Kettering
Kettering is a town of 101,000 people (2018) in north Northamptonshire. Kettering owes much of its heritage and growth to the arrival of the railway during the mid-1800s. Today the town is again rapidly expanding, this time as a result of the A14 (formerly A1-M1 link road), which connects the M1 with several ports on the east coast. Many new housing developments and large industrial estates can be found on the outskirts of the town. Kettering is home of Weetabix's UK breakfast cereal production. The Burton Wolds wind farm of 10 turbines ensures that satellite coverage on the north of the town is almost nonexistent.
Get in
By car
The town is encircled on the west and south sides by the east-west running A14. The westbound A14 leads to the M1 (London) and the M6 (Coventry & Birmingham). Eastbound the A14 continues to Cambridge and eventually the port of Harwich.
By train
East Midlands Trains runs a regular train service between London St Pancras and Leicester/Nottingham, often with a stop at 1 Kettering station. Connections can be made in Leicester/London/Nottingham to reach other destinations.
A cheaper rail ticket to Stansted Airport can be purchased if asked to go via Leicester instead of London.
There is also the possibility of a cheaper ticket to London if the journey is split using Bedford as the midpoint. However, the super off-peak special to Skeg Vegas has now been curtailed.
Get around
The town is served by many buses on local and inter-town routes. Local buses are green and called Kettering Connect. They operate at a frequency between two and four per hour depending on the route. A timetable can be accessed online or from the tourist information in the town centre. Buses operating an inter-town service tend to operate from in front of the town library on Sheep street. The majority of these are operated by stagecoach and are coloured in their red, white & blue livery.
See
- 1 Rushton Triangular Lodge, Rushton, NN14 1RP (5 miles north-west of Kettering), ☏ +44 1536 710761. Adults £3.30, children £2.00, concessions £3.00.
Do
- 1 Wicksteed Park, Barton Road, NN15 6NJ, ☏ +44 1536 512475, information@wicksteedpark.org. Found south of the town centre between Kettering and Barton Seagrave, Wicksteed offers gardens, an aviary, lake, shops, rides (including train, rollercoaster & swinging ship) and a very large playground area with swings and slides. Although the primary target audience of the park is families with mid-young children, it's also a great place to spend a day relaxing with friends and/or family.
- Manor House Museum, Sheep St, NN16 0AN, ☏ +44 1536 534219, museumandgallery@kettering.gov.uk. The town museum is in the town centre between the market place, parish church and tourist information. It details much of the town’s history including its rapid growth during the Victorian period. There are often interactive activities and workshops held during the school holidays. Free.
Buy
Supermarkets
All the major English supermarket chains can be found in or near to Kettering.
- The Newlands Centre is a medium-sized shopping centre in the centre of town. It contains many of the major chain stores including Shoe Zone, Card Factory, Poundland and a Home Bargains store as well as a number of empty shops too.
Eat
There is also food round wicksteed park however, people mainly take their own food with them which they had as a picnic at the park. eventually food is always around for sale.
Drink
Inside the Wicksteed Park there are bars that serve food and cold/hot drinks. There are different caravan food shops parked at the front of the park; they serve cold/hot food such as hot dogs, ice cream, hot chocolate, and sweeties.
Sleep
There can't be no sleeping area at Wicksteed Park because its for only a day trip; however, there are hotels all around Kettering such as luxury hotels, 5* hotels, B&B, Caravan retal, and many more.
- Holiday Inn Express Kettering, Rockingham Road, NN14 1QF, ☏ +44 1536 210210, fax: +44 1536 210211, res@bwhimleyhoteldudley.co.uk. Check-in: 2PM (early check-in by arrangement), check-out: 11AM (late check-out by arrangement). Holiday Inn Express hotel with 120 non-smoking rooms and 70 on-site parking spaces. Each bedroom includes power shower, work desk, 28" flat screen TV, complimentary broadband, and continental breakfast. Some rooms have been adapted to allow for easier access. Small dogs are allowed by prior arrangement. £49.
Go next
To get out of Wicksteed Park without your car, there is a bus stop opposite the park which takes you to Kettering town centre. From there you could either take another bus to your destination or take the train from the station which is 10 minutes from the town centre and bus station.
| Routes through Kettering |
| Leicester ← Market Harborough ← | NW  SE |
→ Rushden → Bedford |
| Birmingham ← Rugby ← | W  E |
→ Huntingdon → Cambridge |
| London ← Northampton ← | SW  NE |
→ Corby → Stamford |