Harborough Academy of Performing Arts

The Harborough Academy of Performing Arts sits in Market Harborough, a proper little market town in Northamptonshire that punches above its weight culturally. This is a working arts centre - think theatre productions, dance recitals, music performances and the occasional community event rather than a tourist attraction you'd tick off a list. What you get depends entirely on what's on when you visit, so it's worth checking their schedule before planning around it.

The academy itself caters mainly to people with a genuine interest in live performance. If you're camping at one of the nearby parks - Get Lost In Nature is closest at under three miles - and you want an evening out, this could be exactly your ticket. Local theatre groups use the space regularly, and it's the sort of venue where you'll actually see what's happening onstage without paying West End prices. That said, it's not a destination in its own right. You don't just rock up and wander round. You're there to see something specific.

If you're staying in the area with kids, check what's on first. Some seasons have family-friendly productions; others are purely for adults. The town itself has decent pubs and restaurants, so you could make an evening of it. The surrounding countryside offers proper walks - Buttercup Meadow and Brook Meadow caravan sites are both close enough that you could base yourself there and explore both the performances and the landscape. But honestly, come for the show, not the venue itself.