Catthorpe

Catthorpe is a small village and civil parish tucked into the far south-western corner of Leicestershire, in the Harborough district, where the county borders both Warwickshire and Northamptonshire. It sits beside the River Avon close to the old Roman road, the A5, and near Dow Bridge, the historic tripoint where the three counties meet. With a population of around 150, Catthorpe is one of Leicestershire's smallest settlements, its cluster of stone and brick cottages, farmland and the 14th-century Church of St Thomas giving little hint that one of the busiest road junctions in the Midlands lies right on its doorstep.

That junction is the Catthorpe Interchange, where the M1 ends and the M6 and A14 begin at Junction 19 of the M1, carrying well over 150,000 vehicles a day. It's a paradox typical of this part of England: within a couple of minutes of thundering motorway traffic, the lanes around Catthorpe settle back into hedgerow, pasture and the quiet flow of the Avon. The village is genuinely rural, with Rugby around four miles to the south-west across the Warwickshire border and Lutterworth about four miles north, making Catthorpe a useful, if unassuming, base for exploring this corner of the Midlands away from the crowds.

Top things to do near Catthorpe

Catthorpe itself is a place to pass through rather than linger for attractions, but it is well placed for days out in Rugby, Lutterworth and the surrounding Leicestershire and Warwickshire countryside.

• Manor Farm Shop and Tearoom — A family-run working farm shop just off the A5 between Rugby and Lutterworth, close to the Catthorpe Interchange, selling home-grown and local produce with a tearoom for lunches and cakes.
• Stanford Reservoir — A working reservoir near Lutterworth that straddles the Leicestershire/Northamptonshire border, offering quiet walking and birdwatching around the water, though it remains primarily a water-supply site rather than a leisure facility.
• Swift Valley Nature Reserve — On the northern edge of Rugby, this 24-hectare reserve along the River Swift combines wet woodland, marsh and a disused arm of the Oxford Canal, with waymarked trails good for a gentle walk or birdwatching.
• Draycote Water — A large 630-acre reservoir south of Rugby with a watersports centre, trout fishery, bird hides and a popular circular walking and cycling route around the shoreline.
• Stanford Hall — A historic country house near Lutterworth, primarily an events venue but occasionally open to visitors, with an ornate ballroom ceiling and parkland running down to the River Avon.
• Rugby town centre — Home to Rugby School, where the game of rugby football was invented, and the Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum, along with a compact market-town centre of independent shops and cafes.
• Lutterworth — A small market town with a historic core, including St Mary's Church associated with the reformer John Wycliffe, plus everyday shops and eateries for a stop on the way through.

Getting to Catthorpe

Catthorpe's defining feature is its road access. The village sits right beside the Catthorpe Interchange, where the M1 meets the M6 and the A14 at Junction 19 of the M1, so it is extraordinarily well connected by car for a village of its size — Birmingham, Leicester, Coventry and Northampton are all under 40 minutes' drive. The A5 also passes close by, linking Rugby and Lutterworth. The nearest railway stations are at Rugby, on the West Coast Main Line with fast services to London Euston, Birmingham and the north, and at Long Buckby, both around a 15-20 minute drive away. There is no direct rail or regular bus service into Catthorpe itself, so a car is the practical way to reach the village.

Best time to visit Catthorpe

Spring and summer bring the Avon valley and surrounding farmland to their best, with hedgerows, riverside paths and nearby reserves like Swift Valley at their greenest, and longer days suit exploring Rugby, Lutterworth and Draycote Water. Autumn colours the countryside around the village nicely for walking, while winter is quieter still, better suited to short walks and pub lunches than to reservoir or nature-reserve visits. Given the motorway junction on its doorstep, the roads around Catthorpe can be busy at peak holiday travel times, so those wanting a peaceful stay may prefer to avoid bank holiday weekends.

Where to stay near Catthorpe

Catthorpe itself has no hotels, but its motorway-junction location means nearby Rugby, Lutterworth and the M1/M6 corridor have a good spread of budget and mid-range chain hotels, along with country inns in the surrounding villages. Camping and touring options are available on working farms in the immediate area, making a night or two under canvas an easy alternative to a hotel stay for those touring this part of Leicestershire and Warwickshire.

Food and drink near Catthorpe

The Manor Farm Shop and Tearoom, just outside the village on the A5, is the standout local option, serving light lunches, cakes and home-grown produce in a relaxed farm setting. Beyond that, Catthorpe itself is very small and largely residential, so most food and drink options are a short drive away in Rugby and Lutterworth, both of which offer a reasonable choice of pubs, cafes and restaurants for a market town of their size.