We checked 10 Boxing Day walks near Northampton, from Abington Park to Salcey Forest and Stowe, for what is open on 26 December. Updated November 2026.
Overview
There are 10 Boxing Day walks in and around Northampton for 2026, and this guide puts them in one place with what is open on Saturday 26 December, where to park and how long each takes. Most people head for Abington Park, the reservoir paths at Brixworth Country Park, the woods at Salcey Forest, or the old railway line on the Brampton Valley Way. Every entry was checked against the owner’s own page on 13 November 2026.
Plan around the light. The sun rises at about 8.15am in Northampton on Boxing Day and sets just before 4pm, so start anything longer than an hour by about 1.30pm.
Plan around the transport too. Stagecoach Midlands ran no buses on Boxing Day last year apart from two works services, and National Rail says most train operators will run no trains on 26 December; our Christmas train times page has the detail. The two town parks below are open all the time, and the country parks keep their car parks open on Boxing Day.
In town
1. Abington Park
West Northamptonshire Council calls it Northampton’s oldest and most popular park, and it is the easiest Boxing Day walk in town: two lakes, one of them a model boating lake, and the stream that joins them, open grass under old trees, and the 500-year-old manor house that holds Abington Park Museum. Paths run round the lakes and past the church of St Peter and St Paul, where Shakespeare’s granddaughter Elizabeth Bernard is buried.
The park has held a Green Flag Award for 13 years running. The museum is shut on Boxing Day.
Open all day, every day
Price free
Address Abington Park, Northampton, NN3 3HN
Cafe the Park Cafe lists 9am to 5pm on weekdays and 9am to 6pm at weekends; no Christmas hours published
Toilets south side of the park, next to the cafe and bowling greens
Website westnorthants.gov.uk/major-parks/abington-park
Good for pushchairs, a short walk, children's play area, lakeside paths
2. Delapré Park and Delapré Woods
About 500 acres of open parkland off London Road around Delapré Abbey, with Delapré Woods at the southern end of the estate, where the council says oak, sweet chestnut and beech survive from the original planting. This is the ground of the 1460 Battle of Northampton, and Queen Eleanor’s body rested at the abbey in 1290 on its way to Westminster; the Eleanor Cross that marks it still stands at the southern end of London Road.
The parkland is free to walk at any time. The abbey has not published Boxing Day hours for the Orangery cafe, so ring before you go if a hot drink at the end matters.
The Winter Light Trail uses the grounds and woods in the evenings over Christmas; our Delapré Abbey at Christmas page has the dates.
Open parkland open at all times
Price free; free parking for general visitors
Address London Road, Northampton, NN4 8AW
Cafe the Orangery lists 9am to 5pm at weekends; Boxing Day hours not yet published
Website delapreabbey.org
Good for history, a walk from the town centre, a café at the end
3. Harlestone Firs
About 300 acres of mainly pine woodland on the north-west edge of town, owned by the Althorp Estate for its timber and open to walkers on a network of paths and bridleways. Northamptonshire Walks measures its short circuit from the main entrance on the A428 at 2 miles, flat on forest paths that tend to drain well, though it found muddy patches in winter.
Dogs can run off the lead. There is no car park as such: walkers use the roadside opposite the entrance, and the A428 is busy, so take care.
The Fox and Hounds in Harlestone is a short drive further on.
Open open access
Price free
Address A428 Harlestone Road, between New Duston and Lower Harlestone, Northampton
Parking roadside opposite the entrance on the A428
Toilets none in the wood
Website northamptonshirewalks.co.uk/about/walk-30-a-quicky-in-harlestone-firs
Good for dogs off the lead, a 2-mile woodland loop, a walk before lunch
North of Northampton
4. Brixworth Country Park and Pitsford Water
The council’s country park on the western shore of Pitsford Water, and the most complete Boxing Day outing near town: toilets, a café and three short waymarked trails, from the half-mile Kestrel Trail to the 1.25-mile Skylark Trail, on hard paths with gradients mostly under 1 in 20 and a seat about every 200 metres. For a proper walk, the circuit of the whole reservoir is 7.5 miles; the council says to allow two to four hours.
