NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Northamptonshire is home to some of the UK’s most beautiful scenery that has doubtless helped it earn its name as ‘The Rose of the Shires’. The countryside is speckled with unchanged rural villages and market towns in which you can embrace a more laid-back pace of life. However, if you want your feet planted firmly in the 21st Century, there are plenty of modern shopping centres and family attractions, and for petrol-heads there are the two international racing venues of Silverstone and Rockingham.
Links to the Past
Much of the county’s heritage is linked to nobility and you’ll find a great selection of stately homes and castles to visit. Canons Ashby House in Daventry is one of the county’s most impressive homes. Complete with well-tended gardens and quaint tea rooms, it’s definitely one to visit. Rockingham Castle will delight history buffs and entrance younger visitors. Built by William the Conqueror, it has almost 1,000 years’ worth of history up its imposing sleeves.
Northamptonshire’s Culinary Secrets
Good food has always been a cultural bedrock of the county and there are a growing number of excellent restaurants making Northamptonshire a Mecca for food lovers. The Walnut Tree Inn in Blisworth is fast becoming one of the county’s worst-kept secrets, serving up delicious, traditional meals using locally-sourced ingredients. The Church Restaurant in Northampton offers exquisite fine dining, set in the beautiful backdrop of a converted church.