Northamptonshire is a county rich in history, with architectural gems including ancient Rockingham Castle, two of only three surviving Eleanor Crosses and the strange triangular Tudor lodge at Rushton. And the Northants village of Fotheringhay was the scene of Richard III's birth and Mary Queen of Scot's death.
In terms of culture, the county possesses many pretty villages and one of Britain's largest market towns. It's also home to Doc Marten's boots and swish Oundle School. And, most famously, the Althorp Estate, once the home of (and now shrine to) the much-beloved Princess Diana can also be found in here. So get out there and start exploring.

1 FOTHERINGHAY
The pleasant little village of Fotheringhay has an historic importance out of all proportion to its size. It was in Fotheringhay Castle that King Richard III was born in 1452, and it was here also, 135 years later, that Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded.
The castle no longer exists, but you can still climb the mound on which it stood, and take in the lovely view across the meandering River Nene below. A lump of masonry from the castle keep lies on the river bank as a memorial.
Aside from the castle, Fotheringhay is an attractive village with thatched stone houses, a county pub (The Falcon), a mellow stone bridge, and the magnificent church of St Mary and All Saints standing proud above the meadows.

2 OUNDLE
Some four miles south of Fotheringhay, Oundle is reputedly Northampton's prettiest town. Its limestone houses, clustered around the picturesque market place, are dominated by two buildings. The first is the parish church of St. Peter's, whose 200-foot spire can be seen for miles around. The second is the prestigious Oundle School, one of the largest independent schools in the country. Since it was founded in 1556, it has spread from its original building into every corner of the town. During term-time, its smartly uniformed pupils flood the streets as they make their way to lessons, the boys in blazers and flannels, the girls in full-length culottes.

3 ROCKINGHAM CASTLE
Rockingham Castle is a hotchpotch of different styles. Its powerful gatehouse was built by Edward I, and there are Tudor buildings within the castle enclosure – all built with yellow stone. These, together with a dominant setting on a hill overlooking lovely countryside and the limestone cottages of the village, make for an extremely attractive overall effect.
The castle was built by William the Conqueror, and remained in royal hands for 500 years, until Henry VIII gave it to the Watson family, who still own it. It was visited in the Middle Ages by Richard the Lionheart and King John, and, during the 19th century, by Charles Dickens who made it a frequent haunt. The gardens offer stunning views across the Welland Valley.

4 GEDDINGTON ELEANOR CROSS
Eleanor of Castille, beloved wife of King Edward I, died in 1290 at Harby, near Lincoln. Her embalmed body was carried in procession all the way to London for burial in Westminster Abbey, where it now rests in a splendid marble tomb. Wherever the cortege stopped, a memorial cross was erected in the Queen's honour by her grieving husband. Only three of these 'Eleanor Crosses' survive, and the best is in Geddington, a village between Corby and Kettering. Geddington, with its stone-and-thatch houses, its church and pretty bridge across the river Ise, merits a visit in its own right. But it's the cross's intricate carving and stone effigies of the Queen that make it a real must.

5 RUSHTON TRIANGULAR LODGE
Five miles west of Geddington is one of Northamptonshire's most peculiar monuments – the Triangular Lodge, home of Thomas Tresham.
Tresham was a devout Catholic who was fined and imprisoned by Elizabeth I for refusing to accept her Protestant reforms. After his release in 1593, he built the lodge to thumb his nose at the Queen and to act as a testament to his religious faith by making the whole edifice a study of Catholic symbolism.
The lodge is built entirely around the number three, to symbolise the Holy Trinity. It has three sides, each 33 feet long. Each side has three triangular windows, and three triangular gables. A central chimney is triangular. Six dates are included in the design, forming a complicated arithmetical puzzle pointing to important religious events, including the Great Flood and the Crucifixion.

6 NORTHAMPTON
The town of Northampton was burnt to the ground in 1675, so most of its buildings date from after that. Towards the town centre is Saint's Church, which was rebuilt in 1680 and is such a good example of late Stuart architecture that it is now a Grade I listed building. Nearby is the splendid Victorian gothic Guildhall, and just around the corner is the Market Square, which dates back to 1235.
Also right in the centre is the superb Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, which is home to one of the best shoe museums in the world. Look out for Napoleon boots made for General Tom Thumb, and Queen Victoria's wedding slippers.

7 EARL'S BARTON CHURCH
The pleasant village of Earl's Barton, with its attractive sloping central square (or, more accurately, triangle), boasts what is probably the best example of a late Saxon church tower in the country. The tower is more than 1000 years old, and looks totally different from the medieval church buildings we're used to. Although the county has another Anglo-Saxon church at Brixworth, Earl's Barton is much more typical of Saxon building methods. Look for the unrecessed belfry windows with baluster shafts, and the characteristic 'long-and-short' work, where corner stones to the edges of the tower are laid alternately upright and flat.