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Canons Ashby, Daventry

Companionship careNorthamptonshire

Days out in Northamptonshire for an older parent

Seven places in Northamptonshire that make a good day out for an older parent, from Canons Ashby to Wicksteed Park. For each one: what its own access information confirms, what it costs, how long to allow, and the carers nearby who drive and could take them.

Researched by PrimeCarers from each place’s own website and access information  ·  Updated October 2026

Canons Ashby. Photo: Joanna Bryant Jothelibrarian), CC BY-SA 2.5

Seven days out across six towns

The best places to take an older parent in Northamptonshire

Five of them are free to visit or to walk around. The access information for one describes a step-free route, and four confirm an accessible toilet. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

Canons Ashby, Daventry

Photo: Joanna Bryant Jothelibrarian), CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Historic house · Daventry

Canons Ashby

Canons Ashby is an Elizabethan manor house built by the Dryden family on the site of a medieval priory, with Jacobean plasterwork and wall paintings, formal gardens and the surviving priory church. It is cared for by the National Trust.

A shuttle runs around part of the site and a manual wheelchair can be borrowed from visitor reception, where there are Blue Badge bays and adapted toilets.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Blue Badge parking

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Daventry

Lyveden, Oundle

Photo: Wehha, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Garden · Oundle

Lyveden

Lyveden is an unfinished Elizabethan garden lodge built by Sir Thomas Tresham, packed with religious symbols, set in countryside with an orchard, moated garden and labyrinth. The manor house has exhibitions and there is a café.

The house has step-free access by lift, there are adapted toilets in the manor and Blue Badge bays, and the labyrinth has step-free access to some areas.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Oundle

78 Derngate, Northampton

Photo: John Sutton, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Northampton

78 Derngate

78 Derngate is a Georgian terrace house remodelled by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1916 for the model maker Wenman Bassett-Lowke, his only major commission in England. The visitor centre has galleries, a shop and the Dining Room restaurant, free to enter.

A platform lift reaches the galleries, a disabled toilet and some floors of the Mackintosh house, and Blue Badge holders can park free on nearby streets for up to three hours.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Galleries, shop and restaurant free, house tour paid

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Northampton

Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, Northampton

Photo: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Northampton

Northampton Museum and Art Gallery

Northampton Museum and Art Gallery holds one of the largest collections of shoes in the world, reflecting the town's shoemaking history, alongside local history and art galleries. It reopened after a major extension and runs a changing programme of exhibitions.

It is in the town centre close to 78 Derngate, so a carer can combine the two for an unhurried indoor day.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Northampton

Stanwick Lakes, Raunds

Photo: Forester2009, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nature reserve · Raunds

Stanwick Lakes

Stanwick Lakes is a countryside attraction in the Nene Valley with lakes, footpaths, bird hides and a visitor centre with a café and heritage museum. Displays include finds from the site, among them part of a Roman floor mosaic.

Most facilities are wheelchair accessible, including the visitor centre, toilets, a bird hide and the network of paths, and there are Blue Badge spaces near the visitor centre.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry, parking charged

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Raunds

The Chester House Estate, Wellingborough

Photo: Philip Jeffrey, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Wellingborough

The Chester House Estate

The Chester House Estate at Irchester is an 84-acre heritage site beside the River Nene with more than 10,000 years of history, including a Roman walled town. It has a museum, independent shops and The Farmhouse café in the 17th-century house.

It is free to enter and free to park, so a carer can plan a short visit to the museum and café without worrying about time.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry and parking

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Wellingborough

Wicksteed Park, Kettering

Photo: Mark Anderson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Kettering

Wicksteed Park

Wicksteed Park in Kettering is a historic landscaped park founded in 1921, with a large lake, gardens, a pavilion and a small amusement park with a narrow gauge railway. The parkland and lakeside walks are free to wander, with rides paid for separately.

There are Blue Badge spaces in the Oaktree and Parkview car parks and essential companion tickets are free through the Nimbus Access Card, and a carer can keep to the lakeside for a gentle walk.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Park free, parking and rides charged

What their access information confirms

  • Blue Badge parking

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Kettering

Regular groups and events in Northamptonshire

Something to go back to every week or every year, from our research into what older people enjoy doing in Northamptonshire.

