Romantic Christmas Breaks at The Cottage, Clipston: A Christmas Getaway for Couples

Christmas breaks for couples work best when the place itself feels like the treat. At The Cottage, a red-brick Victorian dovecote on the 14 Acres estate in Clipston, December means frost on the fields at breakfast, a long walk along the lanes, and an evening in a warm cottage that belongs to the two of you. Our couples getaway page covers the cottage in every season, and December is when it feels most like a hideaway.

Clipston sits on the border of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, ten minutes from Market Harborough, so festive markets, candlelit churches and country pubs are close by without ever feeling busy on the doorstep. When you want someone else to cook, our guide to the best restaurants near Market Harborough for a romantic meal lists the dining pubs and town restaurants worth booking in December.

Planning a Christmas for two?

Check Christmas availability at The Cottage, a converted Victorian dovecote with a roll-top bath and underfloor heating, ten minutes from Market Harborough.

Check Christmas dates

Romantic Christmas Breaks in the Midlands at The Cottage

The Cottage is a standalone conversion of a Victorian dovecote, restored in red brick with a pitched slate roof and set on its own in the fields of our 14-acre estate. Inside, around 65 square metres are laid out over two floors: a lounge with a deep green Chesterfield sofa, a dining table by the window and a fully equipped kitchen downstairs, and an open-plan bedroom under the eaves upstairs, where the roll-top bath sits beneath the sloping ceiling.

It sleeps up to four guests, with a maximum of three adults, but it was designed with two people in mind. The super king bed can be split into two singles, there is a sofa bed downstairs, and there are one and a half bathrooms. Outside, a private dining deck with a gas BBQ looks over rolling countryside, which on a clear December morning is one of the loveliest views in the county.

Location matters at Christmas, and this one works in every direction. Market Harborough station has direct trains to London St Pancras in about an hour, the A14, A6 and M1 are all close, and the Midlands cities are within an easy drive, so the journey is short and the break starts the moment you arrive.

Why The Cottage Is the Best Place to Stay for a Romantic Christmas Break

Many romantic Christmas getaways in the UK mean a hotel with a set festive programme, shared dining rooms and a timetable. The Cottage is the opposite. It is a whole house for two, with no neighbours through the wall, so Christmas runs at your pace: a lie-in, presents by the window, a long bath in the afternoon and dinner whenever you are ready.

The details are chosen for winter. Underfloor heating runs throughout, the windows are double glazed and the bedroom has blackout curtains, so the cottage stays warm and dark for late mornings. There is air conditioning too, a smart TV with Netflix for a film night, and an Amazon Echo with unlimited music streaming for a slow Christmas Eve dinner.

It is also a genuinely romantic setting. Guests often tell us the small touches are what they remember: music playing as they arrive, popcorn for a film night, good linens and original art on the walls. Christmas simply adds a few more reasons to stay in.

A Cosy Christmas Cottage for Two: What You Get at The Cottage

Self-catering Christmas breaks are only as good as the house you are staying in, and at The Cottage everything is in place before you walk through the door. We greet most guests in person, with self check-in and your own door code for late arrivals on dark December evenings.

What to bring is simple: your Christmas food, any decorations you like to travel with, and warm layers and boots for walking. Rates start from £119 a night, and Christmas week is priced on the live booking calendar. Our flex rate lets you change dates up to 30 days before arrival, or cancel up to 30 days before for a full refund, with a 50% deposit to secure the booking.

A Note from Susan

“Christmas at The Cottage is about slowing right down. I always suggest a frosty walk across the fields in the morning, a long soak in the bath in the afternoon, and dinner for two with the lights low and music on. Order your turkey early, pick up a small tree at Farndon Fields on the way in, and the whole cottage feels like your own Christmas home.”

Susan, Founder of Espais Roca

Christmas Markets and Fairs Near Market Harborough

Market Harborough does Christmas at a gentle, market-town pace, which suits a couple perfectly. The lights on The Square are usually switched on on a Saturday in late November, followed by late-night shopping and a Christmas Fayre in early December. Harborough District Council announces the 2026 dates in the autumn.

The Square also hosts the Artisan Fair on Saturday 28 November and Saturday 12 December 2026, the place for handmade gifts, and the Farmers Market on Thursday 3 December from 9am to 3pm. Harborough Market, the award-winning indoor market on Northampton Road, is open Tuesday to Sunday, with butchers, bakers and cheese stalls for stocking the cottage kitchen.

Ten minutes away, the Canal and River Trust lights up Foxton Locks for Christmas. In 2025 the illuminations shone every afternoon from 3pm to 6pm until New Year’s Day, which makes a lovely walk for two as dusk falls over the lock flight. Check the Trust’s listings for the 2026 dates before you travel.

