Long stays for work in Leamington Spa

Leamington grew faster than almost anywhere in 19th-century England, from 315 people in 1801 to 15,724 by 1851. The railway arrived from Coventry in 1844, a branch to Rugby followed in 1851 and the Great Western main line between Birmingham, Oxford and London opened through the town in 1852.

The links are still good for a long stay. Chiltern Railways runs to London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill, CrossCountry heads south to Oxford, Reading and Bournemouth and north to Manchester and Newcastle. The M40 is three miles away. The old railway to Rugby is now part of National Cycle Route 41.

Humber Hub is about 9 miles by road from Leamington, Stoke Lodge and Stoke House about 10 miles and Sullivan Heights about 12 miles. Over several months the house matters more than the miles: a washing machine, a proper kitchen, a sofa in the evenings and free parking.

The town's industrial past is still visible. The Warwick and Napton Canal, opened in 1799, brought coal to the gasworks on Tachbrook Road, which lit the town from 1835. Pig iron, coke and limestone came the same way for the foundries that made cast iron stoves.

Newbold Comyn Leisure Centre has a swimming pool and Quarry Park a disc golf course for the evenings. The Grand Union Canal towpath, which passes the town to the south, is there for longer walks.