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At A Glance Sywell Country Park is a former Edwardian water supply reservoir near Northampton, now a free country park with a 2.5-mile reservoir circuit, a heritage trail, a themed play area and the Pump House Café. Entry is free. Parking is £3.50 for up to twelve hours, which is a flat rate rather thanContinue reading "Sywell Country Park: Reservoir Walks, Parking, Cafe and Play Area"

At A Glance Canons Ashby is a Grade I listed Elizabethan manor house in south Northamptonshire, owned by the National Trust since 1981, with formal gardens from 1710 and the surviving remains of a medieval priory church. Built around 1550 for the Dryden family, with additions in the 1590s, 1630s and 1710. National Trust membersContinue reading "Canons Ashby: Elizabethan Manor, Gardens and Priory Church"

At A Glance Salcey Forest is a medieval royal hunting forest near Northampton with waymarked trails, veteran oaks over 600 years old, a café and a play area, open every day except Christmas Day. The Tree Top Way is permanently closed. It shut in 2018 and Forestry England confirmed it will not reopen. Do notContinue reading "Salcey Forest: Trails, Parking, Opening Times and the Tree Top Way"

At A Glance Twinlakes Park at Melton Mowbray is a family theme park combining rides, a water park, indoor play and animals on one site, roughly 45 minutes from The Barn at Clipston. Book online. The park advertises a 25% saving against gate prices and asks you to pre-book. The height rule matters more thanContinue reading "Twinlakes Park: Tickets, Height Restrictions, Opening Times and Where to Stay"

At A Glance The Leicestershire and Northamptonshire border gives you stocked trout, specimen carp and free canal fishing inside a 30 minute drive, which is why it works so well for a self-catering fishing holiday. Pitsford Reservoir is the headline trout water, roughly 25 minutes from Clipston, stocked with rainbow and brown trout. An EnvironmentContinue reading "Fishing Holidays in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire: A Local’s Shortlist"

At A Glance Clipston is a small conservation-area village on the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire border, and the 14 Acres estate there holds three separate luxury properties that can be booked individually or all together. The Barn sleeps 8, The Loft sleeps 6, The Cottage sleeps 4. Booked together for exclusive use, the estate takes upContinue reading "Luxury Countryside Escapes in Clipston: The Loft, The Barn and The Cottage"