The scenery is idyllic. Ponies graze in fields, boats bob in the local Marina and the buildings all have a distinctive soft-brown stone.

Picturesque villages nestle around the market town; the shops are all independent and the houses reassuringly expensive.

Though an occasional American accent may catch your ear, this isn’t the Cotswolds. Instead, it’s affectionately dubbed the ‘Notswolds,’ a sought-out haven for Londoners escaping the hectic city life.

Unlike the actual Cotswolds which spans six counties, this slice of countryside is a more isolated gem, encompassing the PE8 postcode district.

At the heart of this area lies Oundle, a renowned market town home to an esteemed public school established in 1556. Parents pay over £58,000 a year for their children to attend its sixth form as boarders.

This growing appeal has led to an increase in house prices, shooting up by 78 percent over the past decade. Now, the average property is valued at £414,923, which pushes many young locals out of the market and strains regional resources.

Tony Bonner, 72, who runs a hair salon and clothing outlet called Asha’s Attire, revealed many of his clients were from London.

‘People claim it’s a great place to reside, with one person mentioning that his commute to his London office is quicker than some journeys within London itself,’ one local noted.

Oundle, Northamptonshire, has become the latest go-to place for Londoners seeking refuge from bustling city life

In contrast to the Cotswolds, which stretch across six counties, the ‘Notswolds’ is a more secluded treasure, centered around the PE8 postcode area, highlighted by an aerial view of Oundle.

‘It used to be more of a village built around the school but the expansion has made it a more desirable place to live,’ Haley Walton, 41, said

‘There’s a quick train from Peterborough to St Pancras so you can be there in just over an hour.’

However, the business owner shared there have been big changes in the high street in the past few years.

The town has seen its banks disappear, replaced by ten hairdressers—five for men and five for women—and, inclusive of Waitrose, boasts six coffee spots.

‘The market used to be thriving, now it’s not nearly as good and we had a fantastic farmers’ market but all the other local towns have copied it so now none of them are quite as good.

‘It is a popular place and they are building lots of houses and everyone’s concern is whether the infrastructure – the doctors, the dentists, the parking, will be able to cope.’

Estate Agent Brendan May, 35, of Jackson Stops, describes Oundle and its surrounds as, ‘an usual little micro-market’, with its distinctive ‘Northamptonshire stone buildings’.

Larger properties with 2,500 square feet mostly touch the million pound mark and the market is partly driven by the reputation of Oundle School.

‘We see quite a few parents with school aged children coming here from out of town,’ he said. 

‘In the last three to four years we see a lot of people coming from London and the Home Counties and of those about 30 per cent are prospective school parents.’

Fees for day pupils are typically about 5,000 less a term than for boarders, providing quite an incentive.

Tony Bonner, 72, (pictured) who runs a hair salon and clothing outlet called Asha’s Attire, revealed many of his clients were from London

Estate Agent Brendan May, 35, of Jackson Stops, (pictured) describes Oundle and its surrounds as, ‘an usual little micro-market’,

‘We see quite a few parents with school aged children coming here from out of town,’ he said.

Larger properties with 2,500 square feet mostly touch the million pound mark and the market is partly driven by the reputation of Oundle School (pictured)

‘It has always been very sought after,’ Caroline Driver, 63 (Pictured right) said. She moved to the area from Croydon over two decades ago (Pictured left: Lydia Gilbert)

Brendan added: ‘The lifestyle you can get here compared to the outskirts of London makes it a no-brainer and the the fast trains into London make it easily commutable.

‘Almost all of our shops are little independent enterprises – there’s a great butchers, a florist, a bookshop. It just feels like an active place to live and people love that.’

Houses in Oundle are so sought after that many don’t make it onto the housing market, being sold by word of mouth. In a town of just over 6,000 people, everyone knows someone.

Caroline Driver, 63, who works in The Oundle Bookshop, moved to the area from Croydon 25 years ago.

‘It has always been very sought after. Even back then we couldn’t afford anything in the town so ended up living in a nice house but on a main road out of town,’ she said.

‘I know you get a lot of Americans living here. Some are connected to the nearby military base but others have just made it their home. It is quaint and they love that.

‘Younger people definitely cannot afford to live around here but they are trying to build more so-called affordable homes and spreading Oundle out.

‘My daughter has gone to live in Stockford which is by the A1M and a lot cheaper than round here.

