Northants, Leics &amp; Rutland


<p>If the purse strings are feeling a little tight and you’re wondering how on earth you might elicit some joy from the next few weeks,&nbsp;you’re in the same boat as us. Precisely why we’ve been rummaging through the internet for free things to do.&nbsp;Light of pocket but still pumped for summer fun? Look no further.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-go-green">Go green</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/02/University_of_Leicester_Botanic_Garden_pond.jpeg" alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is University_of_Leicester_Botanic_Garden_pond.jpeg" /></figure>



<p>If you’ve got budding eco warriors on your hands (and let’s hope so),&nbsp;<a href="https://le.ac.uk/botanic-garden" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leicester Botanic Garden and the Attenborough Arboretum</a>&nbsp;in Oadby are part of the Uni of Leicester and have a strong focus on global biodiversity. Visitors can run about and explore a huge range of plants in the collections from around the world in 16 acres of grounds and greenhouses, with activity sheets available for children to get in on the action.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="668" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/Tresillian-House.jpg" alt="Tresillian House Melton Mowbray National Garden Scheme" class="wp-image-49581" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/Tresillian-House.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/Tresillian-House-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/Tresillian-House-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The National Garden Scheme sees&nbsp;over 3,500 private gardens in England and Wales open for charity – there&#8217;s a small charge for adults but children go free. This is brilliant for two reasons: firstly, you can indulge in a bit of real-life garden fantasising (begone Right Move), and secondly you can pick up clever&nbsp;border design ideas&nbsp;whilst sending a few quid to highly worthy charities such as MacMillan. Find the&nbsp;next open days across <a href="https://ngs.org.uk/gardens/near/northamptonshire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northants</a>, <a href="https://ngs.org.uk/gardens/near/leicestershire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leics</a> and <a href="https://ngs.org.uk/gardens/near/rutland/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rutland</a>. Our highlights include the dog -friendly <a href="https://ngs.org.uk/gardens/tresillian-house-le13/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tresillian House</a> in Melton Mowbray, open on <strong>31 August</strong> (£5.50 for adults and free for kids), a secluded garden featuring a range of specimen trees with a natural bog garden and koi carp pond, a working vegetable garden, heated and cold greenhouses, live jazz in the garden room and small art exhibitions by local artists. You can also scoff ploughman’s lunches and cream teas. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-your-arty-fix">Get your arty fix</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="803" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/07/ELMER_main-6eb22d96-9d35-4698-8574-e752f3a2d63c-1.jpg" alt="Elmer the elephant David Mckee Leicester museum" class="wp-image-60114" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/07/ELMER_main-6eb22d96-9d35-4698-8574-e752f3a2d63c-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/07/ELMER_main-6eb22d96-9d35-4698-8574-e752f3a2d63c-1-300x241.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/07/ELMER_main-6eb22d96-9d35-4698-8574-e752f3a2d63c-1-768x617.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Big up our lovely local museums and galleries! Don&#8217;t miss&nbsp;<a href="https://www.leicestermuseums.org/ElmerAndFriends" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elmer&nbsp;and Friends: The Colourful World of David McKee</a>  at&nbsp;<strong>Leicester Museum &amp; Art Gallery from 12 July-9 November</strong>, a free family friendly exhibition celebrating the joyful, imaginative worlds of David McKee from Elmer to Mr Benn, Not Now, Bernard and King Rollo with&nbsp;immersive, multi sensory displays and a range of summer holiday events and activities. You can even step inside Mr Benn’s costume shop. I think that would have been my dream come true as a small child. Whilst you&#8217;re here don&#8217;t miss the fabulous displays of artefacts from Ancient Egypt, Dinosaurs, the Leicester Stories Gallery, the Victorian Art Gallery, Arts &amp; Crafts Gallery, Picasso Ceramics: The Attenborough Collection and Leicester&#8217;s internationally renowned German Expressionism collection.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="734" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/northampton-shoe-atrium.jpeg" alt="northampton shoe museum atrium" class="wp-image-49601" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/northampton-shoe-atrium.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/northampton-shoe-atrium-300x220.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/northampton-shoe-atrium-768x564.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>One of our favourite hangouts &#8211; for its world class shoe collection, if nothing else &#8211;&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.northamptonmuseums.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northampton Museum and Art Gallery</a>&nbsp;</strong>houses the largest collections of shoes and shoe heritage in the world, representing Northamptonshire’s historic shoe industry. There are more shoes here than in Carrie Bradshaw’s closet – a whopping 15,000 – plus loads more historic collections, modern art and a fab cafe and shop. There&#8217;s also a temporary exhibition called <a href="https://www.northamptonmuseums.com/directory-record/506/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gladiators of Britain</a> on <strong>until 7 September</strong>, showcasing the history of Roman culture and the events of the amphitheatre in Britain &#8211; ideal for <em>Horrible Histories</em> lovers. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1446" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/07/Kathryn-Brown-Hare.jpeg" alt="Hare painting by Kathryn Brown" class="wp-image-60121" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/07/Kathryn-Brown-Hare.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/07/Kathryn-Brown-Hare-207x300.jpeg 207w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/07/Kathryn-Brown-Hare-708x1024.jpeg 708w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/07/Kathryn-Brown-Hare-768x1111.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hare painting by Kathryn Brown</figcaption></figure>



