Fotheringhay

With no hotel of its own, Fotheringhay is best used as a day-trip destination from a base nearby, though the Falcon Inn does have a small number of rooms for those who want to wake up beside the church and castle field. Most visitors choose to stay in Oundle, a few miles south, where a good selection of small hotels, inns and guesthouses sit within an attractive stone market town, or in Peterborough, which offers a wider range of budget and business hotels close to the East Coast Main Line station for onward travel. Both options put Fotheringhay within a short and easy drive, so it is entirely possible to combine a night away with an unhurried morning exploring the village, the castle site and the river before moving on. Guesthouses and farmhouse B&Bs are scattered through the surrounding Nene valley villages too, appealing to those who want a quieter, more rural stay with easy access to walking routes along the river. Booking ahead is advisable for anything close to the village itself, since options are genuinely limited, but the wider area around Oundle and Peterborough has plenty of capacity even at short notice. Anyone touring the East Midlands or East Anglia border country will find Fotheringhay works well as one stop among several, rather than a week-long base, given its size.

Fotheringhay rewards a slow, curious visit rather than a checklist of sights. Most of what there is to see can be explored on foot within an hour, but it repays lingering.

• Fotheringhay Castle site — The riverside mound where the castle once stood is now open grassland managed for public access, with an information panel telling its story. Richard III was born here in 1452, and in 1587 the castle was the scene of the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots after nineteen years of captivity. James I later had the castle demolished, and today only earthworks and a solitary stone remain, making it a poignant rather than dramatic ruin.
• Church of St Mary and All Saints — Built in the Perpendicular style with a striking octagonal lantern tower, the church was originally part of a much larger collegiate foundation established by the House of York. Inside are the tombs of Richard, Duke of York, and his son Edmund, Earl of Rutland, moved here on the orders of Elizabeth I, making it one of the few places in England where you can stand beside the resting place of a king's parents in such an intimate setting.
• River Nene towpath walk — A riverside footpath follows the Nene past the castle mound and out into open countryside, popular with walkers and connecting into the wider Nene Way long-distance path that threads through the valley towards Oundle and Peterborough.
• Nene Valley countryside and wildlife — The water meadows around the village attract herons, kingfishers and a good range of waterfowl, and the flat, quiet lanes make for easy cycling between Fotheringhay and neighbouring villages.
• Nearby Oundle — Just a few miles south, this handsome stone market town offers independent shops, cafes and a Saturday market, and makes a natural extension to a day exploring the area.

The heart of village life is the Falcon Inn, a well-regarded stone pub overlooking the church, known for its AA rosette-standard food, seasonal menus and popular Friday fish and chips, served in a smart bar or a conservatory restaurant. It remains the only place to eat or drink in the village itself, so booking ahead is worthwhile, especially at weekends. For more options, Oundle offers a wider spread of cafes, tearooms and restaurants just a short drive south.

Fotheringhay has no campsite within the village itself, but the flat, gentle landscape of the Nene valley around it is well suited to camping and glamping bases nearby, particularly around Oundle and the wider Peterborough countryside. As with the rest of England, wild camping without the landowner's permission is not legal here, so pitching up on the castle field or riverside meadows, however tempting the view, is not permitted; stick to licensed sites and farms offering camping pitches. The river Nene and its water meadows make this gentle, low-lying countryside, easy for cycling between pitches and villages, and popular with families wanting a quiet rural stay rather than a wilderness experience. Established campsites in the surrounding area typically offer grass touring pitches for tents and campervans alongside a growing number of glamping options, from safari tents to shepherd's huts, which suit visitors who want comfort alongside the outdoor setting. The best season for camping in this part of Northamptonshire runs from late spring through to early autumn, when the meadows are driest underfoot and long evenings make the most of riverside walks past the castle mound and church tower. Spring brings new lambs in the surrounding farmland and fresh green growth along the Nene, while high summer offers the warmest camping conditions and the best chance of dry ground for tents. Early autumn can be a particularly rewarding time, with softer light over the water meadows and the harvest bringing activity to the surrounding fields, though nights turn cooler and it is worth checking a site's season dates before booking. Given how compact Fotheringhay is, campers based nearby will find the castle site, church and Falcon Inn easily reached on foot or by a short bike ride, while Oundle and the wider Nene Way offer plenty of scope for longer days out. As always in England, always seek explicit permission from a landowner before pitching anywhere outside a licensed site, and leave riverside meadows and farmland exactly as you found them.