Althorp

Even if Diana Princess of Wales had no connection with Althorp (pronounced Alltrop, don't you know), it would still be a simply lovely country house to visit in the languid Northamptonshire countryside. The house dates back to the early 1500s and through careful collecting, an uncanny knack of commissioning the right artisans and artists and clever curatorship now has a deeply impressive interior that boasts works by Gainsborough, Van Dyke, Reynolds and Rubens (among many, many others). In total there are nineteen rooms to ogle at and wonder what it must have been like to be brought up in such a magnificent setting. When you've oohed and aaghed at the interior, take a stroll by the lovely lake and through the gardens (where a sea of daffodils dazzles in springtime) and then finish off with a mooch around the stunning honey-coloured ironstone stables where the Spencer family have created an unmissable exhibition dedicated to the late princess and her charity work.