<p><strong>Throughout August</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>Boughton House</strong> near Kettering&nbsp;hosts an exhibition as part of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.boughtonhouse.co.uk/event/open-studios-august-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northants and Rutland Open Studios</a>, with works by Angela Hooton, Kathryn Brown, Juliette Brasher, Claire Pascall, Annabelle Benjamin and Nathan Litchfield. The exhibition, which is housed in the stableyard and tearoom, is free to visit from Thursdays-Sundays in August, whilst the house is open, but if you&#8217;re visiting the house and gardens too there is an entry fee. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-immerse-yourself-in-history-and-heritage">Immerse yourself in history and heritage</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/Stoke-Bruerne-boats.jpg" alt="Stoke Bruerne canal museum" class="wp-image-49607" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/Stoke-Bruerne-boats.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/Stoke-Bruerne-boats-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/08/Stoke-Bruerne-boats-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Located canalside (obvs) in a historic corn mill, the free to visit&nbsp;<a href="https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/places-to-visit/stoke-bruerne" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canal Museum</a>&nbsp;at Stoke Bruerne explores waterways history and culture. You’ll learn about the engineering and construction of the Grand Union Canal, boatbuilding and the industrial and cultural history of the canals. You can even go on a boat trip into the Bilsworth tunnel (for which there is a small fee), the longest navigable tunnel in Europe. Spoooky! </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northants/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/05/Lyveden-Manor-NT.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-21885" /></figure>



<p>Ah, the National Trust, where children under 5 go free and frazzled parents weep quietly in gratitude.&nbsp;If you&#8217;re a regular visitor, family membership is well worth forking out for, though not free by any means it covers you for the whole year. There&#8217;s something a little bit Thornfield Hall (you&#8217;ve all read Jane Eyre, amiright?) about <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/leicestershire-northamptonshire/lyveden" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Trust Lyveden</a>, the eerie ruins of a never completed Elizabethan lodge, with its empty windows staring out across the moated gardens. There&#8217;s plenty of history here, but also some beautiful countryside views and lovely picnicable lawns, as well as an excellent café (God bless the National Trust sausage roll). </p>



<p>Small but perfectly formed, <a aria-label="National Trust Canons Ashby (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/canons-ashby" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Trust Canons Ashby</a> is full of character, set in a peaceful spot in south Northants and with a wonderful vegetable garden, there&#8217;s also a delightful courtyard tea room and an irresistible (to me) plant shop. <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/leicestershire-northamptonshire/stoneywell" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stoneywell</a> in Leicestershire is a rare surviving example of an Arts and Crafts home with a semi-formal garden and 11 acres of ancient woodland to explore. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pack-a-picnic">Pack a picnic</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image" id="block-929c6253-9d2b-42c0-8de6-da5426c14e36"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/leics/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2021/06/abbey-park-spots-muddy-stilettos-leicestershire.jpg" alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is abbey-park-spots-muddy-stilettos-leicestershire.jpg" /></figure>



