Serviced Apartments in Kettering

Discover the best activities and attractions Kettering has to offer, and find out what makes this city a vibrant and exciting place to live or visit.

Wicksteed Park
Wicksteed Park is Kettering’s iconic family destination — a historic pleasure ground (founded 1921) combining landscaped gardens, a large play area, fairground rides, a miniature railway, boating lake and seasonal events. It draws families from across the region, supports local tourism and jobs, and hosts fairs and community activities that boost footfall for nearby businesses. What makes it special is the mix of heritage (one of the oldest purpose-built parks with attractions in the UK), free-to-enter green space combined with paid rides and attractions, and year-round programming from summer outdoor theatre to Halloween and Christmas events.

Alfred East Art Gallery
This elegant gallery (named after local artist Alfred East) showcases rotating contemporary and historic exhibitions, often spotlighting local and regional artists alongside national loans. It provides cultural programming, community workshops and school partnerships that nurture creativity locally and attract visitors interested in art beyond London. Its location in Kettering gives the town a distinctive cultural asset and supports the creative economy by promoting local makers and exhibitions that change regularly.

Kettering Museum & Art Gallery
Kettering Museum focuses on local history — from the town’s boot-and-shoe industry and Victorian social history to archaeology and community heritage — with displays, archives and family-friendly exhibits. The museum preserves local identity, educates residents and visitors about the area’s industrial past, and helps stimulate heritage tourism that benefits cafes, shops and local guides. Its specialism in the shoe and boot trade offers a focused story that sets Kettering apart from other towns.

Templars Square & Kettering Market (High Street)
Templars Square is Kettering’s main shopping hub, complemented by the historic High Street and regular market stalls on the Market Place. Together they form the town’s retail and social heart: a mix of national stores, independent shops, weekly market traders and seasonal markets (crafts, food, special markets). This retail quarter is central to the local economy — providing retail jobs, supporting small businesses and hosting market days that bring visitors into town and create a lively street atmosphere unique to Kettering.

Kettering food & events scene (independent cafés, pubs and annual community events)
Kettering’s dining and events offer local flavour: independent cafés and family-run pubs on High Street and around the Market Place, food stalls on market days, and seasonal pop-ups linked to town events. Complementing the everyday food scene are regular community and cultural events — town centre festivals, Christmas lights switch-on, summer outdoor concerts and family activity days — that support hospitality businesses and create a strong sense of community. The combination of independent eateries, market food, and lively annual programming makes Kettering appealing for both residents and visitors seeking authentic local experiences.

Explore the diverse transport options available in Kettering, from efficient public transportation systems to convenient road networks. Whether you're commuting to work or exploring the city, this section will give you an overall look at the available transportation systems.

Public Transit System
- Rail — Kettering railway station (Midland Main Line) - Kettering sits on the Midland Main Line with regular direct services to London St Pancras and to cities across the East Midlands (Leicester, Nottingham and beyond). The station provides ticketing facilities, car parking, cycle parking and a connection point for local buses and taxis. Services are operated mainly by East Midlands Railway (with inter-regional and commuter options).
- Local buses - A network of local and regional bus routes serves Kettering town centre and surrounding villages, linking to Corby, Wellingborough, Northampton, Market Harborough and other centres. Operations are provided by regional operators (eg. Stagecoach and Centrebus among others), with town routes, school services and peak commuter links to rail hubs.
- Coaches and intercity bus links - Long-distance coach services (National Express and others) are accessible via nearby coach stops or by connecting at larger nearby hubs; some regional coach routes serve the town or nearby centres, offering connections beyond the immediate county.
- Taxis and private-hire - A range of local taxi firms and private-hire services operate from ranks at the station and in the town centre; app-based services are available in the area where coverage permits.
- Community transport and demand-responsive services - Volunteer-run and council-organised community transport (dial‑a‑ride, community minibuses and schemes for older/less-mobile residents) provide door‑to‑door and local trip support across rural parts of the borough.

Major Highways
- M1 - Primary north–south motorway serving London to the south and the Midlands/north to the north; accessible from Kettering via the local A‑road network.
- A14 - Major east–west trunk road linking the Midlands to East Anglia; provides strategic connections for freight and longer-distance car travel and links toward the M1.
- A43 - Important regional route connecting Kettering with Northampton and providing a route to M1 access points.
- A6 - Historic north–south arterial route running through Kettering that links local towns to the wider road network.
- A427 / A6014 and other A/B roads - Key local arterial routes giving access around the town and to neighbouring villages and towns, feeding onto the higher-capacity trunk roads and motorways.

Cycling Infrastructure
- Bike lanes and routes - Kettering has a mix of on‑road cycle lanes on some main streets, off‑road shared paths/greenways alongside waterways and parks, cycle parking at the station and town centre, and connections to nearby National Cycle Network routes and quiet lanes; the borough council has also been progressing local cycling and walking improvements as part of active‑travel planning.

Recent and Upcoming Improvements
- Station and rail service enhancements - Recent years have seen investment in station accessibility (improved step-free access and customer facilities), platform works and timetable/service improvements; operators have introduced newer rolling stock and service changes aimed at improving capacity for commuters to London and regional centres.
- A‑road and junction upgrades - Major regional road improvement schemes on nearby trunk roads and junctions (including past A14 improvement works) have reduced bottlenecks and improved journey times for drivers accessing/from Kettering.
- Bus interchange and local network adjustments - Town centre bus stops and interchange facilities have been reviewed and upgraded at times to improve passenger waiting areas and connectivity between bus and rail; local service patterns are periodically revised to serve new housing and employment areas.
- Active travel and walking/cycling projects - Ongoing and planned local authority investments (including LCWIP/Active Travel Fund outputs where applicable) are delivering new cycle routes, pedestrian improvements, school‑street measures and safer crossings to encourage modal shift for short trips.
- Parking, EV charging and access management - Upgrades to town and station car parks, expansion of electric vehicle charging points and parking-management measures have been rolled out or planned to support commuters and reduce local congestion.
- Longer-term rail and strategic plans - National and regional rail investment programmes include proposals and business cases (phased and subject to funding) that could affect Kettering over the medium term — examples include further capacity enhancements on the Midland Main Line, potential electrification/extensions and timetable changes to improve regional connectivity.