17 Outdoors- Other to Explore in Northamptonshire

Badby Woods is a private property and part of the Fawsley Estate, but is open to all visitors to enjoy its natural beauty. It is a protected wildlife area, and has a Site of Special Scientific Interest within the Woods. It is mainly pedunculate oak, with varied ground flora including creeping soft-grass, wood anemone, yellow archangel and bluebell. A small marsh has very diverse herbs.

​Barnwell Country Park comprises 37 acres of lakes, riverbank and meadows to explore, situated close to the historic market town of Oundle.There is a range of walks around the park and you can download or pick up maps to help you find your way around. The walks are waymarked along the way. There is a nature trail and an orienteering map. Plus activity packs for kids and scavenger hunts. The park has a woodland adventure play area and a hobbit garden for toddlers.

Bradlaugh Fields is a community open space wildlife park in Northampton covering a huge area from Moulton Park to Kingsthorpe and accross to Spinney Hill. Three fields with a total area of 17.5 hectares are managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire as a nature reserve also called Bradlaugh Fields. There is access to Hills and Holes from Kettering Road, and other access points include a footpath from Aintree Road which passes between Scrub Field and Quar

Brixworth Country Park is a national showpiece for an accessible countryside. This small yet perfectly-formed park offers great possibilities if you want to picnic, walk, push or cycle in woodland, meadow and stunning reservoir surroundings. There is also a small privately run cycle shop which hires out bikes for people who would like to cycle around Pitsford Reservoir. The park is run by Northamptonshire County Council.

This beautiful country park is situated on the edge of the beautiful Welland Valley. Walkthrough the woods and grassland and watch the local wildlife. There is also specialist play equipment for disabled children. There are country walks throughout the park, through fine mature woodland and grasslands. You can see a varied habitat and a great variety of wildlife throughout the year.

The Jurassic Way is a long distance, recreational walking route which travels the length of Northamptonshire. The Way follows the band of Jurassic Limestone that runs along the northern boundary of Northamptonshire going first along the Oxford Canal and then via Middleton Cheney and Woodford Halse to Braunston on the Grand Union Canal. The trail goes near the Oxford and Grand Union canals, past the Great Central Railway's Catesby Tunnel and viaduct, the River Welland, the 82-arch viaduct at Harr

Mini Meadows Farm is a lovely children’s farm park on the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire border. Nestled in 12 acres of rolling countryside in the village of Welford, Mini Meadows Farm provides a fun, educational and great value family day out for adults and children alike, whatever the weather.

Pitsford Water or Pitsford Reservoir is a 413 hectare reservoir and biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Brixworth in Northamptonshire. It is owned by Anglian Water, which manages it as a water park for walking, cycling, fishing, sailing and birdwatching.[3] An area of 181 hectares north of the causeway which divides the reservoir is the Pitsford Water Nature Reserve, which is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

Rookery Open Farm is a petting farm with children's play activities on the edge of Stoke Bruerne village in Northants. It’s a real treat to get close to animals and even participate in looking after them. There is also a big indoor three-tier soft play frame with slides, tubes, biff bags, log ramps and a rope bridge and a separate area for under 4 year olds.

Sywell Country Park exists on the site of a former drinking water reservoir near the village of Sywell in East Northamptonshire. It offers an eclectic mix of things to see and explore. An Edwardian water pump house and tower still stand within the small reservoir. The site includes a small tea room. There is also a project which aims to use both oral and written records to interpret the route of the water supply throughout the site.

The Racecourse is an open space park situated in the centre of Northampton. It is the sports park for Northampton with football, rugby, bowls, tennis, and more. The park has many paths connecting different areas and over 100 streetlights. It is surrounded by the Mounts, Kingsley and Semilong estates. The Racecourse did hold regular horse racing meetings. However, these ceased in 1904.

Titchmarsh Nature Reserve is a 72.7 hectare Local Nature Reserve north of Thrapston in East Northamptonshire. The River Nene runs through this site, which also has large areas of open water and grassland. There are nationally important numbers of goosanders, wigeons and gadwalls in winter, and banded demoiselle damselflies nest on nettles along the river bank. It is owned and managed by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. It is part of the Upper Nene Valley

Twywell Gullet is a 17.1 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Kettering in Northamptonshire and a former ironstone quarry which has deep cuttings with steeply sloping banks. It is part of the 54.6 hectare Twywell Hills and Dales nature reserve, which is managed by a partnership of the Woodland Trust and the Rockingham Forest Trust.

Wakerley is a linear village and civil parish in the county of Northamptonshire, England. Forming part of North Northamptonshire, Wakerley is close to, and south of, the River Welland that forms the boundary with Rutland; its nearest neighbour, Barrowden, is in that county and accessible by a footbridge. Wakerley is in the area of Rockingham Forest and Wakerley Great Wood is one of the forest's largest remnants. The population of the village is included in the civil parish of Duddington with Fin

West Lodge Farm is an award-winning farm park where children and adults of all ages can have hands-on experiences of farm and country life. There are so many opportunities to explore the whole farm; the livestock, the walks and nature trails, the fields, the streams, and the machinery. There is also a wide range of themed events throughout the year.

West Lodge Rural Centre is a petting farm with children's activities near Desborough in Northamptonshire. The cuddle corner is home to the farm’s cute and fluffies where a daily programme helps visitors get as close as possible. Over in the demonstration barn watch and learn about the jobs that take place on a working farm such as sheep shearing and lambing, you can also pick up some freshly laid eggs from the hen and poultry.