The council has published only a Christmas Day closure for the café and toilets, and the café keeps longer weekend and school-holiday hours. Dogs can be off the lead in the park, but Anglian Water asks for leads on its land around the reservoir.
Open park open all day, every day; car park 6am to 10pm
Price parking £2 for an hour, £3 for two, £8 all day; Blue Badge holders free
Address Northampton Road, Brixworth, NN6 9DG
Cafe Park Bistro, 9am to 5pm at weekends and in school holidays (hot food to 3pm); closed Christmas Day
Toilets 7am to 7pm, including a Changing Places toilet
Access hard paths; mobility buggies and a wheelchair bike to hire, £5 for up to two hours
Website westnorthants.gov.uk/brixworth-country-park/visiting-brixworth-country-park
Good for pushchairs and wheelchairs, a 7.5-mile reservoir circuit, children, birdwatching
5. Brampton Valley Way
The old Northampton to Market Harborough railway, now a 14-mile path from Boughton Crossing on the edge of town to Little Bowden Crossing in Market Harborough, and part of National Cycle Route 6. It is level all the way, which makes it the walk to choose when the fields are waterlogged, and you can turn round whenever you like.
The council lists free car parks at Boughton Crossing, Brampton Halt, Spratton, Draughton Crossing and Kelmarsh station, and says dogs can be off the lead under control. North of Kelmarsh the line runs through two unlit tunnels, so take a torch if you are going that far.
There are no toilets on the route; Brixworth Country Park is the nearest.
Open all day, every day
Price free; free car parks
Address Boughton Crossing car park, Boughton Lane, NN6 8AA
Toilets none on the route
Access level former railway track
Call 0300 126 5932 (rangers)
Website westnorthants.gov.uk/major-parks/brampton-valley-way
Good for a flat walk after rain, dogs, cycling, as long or short as you like
6. Sywell Country Park
An Edwardian reservoir, built in 1906 to supply Northampton, in a country park run by North Northamptonshire Council about 8 miles north east of town. The walk round the water is just over 3 miles by Northamptonshire Walks’ measurement, passing the old valve tower and the dam, and the park adds a café and a play area.
The council lists the park as open 24 hours a day, with the gates locked at 8pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and its toilets open 7am to 7pm every day except Christmas Day.
Open 24 hours; gates locked 8pm to 6am Friday to Sunday
Price parking £3.50 for up to 12 hours
Address Sywell Country Park, near Ecton, NN6 0QX
Toilets 7am to 7pm, closed Christmas Day
Website northnorthants.gov.uk/sywell-country-park
Good for a 3-mile reservoir loop, swans and waterbirds, children
South of Northampton
7. Salcey Forest
A medieval royal hunting forest about 7 miles south east of town, with veteran oaks Forestry England says are over 600 years old, and the name of its Elephant Pond comes from circus elephants used to haul timber in the Second World War. The Elephant Walk is 1.4 miles on firm, mostly flat paths, half an hour to an hour; the Woodpecker Trail is 6 miles and about two hours, on uneven surfaces that get muddy, so boots are best.
Forestry England says the forest and car parks open every day except Christmas Day. There is a diversion on the Woodpecker Trail during forestry work, so follow the signs.
Open every day except Christmas Day; 8am to 5pm from November to January
Price parking £3.80 up to an hour, £7 up to two hours, £9 up to four hours, £9.50 over four hours; members free
Address Wootton Road, near Quinton, NN7 2HX
Cafe Grounds Cafe, 9am to 5.30pm on Saturdays; Boxing Day hours not separately published
Website forestryengland.uk/salcey-forest
Good for ancient oaks, a 1.4-mile easy loop or a 6-mile trail, children's play area, dogs
8. Stowe Gardens
The National Trust’s landscape garden just over the Buckinghamshire border, a few miles south of Brackley, and the nearest big National Trust walk open on Boxing Day. Its calendar has the gardens, park and café open 10am to 4pm on Saturday 26 December 2026, and the Potting Shed kiosk keeps winter hours of 10am to 3pm.
