'''Northampton''' is the county town of Northamptonshire, and is one of the largest settlements in the UK not to be a city. It is located approximately halfway between the cities of Birmingham and London.
Get in
There are numerous routes into Northampton.
By plane
The nearest airports to Northampton are [http://www.bhx.co.uk/ Birmingham], [http://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/emaweb.nsf East Midlands], and [http://www.london-luton.co.uk/en/ London Luton Aiport] in Luton. There are rail and bus links from London, home of Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted Airports.
By train
Northampton Castle Station offers frequent links from Birmingham and London every 30 minutes most times of the day with trains operated by [http://www.londonmidland.com/index.php/cms/pages/home London Midland]. The railway station is located approximately 15 minutes walk from the town centre and has frequent buses passing the site. Taxis are also available from outside the station.
By car
Northampton is well connected by road with many distribution companies being based in and around the town. The M1 motorway passes right through South Northamptonshire, and from here it is about 15 minutes to the town centre. Junctions 15, 15A, and 16 all serve the town.
By bus
[http://www.nationalexpress.com/ National Express] offer coach services across the country from Greyfriars bus station in the town centre.
By boat
A branch of Grand Union Canal passes directly through Northampton.
Get around
Most common way of getting around is by car, but on Saturdays expect queues because of the football and rugby games that go on.
Northampton also offers a comprehensive bus service. The two main operators in the town are [http://www.stagecoachbus.com/northants/index.html Stagecoach Northampton] and [http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/eastmidlands/northampton/home First Northampton]. Service tends to be more patchy on Sundays; however, Monday to Saturday the bus is a viable method of transportation around the town.
[http://www.stagecoachbus.com/northants/index.html Stagecoach Northampton] also offer a number of regional bus routes to the outlying villages and towns in Northamptonshire making exploring small towns like Bugbrooke possible.
See
Northampton has a number of attractions:
'''Guildhall''': A classic neo-gothic styled building built in 1861 by Edward William Godwin. It now houses the Northampton Borough Council offices. The Guildhall is located opposite the Tourist Information office on St Giles Street.
'''Northampton Museum and Art Gallery''': A collection of artifacts from Northamptons past with particular homage to the shoe industry that caused the town to first boom. The museum is open from 10:00 - 17:00 on Monday to Saturday and 2:00 - 17:00 on Sunday.
The '''Express Lifts Tower''' in St James.
'''78 Derngate''', The only house outside of Scotland to be designed by world-famous architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The House has been beautifully restored and is now a museum. Guided tours are available and there is also a small restaurant. Advanced booking is advised. Open 10am - 5pm February to Christmas.
Do
Shop along '''Abington Street''', the main pedestrianised shopping area in Northampton. Both the Grosvenor Centre and Peacock Place shopping centres have entrances from this street.
'''Northampton Market''' is one of the oldest in the country and operates daily out of Market Square, just off The Drapery and Abington Street.
Watch some sport - '''Northampton Saints''' are a top-flight rugby union team, '''the Cobblers''' play League One football, and '''Northamptonshire''' play cricket at the County Ground.
Attend a play at '''[http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/ Royal & Derngate]''', Northampton's jointly run main theatres.
Each August the town hosts the '''[http://www.northamptonballoonfestival.com] Northampton Balloon Festival''' on the Racecourse.
Learn
[http://www.northampton.ac.uk/ The University of Northampton] offers tertiary level courses in a range of subjects.
For vocational courses and A level courses, [http://www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk/ Northampton College] has a wide range of courses on offer.
Work
[http://www.inorthamptonshire.co.uk/profile/169030/Northampton/Jobcentre-Plus/ Northampton Job Centre] is located on Frances Street and has listings for casual and permenant positions as well as job advice. It is essential for migrants to the area to visit the job centre to secure National Insurance Cards.
[http://www.employment-finder.co.uk/city-Northampton/49519-jobs-Adecco-UK-Ltd.html Adecco] and the usual temporary work firms also operate in Northampton.
Eat
For its size, Northampton has a good range of restaurants to suit any budget.
Budget
[http://www.restaurant-guide.com/academy-coffee-haus.htm Academy Coffee Haus] offers cheap meals from around __7 a head.
Mid-range
[http://www.restaurant-guide.com/fox-and-hounds-the-1.htm The Fox and Hounds pub] in Harlestone offers good pub fare at a reasonable price of around __18 a head.
Splurge
[http://www.restaurant-guide.com/new-french-partridge-the.htm The New French Partridge] offers fine, French styled cuisine for around __54 a head.
Drink
Caffe D'Italia. Fish Street, Northampton, NN1 2AA. Great little Italian cafe with friendly staff. Lovely Italian-style sandwiches and cakes too.
Clubs and pubs are located all around Northampton town centre and the night life is pretty lively most of the time.
For alternative music, pubs along the Wellingborough Road cater for grunge, punk and rock with local acts performing on Friday nights.
Contact
Police, fire and ambulance services are all reached from '''999''' or '''112'''.
Stay safe
Drunken activity in the town centre on Friday and Saturday nights is common and intoxication should be avoided to ensure safety. Keep to well lit areas and avoid taking short cuts through back streets.
The atmosphere after football and rugby matches can be a little loud and boisterous, avoid wearing other teams colours in these instances.
Get out
[http://www.althorp.com/ Althorp House] the resting place of Princess Diana is located in Northamptonshire just outside of Northampton.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoke_Bruerne Stoke Bruerne] is also located halfway between Northampton and Milton Keynes on the canal and offers a picturesque escape from Northampton.
Trains also depart at regular intervals from Northampton railway station for every possible destination in the country using either '''Milton Keynes Railway Station''', '''London Stations''' or '''Birmingham New Street''' as transit points.