Anyone familiar with the Leicester area?

[DuchessDaisy]

Hello,

I have the possibility of moving to the Leicester area for (good!) work reasons.

I don't know the area and have read/heard some negative comments about the city and people saying don't move to the city itself but go for more rural areas in the county.

However, I would prefer to be reasonably close to the city itself for work location and will still need to go down to London fairly frequently so access to transport is important.

I would be looking to rent first and then buy a place. I currently live in SW London.

Any help or info appreciated....

D

City Centre shops- John Lewis, Rackhams, Debenhams, M&S etc. in Highcross Shopping Centre.

Lots of little individual shops in St Martins area, around the Cathedral. Loads of good restaurants, some chains, some individual. The Case is my favourite.

It sounds like you'd enjoy living in Clarendon Park.

Yes there are some very nice but expensive villages like Rothley, Woodhouse Eaves, Swithland, Newtown Linford. They all have a very villagey feel with good primary schools and nice pubs. You would need a car though.

Cheaper places nearer to Loughborough but still within easy reach of Leicester would be Barrow-on -Soar, Syston, and Sileby which all have a railway station. Also Mountsorrel and Quorn. They are bigger villages.

Loughborough is a large market/university town. Last time I visited I thought it was a run down and a bit rough. Friends who still live close by say it's improving.

Thanks for the replies and PMs - all very useful

I am heading up for a few days in a couple of weeks so will have a chance to look around.

We moved here two years ago for DH's job and we love it! We're nearer Hinckley in a little village, but not far at all. Leicester is a very beautiful city with loads of historic and cultural stuff going on, and people are SO friendly here.

Storey gate
Clarendon park
Oadby village

Avoid centre, walnut street, areas around there

usual

braunstone

At least you've got the leisure centre there Destiny

hahaha ajandjjmum :D

none taken honestly

yeah wishful the leisure centre is fab

also the park is gorgeous too. I am nearer Leicester forest east end so there are worse areas of braunstone I could live

and my street is lovely and quiet with a lot of private houses and elderly accommodation. I have been here 6 years and tbh even though its generally quite a shithole area, I love it, most people are lovely and there is a good sense of community generally. the kids school is great too cant fault it. currently trying to buy my house

however, I used to live right in dodge central...thank fuck I am out of there, some of the tales I could tell

Hello Leicester people - never knew there were so many of us!

Clarendon park is lovely, but I would like to throw Glenfield into the ring the BEST people live there . County Hall side has good Arriva bus links to the centre (10 minute journey).

Leicester can be shit, but don't put too much store by people who say it - familiarity breeds contempt! The Highcross is nice, with loads of eateries and a lovely cinema. St Martin's/Loseby Lane is great for independent shops, and there are loads of nice town centres around that are accessible by bus.

I would say that even in the nice areas, there are good and bad bits (EA's like to lie extend the boundaries of areas into less desirable ones) so keep posting for advice!

Could I be cheeky and ask whereabouts you'll be working? It's definitely for accurate advice purposes and not because I'm a nosey cow

Come and live in South Knighton, OP, it's lovely! (We walk/cycle/bus to work near the centre).

Agree actually leic has a bad name but compared to other nearby area and city centres (not naming any names!) its really very nice think people forget how spoilt we are especially with the new highcross and eateries around there m, plus fosse park Etc. yes there are some not very nice areas but there are far many beautiful areas, country parks and villages all here on our doorstep -rant over- :)

Curve Theatre, Little Theatre, Phoenix and DeMontfort Hall. All good venues, 3 cinema complexes. One next to Highcross.
Multicultural festival etc.

Great City, ( and I am London born & bred! )

I moved here after 8 years in London. I lived here when I was 18and and its the only place I've felt at home after London.

I love it,the city is so multicultural,I love that there are so many different nationalities,religion's here and that my son gets to experience all that. We have the biggest Diwali celebration outside India,we have Curve theatre,which has recently been lauded as a great regional theatre despite it being derided first,there's great high street shopping as well as the little independant shops,we're close to London and not fair from the North...I love it here,can't see me being here forever, but definately until DS finishes schooling.

Anyway,off topic,I live just off Narborough Road and will be buying round here in the next couple of months. It's not to everyone's taste but I love the bay windowed houses,the fact there are loads of different restaurants on the main road,it's close to town,great bus links,close to Motorway. It's also that mix of families,students etc and does actually have a nice community feel to it but also has a little bit of an edge as well. My mum says I love it cos it's like a little London. ,Clarendon Park,Queens Road etc are nice,but I find them very gentrified (just my opinion). Why live in such a culturally diverse city and be surrounded by the same type of people?!

Anyway that's my opinion thrown into the hat! No offense meant btw Clarendon Park people,it's lovely,just not my cup of tea!

Clarendon Park,Queens Road etc are nice,but I find them very gentrified

I agree

I would also recommend Glenfield, its a short bus ride to the centre but still has a 'village' feel. It's fairly close to the M1 and another major road if you need them. Good pubs too . You'll probably get more for your money too.

Turquoise Cat- are you in the area?

I live in what is supposedly another Leicester shit hole but I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. County walks five minutes in one direction, a large shopping centre five minutes in the other and our garden backs onto woodland. What more could you want? :)

Getting to the train station from here on public transport is a bit of a pfaff though so if you want to live within the city I'd definitely recommend the much mentioned Clarendon Park, Stoneygate, Knighton, Oadby etc.

dontbug yes I am - if you see a harried person wandering round the co-op muttering to herself and letting a toddler run riot, that'd be me!

I used to be wigston-based. That's another option (magna, not South) with good bus routes to the centre and a decent-ish town centre. Good charity shops.

Ha ha, you sound exactly like me, just replace the word toddler with pre-schooler