Northampton (England)

Northampton is the county town of Northamptonshire, and is one of the largest settlements in the UK that is not a city. It is about halfway between the cities of Birmingham and London.

Get in
There are numerous routes into Northampton.

By car
If you're driving in, you'll find that Northampton is well connected by road with many distribution companies being based in and around the town. The M1 motorway passes right through South Northamptonshire, and from here it is about 15 minutes to the town centre. Junctions 15, 15A, and 16 all serve the town.

By bus
Alternatively, National Express offer coach services across the country from Northgate bus station, and a coach park near the mounts baths in the town centre. flixbus also operate some services A branch of Grand Union Canal passes directly through Northampton, so if you own a boat, it's easy enough to get to town over water.

By train
offers frequent train links from Birmingham and London every 30 minutes most times of the day with trains operated by London Northwestern railway The trains to Birmingham New Street cost £11.50 for a one way ticket, and due to the unusual pricing system a return ticket is £11.60. Tickets to London Euston cost £22.80 for a one way ticket, although you might want to opt for a return ticket, as that will cost you only £22.90. Avanti West Coast has one train per day on the Crewe - London Euston route, which calls to set down only around midnight.

The railway station is located approximately 15 minutes walk from the town centre and has frequent buses passing the site. Taxis are also available from outside the station.

By plane
The nearest airports to Northampton are Birmingham, East Midlands, and London Luton Airport in Luton. There are rail and bus links from London, home of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Airports.

Get around
The most common way of getting around is by car, but on Saturdays expect queues because of the football and rugby games that go on.

Northampton also offers a comprehensive bus service. The main operator in the town is Stagecoach Northampton. Service tends to be more patchy on Sundays; however, Monday to Saturday the bus is a viable method of transportation around the town.

Stagecoach Northampton also offer a number of regional bus routes to the outlying villages and towns in Northamptonshire making exploring small towns like Bugbrooke possible. Arrivabus operate the number 33,33X and 33A to the town

See




Do

 * Northampton Balloon Festival is at Billing Aquadrome in August.
 * Northampton Balloon Festival is at Billing Aquadrome in August.
 * Northampton Balloon Festival is at Billing Aquadrome in August.
 * Northampton Balloon Festival is at Billing Aquadrome in August.
 * Northampton Balloon Festival is at Billing Aquadrome in August.

Buy
Shop along Abington Street, the main pedestrianised shopping area in Northampton.

Both the Grosvenor Centre and Market Walk shopping centres have entrances from this street.



Eat
For its size, Northampton has a good range of restaurants to suit any budget.

Budget

 * It also has all the usual fast food restaurants dotted about town but they can get a bit busy from 6 to 7PM.
 * It also has all the usual fast food restaurants dotted about town but they can get a bit busy from 6 to 7PM.

Drink
Clubs and pubs are located all around Northampton town centre and the night life is pretty lively most of the time.

For alternative music, pubs along the Wellingborough Road cater for grunge, punk and rock with local acts performing on Friday nights.

Connect
Police, fire and ambulance services are all reached from 999 or 112 in an emergency. Northamptonshire Police switchboard is 0300 011 1222 for non-emergency calls, or 101.

Go next

 * Stoke Bruerne is halfway between Northampton and Milton Keynes on the canal and offers a picturesque escape from Northampton.
 * Trains also depart at regular intervals from Northampton railway station for every possible destination in the country using either Milton Keynes Railway Station, London Stations or Birmingham New Street as transit points.