local attractions
Kilworth House
With 38 acres of parkland, a well-stocked fishing lake, health and beauty rooms, and a mini-gym, there's plenty to do at Kilworth House Hotel. There are woodland walks, jogging trails and a guided tour of the house and grounds. Amateur naturalists should keep a look out for bats, muntjac deer and plentiful bird life.
golf
We have three golf clubs within a seven-mile radius. These include Kilworth Springs Golf Club, a superbly sculptured lakeland course built on a deposit of sand and gravel. It has an open, links-like feel and excellent drainage that means it's rarely closed by the weather.
The other two courses are at Market Harborough and Lutterworth Golf Clubs.
Contact Numbers
Market Harborough 01858 463684
Kilworth Spings 01858 575 082
Lutterworth 01455 557 199
motor sports
Rockingham Speedway, at nearby Corby, hosts races for everything from bikes to touring cars to trucks. As a venue for corporate entertaining, it's second-to-none.
A little further away down the M1 lies the world-famous Silverstone circuit, home of the British Formula 1 Grand Prix.
If you prefer to experience the adrenalin first-hand, try Big Thunder at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground. Here you can drive trucks, diggers, fast cars, go-karts and 4x4s on a two-mile Indy circuit, a skid pan or a manmade swamp. www.bigthunder.co.uk
gliding
The Soaring Centre at Husbands Bosworth (a few minutes drive away) is the Midlands' foremost gliding club. Beginners can sign up for a single day of lessons.
shopping
For intriguing shopping, visit the historic towns of Market Harborough and nearby Lutterworth. Both towns still enjoy their traditional market days as well as offering regular antiques & collectibles, continental and farmers' markets.
For high-street names, it's hard to beat the regional draw of Fosse Park Shopping Centre, just 15 minutes away at Junction 21 of the M1.
castles and stately homes
The nearby Stanford Hall, which was built in the 1690s for Sir Roger Cave, is an exquisite example of the period's architecture. Sir Roger's descendants still live in the house.
Rockingham Castle is a fortress built by William the Conqueror to watch over the Welland Valley. The gardens are superb, while the views from the battlements take in five counties.
Princess Diana's childhood home, Althorp House, has been the Spencer family home for 500 years. There are 450 acres of idyllic parkland and an exhibition on the Princess's life and work.
Warwick Castle is a huge and imposing medieval experience with dungeons, jousting and plenty of battlefield gore.
general interest
Rutland Water offers nature lovers a rewarding day out. It's a nationally-important wildfowl sanctuary that annually draws over 20,000 birds, including nesting ospreys.
The award-winning National Space Centre with its rockets, moon rock, and space theatre is half an hour's drive away in Leicester.
Nearby Foxton Locks bring back the great days of Britain's canals. Here you can watch narrow boats negotiate a flight of ten staircase locks and see how the ruined inclined plane once wheeled them from top to bottom.
Gandy's Roses have been growing roses for over 80 years.
They are first and foremost long established nurserymen and growers of top quality roses. They produce over 100,000 roses each year in over 600 varieties in their fields.
The number of plants in each variety varies considerably according to popularity and demand, but up to 5,000 plants are produced in the most popular varieties.
Lutterworth Museum tells the story of the town and its people, notably John Wycliffe (translator of the Bible into English) and Sir Frank Whittle (inventor of the jet engine).
Harborough Museum reveals the town's industrial past, which includes a tightly-laced and heavily-starched corset factory with its world-famous creation, the liberty bodice.
Stratford-upon-Avon is an easy car journey away. The town is steeped in Shakespearian magic, with daily opportunities to see mesmerising performances at the RSC's Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
The beautiful village of Great Bowden lies on the edge of the Welland Valley and has a past history dating back to Anglo Saxon times. www.greatbowden.org
For information on these and other local attractions, please ask our staff.
tourist information websites
www.visitbritain.co.uk
www.explorenorthamptonshire.co.uk
www.goleicestershire.com
www.lutterworth-online.co.uk
www.harboroughonline.co.uk
www.enjoywarwickshire.com
