Oundle at its most cinematic - the weekly market, the Saturday morning strollers, the limestone facades opposite. If you want to feel like you actually live here, Flat 3 does that.

All three apartments have L-shaped sofa beds, so they'll comfortably accommodate an extra guest or two.

Why Self-Catering Works Better Here

A hotel stay in Oundle means going out for every meal and drink, which is easy enough - the town has excellent pubs and restaurants - but it removes a certain kind of flexibility.

With a self-catering apartment, you can arrive on a Friday night with provisions from the deli at the end of the street, cook breakfast on Saturday morning, walk the Nene Valley, come back for a late lunch, and head to The Talbot for dinner at your own pace. You're not working around anyone else's schedule.

The kitchens at Great Escapes are proper kitchens - not the token arrangement of a kettle and a two-ring hob. They have ovens, induction hobs, microwaves, dishwashers, and everything you need to cook a decent meal if you want to. Most guests use them for breakfast and lunch and eat out for dinner. Some barely go out at all, which is also a perfectly reasonable way to spend a weekend.

The Location

Market Place, Oundle. You can't get more central than this.

The Saturday market is directly outside. The Talbot Hotel is a two-minute walk. The Ship Inn is a three-minute walk. The river and Barnwell Country Park are a ten-minute walk. The car parks are a five-minute walk.

If you're visiting for the town itself - which is most people - you don't need a car from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave.

Who Stays Here

The apartments work well for couples looking for a proper weekend break - somewhere comfortable and quiet, in a town that rewards walking and looking. They're also excellent for anyone visiting Oundle School for open days, performances, or the school's various events throughout the year. Business travellers and contractors working in the area use them as a more civilised alternative to budget chain hotels. And families use them when the sofa bed is needed.

The courtyard garden - shared by all three apartments - is a quiet, private outdoor space that most guests discover on their first evening.

Book Direct

Booking directly through greatescapesoundle.co.uk is always the best option. You're dealing with Holly manages the apartments, knows every good restaurant and walk in the area, and can answer any question you have before you arrive. No third-party platforms, no hidden fees.