‘I know you get a lot of Americans living here. Some are connected to the nearby military base but others have just made it their home. It is quaint and they love that,’ she added (Pictured: Oundle Marina)

A general view of one of the town’s picturesque and unique streets 

Walter Preston, 69, (pictured) said: ”It is very expensive to live around here. A two-bed flat over a shop costs 1,200-a-month which would be beyond the means of people on lower wages’

‘The house building will cause its own problems. You can’t get a doctor’s appointment as it is.’

Her colleague, Lydia Gilbert, 30, said while they were very keen to build new houses, it could mean more families and less room in local schools. 

‘And they have not expanded the Doctor’s surgery which causes a lot of complaints,’ she quipped.

Walter Preston, 69, enjoying a pint in the Rose and Crown pub, spent his life as a farm worker and now works a paper round five days a week to subsidise his pension.

He said: ‘It is very expensive to live around here. A two-bed flat over a shop costs 1,200 -a-month which would be beyond the means of people on lower wages.

‘I am lucky to have a housing association property which costs me half of that.

‘This is the cheapest pub in the town. It’s a nice place to live. You see the odd homeless person in town but it is literally one man whose family lives in Corby who comes to the town.’

The popularity of Oundle with its bustling high street is in sharp contrast to some nearby towns.

Just 20 minutes away from this rural idyll is Peterborough, a by-word for urban decay and ranked Britain’s unhealthiest town where 60 per cent of the population are classed as obese.

Trevor Wilson, 76, lives 30 minutes away in the village of Keyston, said Oundle was one of thoes places you’d ‘want to stop and spend some time’ while on holiday. 

Josh Barnard, 34,and his partner Steph, who have a two-year-old daughter, managed to buy a house in the town last year

‘It was a stretch,’ he admitted. ‘It’s a beautiful part of the country but everything is so expensive and without two decent wages it would be impossible’ (An aerial view of the town)

The retired farm worker and butcher said: ‘It’s lovely and the villages around and about are gorgeous. 

‘A couple of miles away is Ashton, which was owned entirely by the Rothschilds who built all thatched cottages for the workers. They used to have the World Conker Championships there.

‘Most towns you have a rough area but you’d have a hard job finding one here.

‘We have certainly noticed a lot of people moving to the area from London and the south east. Most of the time they buy here and still have some money left over.’

One local man who has been able to get on the property ladder is marketing manager Josh Barnard, 34.

He and his partner Steph, who have a two-year-old daughter, managed to buy a house in the town last year.

‘It was a stretch,’ he admitted. ‘It’s a beautiful part of the country but everything is so expensive and without two decent wages it would be impossible.

Pet shop boss Maria Earl, 59, said while the quaint town is ‘pricey’ the reason its pricey is because ‘It is an absolutely beautiful town’

‘We were both brought up here. We knew each other from school, went away to University, then appreciated it all over again. 

‘It has changed a lot but it has kept its vibe and it feels like a lovely, safe place to be.

‘There were plans for a McDonald’s in the town a little while ago but that was never going to be allowed. It is that sort of place.’

But there are concerns over the town’s expansion and its effect on local services, with his partner Steph saying the doctor’s surgery had become ‘a horrible place to go’.

‘They can’t keep up and there is pressure on the pharmacy, the dentist and the nurseries.

‘The traffic is way more than it was 15-20 years ago and now we don’t have a single bank.’

Maria Earl, 59, who has run the town’s pet shop for the last 26 years, said; ‘Oundle has always been pricey. I can’t afford to live here but there is a reason it’s pricey.

‘It is an absolutely beautiful town and you almost have to pinch yourself every day and realise what a privilege it is to have a business here.

‘You almost have to pinch yourself every day and realise what a privilege it is to have a business here,’ she added (Pictured: Oundle Bridge)

‘I love it when the school kids come back. It’s a campus town and the school employs an awful lot of people locally and does a lot of good for the area.

‘Even in the middle of winter, I feel completely safe walking around here and there’s not many places you can say that.’

On one of the newer housing developments on the outskirts of the town, teacher and mother-of-two Hayley Walton, 41, is delighted to be able to live in her home town.

‘It used to be more of a village built around the school but the expansion has made it a more desirable place to live,’ she said.

‘It feels like a safe place to have children and you don’t worry about them going out.

‘But we have to be careful that we don’t overwhelm the place because there is only one NHS dentist and the doctors surgery struggles.’