Northampton

Northampton makes a practical, well-connected base for exploring the middle of England, with the M1 and a fast rail link to London Euston putting the town within easy reach of visitors from across the country. Hotels cluster around the town centre and railway station, ideal for those wanting to explore 78 Derngate, the Museum & Art Gallery and the historic market square on foot, while a wider ring of hotels sits near the motorway junctions and Sixfields leisure park, useful for business travel, football fixtures at Sixfields Stadium, or simply an easy overnight stop when passing through the Midlands.

Budget and mid-range chain hotels are well represented, offering straightforward, no-fuss stays close to the main roads, while a handful of period and boutique properties in and around the town centre suit those wanting a bit more character. Northampton's central position also makes it a sensible base for touring further afield, with Althorp House, the historic town of Stony Stratford and the Nene Valley all within easy striking distance, so a hotel here can double as a launchpad for day trips across Northamptonshire and the wider East Midlands.

Northampton rewards a couple of days of unhurried exploring, mixing industrial heritage with parkland and a genuine design curiosity in the shape of 78 Derngate.

• Northampton Museum & Art Gallery — reopened in 2021 after a major redevelopment, its Shoe Gallery tells the story of the town's boot and shoe trade through one of the largest footwear collections anywhere in the world.
• 78 Derngate — the only house in England designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a strikingly modern 1916 remodelling with bold geometric interiors, stencilled friezes and stained glass, now restored and open to visitors.
• Delapre Abbey — a former 12th-century nunnery turned country house, set in parkland on the edge of town, with restored period rooms, walled gardens and a cafe in the old stable block.
• Northampton Racecourse — once a Victorian racecourse and now a large public park, its open grassland and mature trees make it a favourite spot for walking, running and picnics close to the town centre.
• Sixfields — the leisure park on the western edge of town, home to Northampton Town FC's Sixfields Stadium and a cluster of restaurants, cinema and bowling for an evening out.
• The Guildhall — a Victorian Gothic Revival town hall, richly decorated with statues and stone carving, and one of the most photographed buildings in the county.
• The Church of the Holy Sepulchre — one of only four surviving round churches in England, built by Norman crusaders returning from the Holy Land.
• Eleanor Cross, Hardingstone — one of the surviving medieval crosses erected by Edward I to mark the funeral route of his queen, Eleanor of Castile, on the southern approach to town.

The town centre has a growing food scene alongside its traditional pubs. Opium Northampton serves Indo-fusion cooking in the heart of town, while Cartel offers a two-floor dining experience with a garden setting. The Market Square and surrounding streets host a mix of independent cafes and long-standing pubs, and out at Sixfields a cluster of chain restaurants, including TGI Fridays, Bella Italia and Frankie & Benny's, sit alongside The Sixfields pub for a casual bite before or after a match at the nearby stadium.

Northamptonshire's countryside is gentler than the dramatic landscapes of Devon or the Lakes, but that makes it a genuinely peaceful place to camp, with rolling farmland, quiet river valleys along the Nene and pockets of ancient woodland within a short drive of Northampton itself. As in the rest of England, wild camping without the landowner's express permission is not legal here, so pitching up on open farmland or roadside verges around the county is not an option; instead, campers should use one of the established campsites and certified sites dotted through the surrounding villages, many of them small, family-run affairs on working farms that welcome tents, campervans and caravans alike.

The terrain around Northampton is mostly flat to gently undulating, making it comfortable walking and cycling country rather than a challenge for hillwalkers, with the Nene Way and other waymarked paths threading between villages, church spires and the county's many historic estates. Sites near the river valleys can be prone to damp ground after heavy rain, so it is worth checking conditions in winter and early spring, but for most of the year the county's clay-and-limestone soils drain reasonably well.

Late spring through early autumn, roughly May to September, is the most comfortable stretch for camping here, with long evenings for sitting out and reliably mild weather, though the shoulder months of April and October can still reward campers with quieter sites and golden autumn colour along the river valleys. For those who would rather skip the tent pegs altogether, glamping options across Northamptonshire range from safari tents and shepherd's huts on rural smallholdings to more polished pod and cabin sites, many within a short drive of Northampton's attractions and the M1, giving visitors the flexibility to combine a comfortable countryside stay with easy access to the town's shoemaking heritage and museums.