The paths lead round the lakes to the Palladian Bridge and the garden’s temples. Parking is free; National Trust and RHS members get in free.
Open Boxing Day 10am to 4pm (gardens, park and café); shut Christmas Day
Price adult £18, child £9, family £45; under-5s free
Address Stowe Gardens, Buckingham, MK18 5EQ
Parking free
Website nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/stowe-gardens
Good for a winter garden walk, a café at the end, Brackley and Towcester families
Daventry
9. Daventry Country Park
A reservoir park on the edge of Daventry with three circular trails: the 2.5-mile Reservoir Walk, the 1.5-mile Meadow Walk and the 1-mile Woodland Walk, and Northamptonshire Walks describes the reservoir loop as flat and on hard surfaces. The council says the park is open 365 days a year and its facilities open every day except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, so the café and toilets should be open on Boxing Day.
Sheep sometimes graze the meadows, and the council asks for dogs on leads near them.
Open 365 days a year; toilets 9am to 4pm in winter, closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day
Price parking £2 for an hour, £3 for two, £8 all day
Address off Northern Way, Daventry, NN11 2JB
Cafe Reservoir Cafe, 9am to 2pm in winter
Call 0300 126 7000
Website westnorthants.gov.uk/daventry-country-park/visiting-daventry-country-park
Good for a flat 2.5-mile reservoir loop, feeding the ducks, children
10. Borough Hill
The big green hill on Daventry’s eastern side, the site of one of the largest Iron Age hill forts in the country and, from 1925 to 1992, the BBC transmitter station that made “Daventry calling” famous. It was here in 1935 that Robert Watson-Watt’s first radar test picked up an RAF bomber from the BBC’s signals.
Today it is a council-run country park with wide views and a popular dog walk, and a free 36-space car park.
Open open access
Price free; free parking, 36 spaces
Address Borough Hill, Daventry, NN11 4NB
Toilets none on the hill
Website westnorthants.gov.uk/major-parks/borough-hill
Good for views, history, dogs, a short walk with a climb
How we chose
These are the places Northampton people walk on Boxing Day: the council’s parks and country parks, Forestry England’s Salcey Forest, the Althorp Estate’s Harlestone Firs and the National Trust’s Stowe. Opening times, prices and car parks come from each owner’s own pages, read on 13 November 2026, and walk distances come from the owners or, for Harlestone Firs and Sywell, from Northamptonshire Walks. Festive hours for some cafés are still to come, and we will add them when they are published. For lunch after the walk, see our Christmas dinner guide, and for the rest of December our what’s on page and things to do in Northampton.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@northamptonwire.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@northamptonwire.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Salcey Forest open on Boxing Day?
Yes. Forestry England says Salcey Forest and its car parks are open every day except Christmas Day, from 8am to 5pm between November and January. Parking costs £3.80 for up to an hour, £7 for two hours, £9 for four hours and £9.50 for longer, and Forestry England members park free.
Is Canons Ashby open on Boxing Day?
No. The National Trust’s calendar for Canons Ashby, near Daventry, has the house, garden, park and tea-room shut from 25 to 27 December 2026, reopening on Monday 28 December. Stowe Gardens, south of Brackley, is the nearest National Trust garden open on Boxing Day, from 10am to 4pm.
Are there buses in Northampton on Boxing Day?
Stagecoach Midlands ran no buses on Boxing Day last year apart from two works services, and most train operators will run no trains on Saturday 26 December 2026. Plan on walking from home, or driving to one of the country park car parks.
Have your say