"County of Spires and Squires." Northamptonshire by nhcram

Just 15 minutes off the M1 motorway, you will find yourself in the very heart of rural England. Known as the county of spires and squires because of the many churches and fine houses in the many villages that make up this fairly flat county. It is steeped in English history. Richard the third was born in Fotheringay castle. Mary Queen of Scots was also beheaded here, and to this day, Scottish thistles grow on the banks of the River Nene, where the castle once stood.
Surprisingly for a land-locked county, you're never far away from water in Northamptonshire, with its many canals rivers and lakes.

• Cons:Flat