Homes to Rent and Buy in Harrold

Harrold is about nine miles north-west of Bedford, on the north bank of the Great Ouse, close to the Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire borders. Around 1,670 people lived here at the 2021 census, and the village is a conservation area with 45 listed buildings.

The bridge is the first thing most people notice. It’s medieval, mostly 14th century, with six arches over the river and nine more over the meadows, plus a long stone causeway for walkers. It’s single-file traffic under lights, which keeps things slow. On the green there’s an octagonal market house and a round stone lock-up, and St Peter’s Church is Grade I listed.

Harrold-Odell Country Park is right on the doorstep: 144 acres of lakes, river meadows and woodland, with a cafe, bird hides and play areas. Every April the Harrold Pit Run starts on the green and loops through it.

Harrold Primary Academy opened in 2017, and secondary pupils go to Sharnbrook Academy. The Oakley Arms on the High Street is a 400-year-old inn, said to be where Paul McCartney first played Hey Jude live in 1968. Buses run to Bedford on the 25.