A little bit about my background; I have been heavily involved in publication writing for food and lifestyle magazines, had various marketing and PR roles, been involved with social media content marketing for various businesses in B2B and B2C and blogging for myself, for clients and guest blogging.
The blog started out as a hobby when I was fresh out of my Musical Theatre degree and was looking for something creative to fill my time. My blog started to slowly feature eats and local adventures in the Northamptonshire area which came from genuine curiosity to navigate my local area from when we first moved to the shire when I was 13.
I wanted a place to document everything and when I started working for a local business magazine, I ended up navigating to lots of places in Northamptonshire which inspired me to share all that I was eating and doing.
Zoom forward to today: Nicole Navigates has built a local presence where people trust my advice and has become a go-to for all things Northamptonshire from things to do, where to eat, businesses you should support and guess what… I don’t work with big brands or chains, so everything you will see on here is 100% independent.
ON THIS BLOG, YOU WILL FIND…
Dedicated Northants Food Guides from Afternoon Tea, Brunch, Vegan food to Gin Distillers, Coffee Shops and Coffee Roasters, Bakeries and many more food guides featuring independent businesses from Northamptonshire. You will also find restaurant reviews, takeaways & deliveries and food festivals & markets such as Towcester Food Festival & BiteStreet NN.
You will also find inspiration on places to navigate to in the county, from experiences & things to do like a Saxby’s Cider Tour, a spa day at York Cottage Spa and cocktail making at home with The Occasion Bar. I’ve evenb taken my love of supporting local further by managing a food stall at a local producers’ food fair!
If you’re looking for places to stay if you’re from further afield, I feature hotel reviews from places like Kettering Park Hotel and Whittlebury Park.
You will also find Navigating Northants Guides which feature villages and towns in the county (and a bit further) including Market Harborough, Towcester (my homeland here in Northants) as well as seasonal guides for spring, summer, autumn and Christmas!
You may have also seen me on some offline stuff too which include writing various foodie columns in local magazines, appearing on radio and even being a judge for independent food & drink awards! You can find out more on what I’ve been featured in here.
You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Come and say hello, I’m more than happy to chat and if you require any recommendations on where to eat or navigate in the county, give me a buzz!
You can also find out how you can contact me whether you just fancy saying hello, popping me a review or if you’re a company or brand that is interested in working with me or would like to see what social media services I offer, you can find out details on how to work with me here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the name Nicole Navigates come from?
I wanted a blog name which included my first name (as it’s obviously my blog) but I wanted to reflect the fact I am always out and about and on the go, so ‘Navigates’ felt like a natural fit. Then, as a happy accident, Nicole Navigates is shortened to NN = the Northamptonshire postcode!
How did I start blogging?
I just graduated with my BA (Hons) Musical Theatre degree from the University of Chichester and I found myself landing a receptionist job and wanting to do something creative. I have always been inspired by other bloggers, so decided to create one myself in August 2016 and the rest is history!
How can I contact you?
If you are emailing with a particular question in mind, please check these FAQ’s first before you ask. Please note, as I currently work full-time, I will aim to respond to your email within 48 hours.
If you’re looking to ask big questions on my social media channels, please note this isn’t always the best option as these tend to get lost among the noise of social media as I receive a lot of DM’s!
But if you still fancy writing to me, I love nice emails!
nicolenavigates@gmail.com
What kind of camera do you use?
At the moment, I don’t use a fancy camera and haven’t felt the need to (yet).
All my photos are taken via my iPhone 8+ but I am always looking to step up my game!
Can you give me social media tips?
Whilst I’d love to answer every question about how to grow on social media and give you tips & tricks etc, this is quite time-consuming and I won’t always have the time to reply to DM’s and emails about it.
If you really would like my advice, I now offer social media consultancy for Instagram & Facebook! Please feel free to email me about these!
What part of Northamptonshire do you live in?
I live in Towcester with my boyfriend, Josh.
Is Nicole Navigates your full-time job?
Nope! Maybe one day it will be, but right now, it’s a side hustle whilst I work full-time as a Digital Marketing Executive, However, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to grow and create a side hustle business!
How can my business feature on your blog? How can we work together?
When I originally began blogging my Northamptonshire eats and navigations, it started out as a hobby. 6 years in, I am fortunate that I have gained a readership and local influence and any sponsorships help to keep Nicole Navigates running. Therefore, I do charge to feature businesses on my blog as you can appreciate what I do takes time and effort.
There are many ways we can work together which I share on my Work With Me page. With any partnership, it’s important that it’s authentic and transparent and it’s something I truly love and believe in.
To enquire about working together, please emal nicolenavigates@gmail.com. My media kit is available upon request,
Will you accept a free product in exchange for a review?
Simply put, no.
I won’t accept free products in exchange for social media/blog posts. If you would like to be featured, we can talk about a partnership that will be mutually beneficial to you and my audience.
However, if you want to send me a gift that you think I will enjoy, I am happy to accept these if there is no obligation to post. These are called PR gifts which I will mark as appropriate.
I’m visiting Northamptonshire for the first time – where should I start?
I have a whole Northamptonshire section in my top navigation menu, where you can find Northants Food Guides, places to visit, places to stay and much more!
