Knock the pins down at AMF Bowling in Wellingborough. See the latest big-screen blockbusters at Rushden Lakes Cineworld and Northampton Filmhouse. Visit Rushden Train Museum for a unique collection of local transport memorabilia. Or get down to Rookery Open Farm to meet the animals and lark about in the activity areas.
Enjoy the play area, ice cream and a bite to eat at Salcey Forest. Try the 11 Olympic-sized trampolines, plus foam landing pit and bungee rig at Northampton Trampoline Centre. Skydive indoors at Xscape in Milton Keynes. Or make feathered friends at Icarus Falconry including owls, hawks, eagles, and falcons.
Tackle caving, 60 lines of climbing and a bouldering room at Pinnacle Climbing Centre. Rip up the track at Billing Go Karting. Shoot your friends and family in Laser Maze’s 2700-square-foot labyrinth. Meet 30 lifelike animatronic dinosaurs at Gulliver’s Dinosaur and Farm Park. Or enjoy over 70 rides and attractions at Gulliver’s Land.
Pick from kayaking, powerboating, paddleboarding, windsurfing, wakeboarding and canoeing at Willen Lake and Park. Experience the best of virtual entertainment at Vertigo VR – from cutting-edge virtual-reality experiences to PC gaming and 5D cinema. Or help dad release his inner child with slot-car racing at Racewars.
Looking for a ski resort? Snozone in Milton Keynes is Europe’s largest indoor real ski resort: ski or snowboard then refuel in the Alpine Kitchen. Raid the farm shop at Warner’s Gin Distillery for drinks crammed full of fresh botanicals and rescued citrus peel. Or sample the best of British wine at New Lodge Vineyard.
See the countryside on four legs with Manor Farm Riding Centre. Hit the high wires at
Jungle Parc, with a network of long and short trails through 83 hectares of mixed woodland – see a wealth of wildlife and the Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum. Or spatter your pals with paint at Skirmish Central.
Play a magnificent championship golf course set in 160 acres of fine rolling parkland at Wellingborough, or ditch the clubs and just walk at Irchester Country Park, Harrold Odell Country Park or Summer Leys Lakes in Wollaston. Or land bream, tench, carp, roach, perch and pike at Castle Ashby Fishery.
Tick whitewater rafting and tubing off your bucket list with Northampton Active, or try wakeboarding, boat towing, paddleboarding, or just the pedalos at Xtreme Wake. Wander gorgeous gardens at the ancestral home of the 7th Marquess of Northampton at
Castle Ashby Gardens. Or catch the motor-racing action at Silverstone.
Plenty of space here for hens (and stags) to go free-range in the three-acre garden or just chill out in your own exclusive day spa, 24/7. Maybe book a spot of in-house pampering? The hot tub will seat six and stand another six, so simmer away. When you’re done, dry off in the changing room and sizzle awhile in the sauna.
For the competitive, the games room offers table football, darts and board games. And you can complete the Hen Olympics with rounders, croquet and football in the garden. There’s no shortage of connected indoor entertainment, either. Binge on box sets on 55” TVs in the main house and garden room, with Sky, Prime, Netflix and NOW TV.
Fix your own exciting on-site cocktails with Jam Inns, the leading mobile cocktail class. Or head into Northampton for expert mixology at Meanwhile or Champers. Get cheeky with naked drawing with Nude Life. Take a quad-bike safari at Essential Adventure. Or enjoy cake, tea and Prosecco at the Beckwith Emporium.
Blast clay from the sky at Northampton Shooting Ground, pick from six themes at Deadlocked Escape Rooms, or make your own fascinators with The Crafty Hen. As darkness descends, head into Northampton to burn the candle at top night spots such as Club 43, Elysium, and Turtle Bay for free-flowing rum and ever-spinning sounds.