  • Dancing · DaventryAge UK tea dance in DaventryA monthly afternoon tea dance for older people run by Age UK Northamptonshire at the community centre in Ashby Road, with an instructor, tea and cake. A carer can arrange the lift, sit out the faster numbers and join in for the slower ones.Details
  • Sports · NorthamptonNorthampton Town Walking Football ClubWalking football sessions for players aged 50 and over, held on Wednesdays and Saturdays at Thomas Becket School. A carer can sort transport and kit and watch from the side, which keeps an old footballer in the game at a safe pace.Details
  • Volunteering · NorthamptonVolunteering with Age UK NorthamptonshireThe county Age UK takes volunteers for roles including telephone befriending and charity shop work, with hours to suit. A carer can help with the application, be there for the first shift and keep the routine going week to week.Details
  • Volunteering · KetteringLibrary volunteering in North NorthamptonshireNorth Northamptonshire Council recruits library volunteers to deliver books to people who cannot get to the library, run regular groups and help with IT. A carer can drive to the sessions and sit in, which makes the commitment realistic.Details
  • Knitting · BrackleyKnit and Natter at Brackley LibraryA library craft group where members knit, crochet or sew, with projects provided and sessions for beginners as well as regulars. A carer can bring the bag of wool, help with casting on and stay for the conversation.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in Northamptonshire

At a glance

The seven places side by side

What each place’s own access information confirms. “Ask” means it does not say, not that it is missing.

PlaceTimeCostStep-freeToiletCafé
Canons AshbyDaventryhalf a dayPaid entryPartlyYesAsk
LyvedenOundlean hour or twoPaid entryPartlyYesYes
78 DerngateNorthamptonan hour or twoFree outside, paid insidePartlyYesYes
Northampton Museum and Art GalleryNorthamptonan hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk
Stanwick LakesRaundshalf a dayFreeYesYesYes
The Chester House EstateWellingboroughhalf a dayFreeAskAskAsk
Wicksteed ParkKetteringhalf a dayFree outside, paid insideAskAskAsk

Where the places are in Northamptonshire

The county’s boundary, numbered as on this page, with the main towns for reference.

BrackleyOundleDesboroughRushdenDaventryTowcesterCorbyThrapston1234567
  1. 1Canons Ashby, Daventry
  2. 2Lyveden, Oundle
  3. 378 Derngate, Northampton
  4. 4Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, Northampton
  5. 5Stanwick Lakes, Raunds
  6. 6The Chester House Estate, Wellingborough
  7. 7Wicksteed Park, Kettering

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in Northamptonshire

Carers in Northamptonshire charge £19 to £22 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £20, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £80 for the carer’s time. Entry, food and parking are extra, and travel costs are only payable if you agree them with the carer in advance, in writing. The cost of home care in Northamptonshire has the full figures.

Photographs on this page are from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one.

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in Northamptonshire

Canons Ashby in Daventry, Lyveden in Oundle, 78 Derngate in Northampton, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery in Northampton, Stanwick Lakes in Raunds, The Chester House Estate in Wellingborough and Wicksteed Park in Kettering. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

The access information for Stanwick Lakes describes a step-free route. Canons Ashby, Lyveden, 78 Derngate and Stanwick Lakes have an accessible toilet. Canons Ashby lends wheelchairs. Access changes, so ring ahead about anything your parent depends on.

78 Derngate (outside free, inside paid), Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, Stanwick Lakes, The Chester House Estate and Wicksteed Park (outside free, inside paid). Parking is often charged even where entry is free.

Yes. A companion carer can drive your parent there, walk at their pace, help with the toilet and meals, and bring them home. 42 of the carers with a rate near Northamptonshire drive. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £20 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in Northamptonshire shows who is available.

Often. Many attractions let a carer or companion in free, or at a reduced price, with a disabled visitor, and some ask for proof such as a letter or a benefit award. It varies, so check each place’s access or prices page before you go.

Where the nearest carers live

From the profiles of the carers based within about 45 minutes of Northamptonshire

Where the nearest carers live. A carer close to home can manage a longer day out.

Companionship care in the counties around Northamptonshire

Days out in the areas around Northamptonshire

Companionship care by town in Northamptonshire

Each town page shows the carers who list it as home, with their rates and reviews.

Find a carer who could take them out in Northamptonshire

See carers near Northamptonshire who drive, with their photos, interests, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

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