The isolated village only has one pub but is close to a few other towns with local amenities
Cambridgeshire is a county full of tiny towns and villages where people move to escape busy city life. This tiny village on the edge of Cambridgeshire is particularly isolated and ideal for those looking for a countryside escape.
Keyston is located around 12 miles away from Huntingdon and was originally built around the brook that runs through the village’s centre. References to the village in the Domesday Book date back as far as 1086, when there was just one manor and 32 households in the area.
It is estimated that the village’s population was around 112 to 160 people. To this day, the village has not grown much, as Keyston and Bythorn have a combined population of around 316.
The village lacks amenities, with no shops and only one pub. However, Thrapston is only an 8-minute drive from the village and offers a range of restaurants and shops.
The Pheasant is the village pub and is described as having “oak beams and open fires”, as well as a patio garden where you can spend hours soaking up the sun in the summer. The pub offers a modern British menu featuring dishes such as pork belly, battered fish, and steaks, all made with locally sourced ingredients.
The Pheasant’s drinks menu is just as impressive as its food, with plenty of beers, ales, and non-alcoholic options available. The pub also has an “extensive yet eclectic wine list” and house cocktails for those who don’t enjoy a beer.
Aside from a pub, the village is also home to the historic church of St John the Baptist, which dates back to the 13th century. The church is known for its oak cadaver, a memorial made from a wooden skeleton taken from a 15th-century tomb, and is one of only two carvings in the country.
Since 2008, the church has become a roosting site for Natterer’s bats, a species protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This means the church needs to be thoroughly cleaned before services and ceremonies.
If you would like to live in the area, there are a few properties currently on the market, such as this two-bed barn-style home priced at £465,000. If you are looking for something bigger, there is this four-bed home with three bathrooms, surrounded by countryside.