Crick Boat Show on the Grand Union Canal
Rockingham Castle
An F1 Car on Silverstone Racetrack Thousands of visitors come to the Northamptonshire in the heart of central England annually to visit some of UK's most popular attractions including Silverstone, the home of British motorsport and Althorp House, the ancestral home of Diana Princess of Wales. World class racing circuits and spectacular stately home estates in Northamptonshire feature across this ancient rural English county renowned for its fine local produce and quality accommodation including Northamptonshire luxury spa leisure hotels, family camping and leisure parks and cosy farm B&Bs.
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Luxury country house hotels and spa leisure hotels in Northamptonshire are perfect for conference and wedding events. Both the Grand Union and Oxford Canals running through Northamptonshire are also popular for canal boat holidays. Northamptonshire is well connected to London and the wider UK. Northampton and Wellingborough are just one hour by train from central London and major motorway arteries the M1 and M40 afford easy access by road into Northamptonshire. Three international airports - Luton, East Midlands and Birmingham Airports are within easy driving distance of Northamptonshire.
Northamptonshire in central England is Britain's top county for world class motorsport, motorcycling and raceways. Best British racing circuits are in Northamptonshire from the legendary Silverstone Circuit which hosts Grand Prix events for motorsport and motorcycling to favourite raceways like Rockingham, Santa Pod Raceway and Northampton International Raceway. Silverstone offers a fantastic choice of driving experiences, corporate driving days and one to one driver coaching. Adrenaline pumping sports venues in Northamptonshire include the Nene White Water Centre in Northampton offering whitewater rafting, canoeing and kayaking. Adrenaline Alley Skate Park in Corby is Britain's biggest indoor urban centre for BMX, inline blading and skateboarding. Northamptonshire is also home to the world class Northampton cricket club and rugby club and one of the UK's most beautiful race courses in south Northamptonshire is Towcester Racecourse surrounded by stunning parkland.
Some of England's most beautiful and spectacular stately homes and gardens can also be found in Northamptonshire with most famous historic houses including Althorp House, the ancestral home of Diana Princess of Wales situated just north of Northampton. History and heritage is rich in this ancient English rural county with magnificent castles including Rockingham Castle near Corby, built by William the Conqueror. The famous Civil War battle site of Naseby is in North Northamptonshire. Just north east of Oundle lie the remains of Fotheringhay Castle where Mary Queen of Scots was executed. Discover beautiful Elizabethan houses like Burghley House in the far north east of the county and gardens by Capability Brown at Castle Ashby south of Northampton. Medieval manor houses like the stunning Deene Park near Corby also feature in the county. Many of the Northamptonshire stately homes boast premier collections of fine art, furniture and antiques with highlights for art including Althorp's breathtaking portrait collection and the Woolavington Collection at Cottesbrook Hall, one of the finest collections of sporting paintings with extensive work by best horse and animal painter George Stubbs. Modernist treasures also feature in the plethora of historic houses in Northamptonshire including the must visit 78 Derngate in Northampton designed and decorated by the modernist master Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
See more world class art and craft collections in Northamptonshire museums and galleries. The Northampton Museum & Art Gallery is home to one of the world's largest collection of shoes whilst Kettering's Alfred East Art Gallery holds important collections by local Kettering artists Alfred East and Thomas Cooper Gotch. A strong holiday theme in Northamptonshire is canals and waterways. The great Grand Union Canal passes through the county and boat trips and a national canal museum are at Stoke Bruerne in South Northamptonshire near Towcester. The Crick Boat Show at Crick Marina in North Northamptonshire is one of Britain's top waterways events. Marinas, country parks, ancient woodland and leisure lakes at top spots like the Billing Aquadrome in Northampton and Stanwick Lakes near Wellingborough offer a wealth of family walks, outdoor activities and watersports. Top family theme parks in Northamptonshire include Wicksteed Park near Kettering.
Speciality shopping and local produce markets in Northamptonshire are further strong tourist themes in this rich farming and craft region in central England. Northampton Market Square is beautifully illuminated and a hotspot for speciality markets including great Christmas markets, antiques markets and farmers markets. Discover best vintage and antique centres in Brackley and great weekly markets in Oundle ancient market town. Farm centres and farm shops in Northamptonshire feature across the county's countryside and there are great craft shopping villages at Castle Ashby and the Haddonstone Show Garden at East Haddon. Not to be missed is the on-site craft and design shop at Charles Rennie Mackintosh's 78 Derngate in Northampton town centre.
Silverstone image contributed by Peter Roberts. Rockingham Castle image contributed by Brian Coleman. Crick Boat Show image contributed by David Merret. All images are copyrighted but licensed for further reuse under the Creative Commons License.
