Day 7: Rest day in Oundle

It’s a welcome, if all too short, rest day today in the beautiful town of Oundle. This is a place Rich had often seen from the A605 and had always yearned to visit. Archaeological remains reveal that it has been inhabited since prehistory but its current name probably derives from the Anglo-Saxon tribe, the Undalas, or undivided.

Oundle is mainly famous for its school. There has been a school here since at least 1465. The Lord Mayor of London, Sir William Laxton was educated there and left a bequest in his will in 1556 to found Laxton grammar school, which is the foundation of the current school. The school has buildings scattered throughout the town and is an integral part of the fabric here. With fees in the region of £20,00 per term and over 1100 pupils, it is the third largest boarding school in England, behind Eton College and Millfield (no, me neither). Alumni include Richard Dawkins and Bruce Dickinson and 60% of pupils achieve A or A* grades in their A levels.

Our first task, however, is to locate somewhere to do our washing. The hotel has no washing machines and the town has no laundrette. The website says that Oundle Marina has laundry facilities, though the hotel receptionist refutes this. A quick phone call to the marina itself confirms that there are in fact washing machines. They require pound coins but the woman at the chandlery can exchange notes.

We head off for 15 minutes walk out of town. It’s good to get our steps up.

The marina itself is more like an industrial estate with lots of small businesses alongside the boating facilities. It transpires that the chandlery is closing down. People now buy their equipment online and some of their stock is 40-50 years old. We obtain the pound coins and make our way over to the wash house. There is no detergent but the machines only cost £1 for 50 minutes. A sign next to an abandoned Clive Cussler novel states that you must not wash your dog here.

We put our load on and head off down to the river while we wait. The waterside is teeming with life. We see a swan with cygnets, red kites and ducks. There is even a grey wagtail hopping among the lily pads and a cormorant that sits for all the time we are there, eyeing the copious fish in the clear water. We settle down on a shady patch of grass nearby while we wait for the machines to do their stuff

It costs us £1 for the washer and £1 for the dryer and it’s excellent value. By the time we’ve finished and walked back into town, it’s lunchtime and we call at the excellent Lemon Tree cafe for lunch.

After a leisurely sojourn, we decamp to the Jackdaw Art Gallery. As it’s the Oundle Fringe Festival, they are exhibiting an extra floor of work from local artists. There is a beautiful kingfisher picture in oils and gold leaf by Northamptonshire painter Pauline Connor that catches my eye. It’s alive with colour and movement. The second half of the exhibition is at Laxton Long Room near the church, but there is nothing as captivating as the kingfisher.

We stroll back to our hotel for an afternoon nap, then head out for a fantastic dinner at Salerno’s restaurant. Rich was right to want to visit Oundle: it’s a bit of a gem.