Things to Do
### Exploring the Area
East Northants is known as an area of villages and churches. There is much to be said for simply drifting from village to village in order to see what one comes across. One should, however, mention Fotheringhay Church. Apart from the fact that it has a remarkable set of flying buttresses, it contains in the interior an exhibition on the connection of Fotheringhay with Richard III, who was born in Fotheringhay Castle, and Mary, Queen of Scots, who was executed there. The castle itself has been demolished, but one can visit the site just down the road from the church.
For grander ecclesiastical architecture Peterborough Cathedral, Ely Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral are all within striking distance.
Burleigh House at Stamford, site of the famous horse trials, is well worth a visit. Stamford itself is a beautiful town, which once, until the middle of the 19th Century, went in for bull running through its streets. The George Hotel is a famous coaching establishment, in which one still eats well.
Rutland Water is an enormous reservoir, created to serve the needs of Birmingham. It offers opportunities for many activities, such as sailing, bird watching, walking, cycling and jogging.
North of Corby on the border of Leicestershire one may find Rockingham Castle, which has featured in various television series.
For the entertainment of children Wicksteed Park in Kettering provides ample scope.
Within easy walking distance of the cottage is Lyveden New Bield. This remarkable building was erected in the 17th century by the Tresham family, one of whose members was party to the Guy Fawkes plot. The building was deliberately left unroofed, and it has remained that way ever since. It is now owned by the National Trust. Another of the family’s odd buildings is the Triangular Lodge at Rushton.
The local town of Oundle, which has a market every Thursday, and a Farmers’ Market, on the first Saturday of each month, is well worth a visit, as are Uppingham with its second hand bookshops, and Oakham.
Cambridge, with its colleges, is only some 45 minutes away, and close to Cambridge is Wimpole Home Farm for those who would like to visit a model farm.
Sailing is available at Thrapston, Rutland Water and Grafham Water. Golf can be found at Oundle and at Elton Furze, near Elton on the way to Peterborough. Elton Hall is also available to be visited.
### Eating Out
There are a number of places to eat in the locality. The list below is far from exhaustive, but only places that are known to us personally are included:
#### Wadenhoe
The King’s Head 01832 720024. The pub is located alongside the river and its garden goes down to the river. The setting is fantastic but, unfortunately, the pub has had a succession of tenants, and at the present time, we cannot recommend the food, but it is a wonderful place to have a drink.
#### Stoke Doyle
The Shuckburgh Arms 01832 272339.
#### Polebrook
The King’s Arms 01832 272363. Very well kept locally brewed beer and excellent and very fairly priced food. One of the chefs/tenants is a vegetarian, so there are always vegetarian choices on the menu. Very pretty interior and friendly atmosphere. Also does very good Tapas for snacks. Also excellent paella, to order.
#### Lowick
The Snooty Fox 01832 733434. Modernised dining room with good food in very pretty village.
#### Elton
The Black Horse: 01832 280240. Large menu selection with very good solid cooking. Lots of fish on offer. Nice atmosphere in pub.
### Farther afield, but excellent food
#### Keyston
The Pheasant 01832 710241. Really excellent food. You can eat in the bar part of the pub – very cosy – or the restaurant. Also does very good small snacks, so you could have a drink with friends and snacks in lieu of a meal.
#### Medbourne
The Horse and Trumpet: 01858 565000. Excellent food. Pub completely redone to become this special restaurant.
#### Wansford
The Haycock: the Bentley Room 01780782223. Good reports although we have not been there. Need to book and I believe it is only open in the evenings.
Fiddlesticks Restaurant 01780 784111. Again, we have not been here but others who have say it is very good. Just opposite the Haycock Hotel in the middle of the village.
#### Huntingdon
The Old Bridge Hotel: 01480 424300. It is well worth braving the one way system in Huntingdon to go here. The food is really good and the wines are very reasonably priced.
#### Clipsham
The Olive Branch 01780 410355. Really good food and lovely atmosphere. A bit of a drive away, but if you were going to look at Stamford or Rutland Water, a really good place to have lunch or dinner.
#### Hambledon
Hambledon Hall 01572 756991. Far from cheap but a real experience: the setting is magnificent with marvellous views. The reception rooms are filled with well stuffed sofas and in the summer, the terrace is delightful place to sit and have a drink or coffee. Lunch is much better value than dinner, which is expensive. A place for a celebration meal. Gets 7 out of 10 for its cooking in the Good Food Guide.
#### Great Gonerby
Harry’s Place 01476 561780. Another special place to eat, again not cheap. Completely different to Hambledon Hall as it is tiny. You will need to book and I would advise booking for the earliest time ie 7pm rather than 8pm. It is run by a husband and wife team who do everything on their own, and all dishes are prepared and cooked to order. It can take a maximum of 10 diners. The food is wonderful and if you really like food and feel like a very special night out, I would recommend it. It also rates 7 out of 10 for its cooking.
#### Other Local Eateries
There are pubs in almost all the villages. Titchmarsh, for example, has a pub called the Wheatsheaf which is pleasant and has quite reasonable food. Oundle has a variety of pubs. The Ship has, perhaps, the most atmosphere. Its food is variable. Its beer is very good. In Oundle there are now two places to have lunch and tea: Bean’s Cafe at the monument and Mr Smiths at No 4 just at the end of the market square. We recommend the latter for its inventive lunches with excellent salads and open sandwiches, plus its range of unusual beers.
In Stilton, just off the A1, there is a pub called The Bell (01733 241066) which is very pleasant and has reasonable food: sometimes excellent, sometimes not quite so good. I would recommend eating downstairs near the bar rather than in the restaurant.
There are lots of places to eat in Stamford : eg the George Hotel, and Peterborough has a large number of eating establishments, in particular around the market area near Broadway.