<p>Nothing says summer quite as much as a wicker basket packed full of strawberries, champagne and salmon sandwiches (or perhaps more likely, a bag-for-life with a&nbsp;box of&nbsp;sausage rolls, a can of coke and a couple of Kit Kats). And if you come prepared with umbrella, waterproofs and rainproof rug, you’ll have a good time whatever the weather throws at you. Head to <a href="http://www.leicscountryparks.org.uk/market-bosworth-visitor/">Market Bosworth&nbsp;Country Park</a>. With its gorgeous open grassland, this park is perfect for family activities (bring your own ball) plus, there&#8217;s designated area for picnics and benches if you don’t fancy a soggy bottom from sitting on the grass.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.oadby-wigston.gov.uk/pages/brocks_hill_country_park">Welland Park</a> in Market Harborough is another luscious local green park to enjoy, with tonnes of fun facilities for the kids including a skate park, tennis courts, table tennis zone and more &#8211; enough to make a day of it we think. Don&#8217;t miss the rose and sensory gardens after which you can stop off in the open green spaces to enjoy those sandwiches or pick something up from the café.</p>



<p>Cutts Close Park in Oakham is a heritage site which used to be part of the nearby castle. It&#8217;s always busy in the park during the summer months as it&#8217;s the largest park in town and there&#8217;s lots for the kids to enjoy. There&#8217;s a concert in the park every Sunday throughout the summer making it an ideal spot for a picnic with an atmosphere.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-outdoors">Get outdoors</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/03/STANWICK-LAKES-LB-016-1024x1024.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-44844" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/03/STANWICK-LAKES-LB-016-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/03/STANWICK-LAKES-LB-016-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/03/STANWICK-LAKES-LB-016-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/03/STANWICK-LAKES-LB-016-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/03/STANWICK-LAKES-LB-016-500x500.jpeg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northantsleicsrutland/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/03/STANWICK-LAKES-LB-016.jpeg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Make the most of sunny days by stomping through our woodlands and countryside. <strong><a href="https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanwick Lakes</a></strong>&nbsp;boasts a whopping 750 acres of wilderness and nature to explore, as well as a massive adventure playground. Despite its size, this wooden play area blends into the lovely surroundings. It includes water play with small stream and water wheels, a large sand play area, a climbing tower with&nbsp;giant slide, tunnels, stepping stones and a sunken ship. There&#8217;s a small fee for the car park, which also offers a yearly membership fee, ideal if you&#8217;re a regular visitor. </p>



<p>Get pedaling at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forestryengland.uk/salcey-forest/family-cycle-trail-salcey-forest" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Salcey Forest</strong></a>, where you can cycle along the flat, smooth cycle route, which is great for beginners and novice cyclists. The trails around Salcey Forest are a great way to develop skills and build confidence, so extra good for wee ones who are just getting comfy in the saddle, or even big ones who want to ride their bicycle but don’t want the hassle of navigating road traffic. Again there is a fee for the car park here.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/northants/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/Cycle-Rutland-Water.jpg" alt="Cycle Rutland Water" class="wp-image-45461" /></figure>



<p>Saddle up for a family pootle around&nbsp;<a href="https://anglianwaterparks.co.uk/rutland-water-park/cycling" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rutland Water</a>, where there’s a choice of cycling routes around the picturesque lake and neighbouring villages. You can even hire a bike on site if you need to, so no need to load them all up onto the car before you set off, though that&#8217;s obviously not free). We did this very route on a hot sunny day last year and loved every minute, especially the pitstops at the Horse and Jockey in Manton and the ice-cream kiosk at Normanton church.</p>


Free things to do this summer

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