Weston Favell Library

You won't find this on many tourist itineraries, but that's rather the point. Weston Favell Library sits in a residential corner of Northampton, a proper modern facility that does what libraries do best - it opens doors without charging admission. The building itself is contemporary and functional, which means it won't win any architectural prizes, but the collection is solid and the staff actually know what they're talking about.

It's not a destination in itself, to be honest. You're not coming here for the views or the experience. What makes it worth knowing about is that it's free, it's warm, and if you're staying at one of the nearby holiday parks - Billing Aquadrome or Cozy Caravans are barely a mile away - it's genuinely useful on a rainy afternoon. The children's section keeps younger kids occupied if the weather turns; adults after a quiet read will find a reasonable stock of fiction and non-fiction.

Open weekday mornings through early evening (9am-7pm Monday to Friday), with reduced Saturday and Sunday hours, it slots reasonably into a caravan holiday routine. You won't build a day around it, but as a practical stop during a week based at one of the nearby parks, it beats sitting in the caravan waiting for the rain to pass. Sywell Country Park and Overstone Lakes are also close by if you want outdoor options instead.