Where to live in Leicestershire?

[BOOamireally]

We are contemplating a move to Leicestershire as we are both currently commuting from Warwickshire - me to Leicester city centre, and the hubby to Looughborough.

I am not really sure where to start looking!

Can anyone living in Leicestershire please recommend somewhere nice to live? Good state school catchments, nice shops/ restaurants? We currently live in a smallish town so would probably prefer the same or a nearby village either an established nice place or an up and coming nice place!!!

That's Loughborough (and am still not sure if I've spelt it right! )

Its a big county, do you have any areas in mind or any that you definitely don't like?

How long a commute can you manage and how old are your children?

If the shops/restaurants are the most important then you're probably looking at Leicester itself.

Loughborough has very little in the way of shops, think Primark and Peacocks.

Melton is nice, more of a market town, I don't think there's much in the way of night life.

Loughborough is OK but fairly ordinary, quite a big town as well.

Coalville is nothing special either - shops/town centre/pubs etc really not great.

Ashby de la Zouch is smaller and has a nice town centre, not sure about schools or quality of pubs/restaurants though. Only about 15-20 mins from Loughborough and 40 mins plus to Leicester. No train service though.

Melton is probably similar to Ashby really. Bit further to Loughborough than from Ashby but don't think it's too far.

Shepshed is really close to Loughborough but smaller than Melton and Ashby, more of a large village.

Most of the villages around these areas are nice, can be quite pricey tho as close to Leicester, Nottingham and Derby.

Sorry to be a bit vague, I work in Leicestershire but don't live there so can't give too much detail - hope it's a start tho.

Burbage/Hinckley - my sister lives there and we have had some lovely meal/days out and there are some good schools.
Takes about 10 mins to get onto the M1 at J21

Have two littleys (4 and 1), eldest has just started reception, so primary school catchment is the most important factor I suppose.

What we have now is small town, good schools, town centre with smattering of independent shops and nice coffee shops, delis, restaurants etc which we can walk to from our house, countryside in easy access so in a perfect world would be somewhere similar - it's not like we get out much of an evening so nightlife is not a big deal!!

Are currently both commuting for 45 mins - 1 hour so would want to cut that down to 30 mins max?

Am looking at Melton and my jaw has dropped when I see what we could afford housewise!! (a lot more than we get here!)

Am just looking at Burbage on Rightmove, thanks for that Jackstini - am wondering if it might be just a bit too far in the wrong direction though, current commute is fine until I get off the M69 and then horrid from there so would probably go the same way into Leicester?? very helpful though as helping me narrow down an area!

Hmm. Shepshed might work - looks like schools are quite good?

Yes might do; I will ask my sister tomorrow for some other suggestions!

Shepshed would be OK in terms of your commute but tbh doesn't really fit your other criteria.

If that's the area you like I'd suggest one of the smaller villages round there. You won't have much in walking distance but the village schools are good and there are lots of great places for children and Loughborough is easy to get to.

Leicestershire schools are quite good generally. Ashby has a popular secondary school but to drive to either Loughborough or Leicester from there would be awful.

DH suggests it might be easier to live in Loughborough & commute to Leicester on the train. If you want a smaller place how about Quorn (IIRC rather upmarket looking village) which has a station although fewer trains will stop there than Loughborough. Alternatively how about Newton Linford near Bradgate Park (has coffee shops etc) and is in good location, near to park & ride.

Or you could try say Kirby Muxloe or somewhere on the fringe of Leicester, good primary & OK secondaries, good buses into Leicester and easy drive to Looga.

Good luck, we moved from Warks to Leics too but only about 3 miles over the border!

greenlotus is right Quorn and Newton Linford are both very nice villages, as are all of those in the Bradgate Park area.

Don't know what you budget it but this is one worth looking at

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-27018187.html?premiumA=true

The small towns of south Warwickshire like Kenilworth & Leamington with their gorgeous shops don't really have equivalents in north Leicestershire - places like Ashby, Lutterworth, Market Harborough are too far away, and Coalville/Shepshed are a bit post-industrial. Villages are better TBH many of them have a restaurant (ours does) and one or two shops if they aren't too small.

greenlotus you know, I'm so used to driving I didn't even think about the train! Good suggestion, thanks. I can't find Newton Linford or Bradgate Park on Rightmove though, am I being dense?

lborolass we're planning to go and have a drive around in a couple of weeks but no concrete ideas of where to look - we got caught out with our first house as we fell in love with a house in what we thought was a quaint village - but it turned out to be a crime hotspot Which is why your local advice is really helpful - thanks!

Hahaha thanks lborolass for the property porn We're more around the £450k mark but it can still buy you a bigger house than we have here!

Bradgate Park is a fantastci area of parkland so you won't find that but I'm surprised there's nothing in Newtown Linford - let me check.

Ah ok there's a 'w' I missed. That'd be why I couldn't find it!

Ok, here you go - its a vvvvv desirable area so you'll have to ignore the first two pages

oops

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/Newtown-Linford.html?index=10

I have saved the brochure of that house in Cropston to inspire me for our extension !

Ooooh lovely thank you!!

I've fallen in love!

I think they have White Company shares!!

Well if you can afford that area you really won't go wrong.

Its a really beautiful part of the county, Bradgate Park is gorgeous, it has deer running free, rocks to climb, flat paths which are perfect for learning to ride a bike and historic ruins. If you visit there on a sunny day you won't look anywhere else.

I don't know the schoos personally but it has great catchment areas so I think it will be good

newtownlinfordschool.org/

I don;t know about the drive to Leicester but your DH would have a lovely commute - about 15 mins depending on which part of L'boro and all through lovely countryside

Ashby has fantastic schools, my friend lives in the village coleorton - absolutely lovely

We live in a village just south of Melton.DH works in Leicester and it takes half an hour,I think Loughborough is the same.There are several outstanding primary schools in the area,but property is a lot more expensive than in Melton itself.,by about 60%.

we live just north of melton near Belvoir castle fantastic schools,lovely countryside good commute to all areas, road and rail links, Leicester/ Lough approx 45 mins. All lovely villages with mixture of houses.