Romantic Christmas Getaways to Stamford and Burghley

Stamford is one of the most beautiful stone towns in England, and at Christmas it is at its best. The honey-coloured streets are lit for the season, the independent shops are ideal for last-minute presents, and the courtyard of The George, the old coaching inn, is lined with Christmas trees. Our Stamford day trip for couples has a full plan for the day, from coffee to a riverside walk.

Just outside the town, the Burghley Christmas Fair fills the grounds of Burghley House from 26 to 29 November 2026, with gifts, food and drink stalls and a festive atmosphere that makes a natural start to the season. Burghley House itself closes for the winter and reopens in spring, so the fair is the time to see the estate before Christmas. The drive from Clipston takes about 45 minutes across the Welland Valley.

Belvoir Castle and Festive Christmas Days Out for Couples

Belvoir Castle, the hilltop home of the Dukes of Rutland, dresses its state rooms for Deck the Halls from 14 November to 30 December 2026. It is about an hour’s drive north from Clipston through the Vale of Belvoir, and the view of the castle above the frosty fields is worth the journey on its own.

1. Melton Mowbray Victorian Christmas Fair

From 27 to 29 November 2026, Melton Mowbray’s Victorian Christmas Fair fills the market town with stalls, lights and festive food, about 45 minutes from The Cottage. Pair it with a pork pie tasting from our Melton Mowbray food day out, then drive home in time for dinner in front of a film.

It is a lively day out, so plan a slow evening afterwards. The contrast between the busy market square and a warm, private cottage in the fields is part of what makes a Christmas break here feel special.

2. Festive Afternoon Tea at Stanford Hall

Stanford Hall near Lutterworth, a Grade I listed house from the 1690s, serves festive afternoon tea from 10 to 14 December 2026. It is only about 25 minutes away, which makes it an easy, unhurried afternoon for two.

Book ahead, as seats are limited, and allow time for a walk around the parkland before tea. On a clear afternoon, the low December sun on the house front is one of the loveliest sights in the area.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day at The Cottage

Christmas day breaks at The Cottage start slowly. Breakfast is on the table from the provisions in the kitchen, presents are opened by the window, and the day unfolds without a timetable. If you like a service, St Dionysius Church in Market Harborough usually holds a Christingle service and a Midnight Eucharist on Christmas Eve, with a sung service on Christmas morning.

Most couples choose to cook. The kitchen is well equipped, the dining table is set for two, and a small turkey crown or a rib of beef from a local butcher is ideal for a Christmas dinner without a mountain of leftovers. If you would rather someone else cooked, the Three Swans on Market Harborough’s High Street publishes a Christmas Day lunch and a Boxing Day brunch in its festive brochure, and tables go early.

Plan for closed shops and quiet roads over the holiday itself. Most shops close on Christmas Day, public transport does not run on the 25th and 26th, and taxis are limited, so have the fridge full and the car ready by Christmas Eve. After that, Boxing Day belongs to a long walk and an evening film with the popcorn.

Danny

Verified guest review, Airbnb, December 2024

★★★★★

“Absolutely amazing the place is stunning and very very high tec! Felt at home warm and safe sat in luxury! Loads of detail when it comes to the small things! A really MUST STAY cottage.”

Winter Walks for Couples on a Christmas Break in Northamptonshire

The countryside around Clipston is at its most atmospheric in December: frost on the ploughed fields, fieldfares and redwings in the hedgerows, geese on the ponds and early, glowing sunsets. The Brampton Valley Way, a flat former railway line between Market Harborough and Northampton, passes close to the village, so a morning walk needs no planning at all.

For a longer walk, Foxton Locks is ten minutes away, with a towpath beside the famous staircase of ten locks and two canalside pubs for a warming drink. Our Foxton Locks canal walk for two sets out the route and the best places to stop.

With sunset before four o’clock, the best plan is a late breakfast, a walk in the middle of the day, and home by dusk to a warm cottage, a hot bath and dinner. It is exactly the rhythm a romantic Christmas break should have.

Planning Christmas Breaks for Couples: Booking and Travel

Christmas is one of the most popular weeks of the year at The Cottage, so the earlier you book, the more choice of dates you have. Our winter cottage page covers the rest of the season if Christmas week itself is taken, and the cottage is just as warm in January and February.

If you are travelling by train, Market Harborough station is ten minutes away by taxi, with direct services to London St Pancras, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield. Pre-book your taxi for Christmas Eve, when cars are in short supply.

Photos of The Cottage: Your Christmas Holiday Cottage

The Cottage sits on its own in the fields of the 14 Acres estate in Clipston. These photographs show the cottage itself, and each one opens the booking calendar.

Romantic Christmas Breaks: Frequently Asked Questions

Photo credits: Neil Theasby, CC BY-SA 2.0 (The Square in Market…); Richard Humphrey, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Snowy courtyard lined with…); Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Belvoir Castle on its…); Mick from Northamptonshire, CC BY 2.0 (A frosty winter morning…). All via Wikimedia Commons. Other photographs show The Cottage.