Whats Leicester like? New job opportunity ..
- Thread starter britboy4321
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I was in Leicester between 2005-2008 (Uni) and loved it.
Yes there are scum bags and lots of people asking for 27p
confused but overall it is a good place to live and the city centre is even better now the shires has been expanded.
The bridge off braunstone and pump and tap are now gone, but braunstone gate is still the place to be.
Yes there are scum bags and lots of people asking for 27p
confused but overall it is a good place to live and the city centre is even better now the shires has been expanded.The bridge off braunstone and pump and tap are now gone, but braunstone gate is still the place to be.
Lots of nice villages around Leicester.
The majority of the areas surrounding the city centre (LE2/3/4/5) are pretty scummy but nothing like say, Swansea.
City centre itself is having quite a revamp lately and is much improved.
Excellent transport links in the area (M24, M5, M1, A50, M69)
Massive Asian population but never personally seen any aggro like you seem to get in Bradford etc.
The majority of the areas surrounding the city centre (LE2/3/4/5) are pretty scummy but nothing like say, Swansea.
City centre itself is having quite a revamp lately and is much improved.
Excellent transport links in the area (M24, M5, M1, A50, M69)
Massive Asian population but never personally seen any aggro like you seem to get in Bradford etc.
As Malc said, Hicnkley is a nice bet, or maybe something just off the A511 into the city, Markfield, Groby, Ratby, all nice enough places really, some more than others.
As Lopez said, there is a large asian population, but they really don't cause "any more trouble" than any other citty gets its share of, and it is far from just the Asians causing trouble!
2 unis in the city so lots of students around in term times, getting into and out of the city is obviously never fun at rush hour, but after London it'll be a cakewalk, specially if you are on a bike.
As Lopez said, there is a large asian population, but they really don't cause "any more trouble" than any other citty gets its share of, and it is far from just the Asians causing trouble!
2 unis in the city so lots of students around in term times, getting into and out of the city is obviously never fun at rush hour, but after London it'll be a cakewalk, specially if you are on a bike.
Soldato
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Don't have a huge amount of experience with Leicester, but it's a safe bet to stick to the smaller villages around the outskirts. Perhaps even consider a South Notts village such as Tollerton, Plumtree, Ruddington or Gamston. All quiet areas and Leicester's an easy 30-min shot from there.
I'll attempt to answer your questions 
1. Yes, there are a lot of small, quiet villages which are not too far from the city centre. Just have a look and see which one takes your fancy. However if you don't want to live in a village, Oadby, Stoneygate and Evington (Not North or Evington Valley) are very nice places. Just go have a look for yourself, and all of them are no more than a 15 minute drive into town. If you need public transport the bus links from all three are good too. Basically, Evington, Oadby, Stoneygate and Wigston surround each other so they are close together and are all nice areas. Only issue with Wigston is there is a part of it which is a bit erm, 'councillish'. You don't hear of much trouble however.
Horrible?
I go to uni in Nottingham and my home is Leicester and I can honestly say, if we are comparing the city centres, Leicester is better in pretty much every single way. Nottingham has a shockingly bad city centre. Not forgetting the hurds of suspect looking characters hanging around. Though, Nottingham is very big and there's no doubt there are some exceptional areas. In terms of city life, I reckon Leicester tops it.
As for yours second point. Leicester is pretty much split. The bad areas are on to one side and the good areas are on the other. So it's not like in some cities where there very close together and you take the wrong turning and you end up in the most dangerous area of the city! As I say I've lived here all my life and I've never been to nor ever had the need to go to these 'bad' areas.
Comparing it to Bradford and Luton - You must really have had a terrible experience when you came here
Good call. However if the OP is fairly young I can't really see that being his sort of place to spend his time. It is a beatiful area with a lot of nice houses and Rutland Waters, ofcourse! However it is very quiet and the general population appear to be OAP who are enjoying themselves after retiring. It would take you probably a good 45 minutes if not more to get into town.
That's a bit of sweeping comment. Evington is pretty big - it has substantial houses and very nice areas with houses hitting £1m. However on the other side the areas a bit run down and has factories etc. So to distinguish, Evington is split into three. There's North Evington and Evington Valley which I recommend you stay away from. While there not dangerous or known for crime, they are pretty run down and mainly have people newly come from other countries residing.
The rest of Evington (Evington Village etc) is absolutely fine. As said above there's some very nice parts.
Areas overall I strongly recommend you stay away from. Braunstone, Beamont Leys, Highfields, Hamilton and New Parks. Even taxi drivers are afraid to go into some parts of these areas and don't bother. You don't want to be around these areas. These areas are tucked away so you should never really have to go to these areas unless you actually want to go there.
I'm not going to make a list of all the good areas, Leicester is quite big. So if you have any more questions I'd be happy to help.
1. Yes, there are a lot of small, quiet villages which are not too far from the city centre. Just have a look and see which one takes your fancy. However if you don't want to live in a village, Oadby, Stoneygate and Evington (Not North or Evington Valley) are very nice places. Just go have a look for yourself, and all of them are no more than a 15 minute drive into town. If you need public transport the bus links from all three are good too. Basically, Evington, Oadby, Stoneygate and Wigston surround each other so they are close together and are all nice areas. Only issue with Wigston is there is a part of it which is a bit erm, 'councillish'. You don't hear of much trouble however.
Horrible?
I go to uni in Nottingham and my home is Leicester and I can honestly say, if we are comparing the city centres, Leicester is better in pretty much every single way. Nottingham has a shockingly bad city centre. Not forgetting the hurds of suspect looking characters hanging around. Though, Nottingham is very big and there's no doubt there are some exceptional areas. In terms of city life, I reckon Leicester tops it.As for yours second point. Leicester is pretty much split. The bad areas are on to one side and the good areas are on the other. So it's not like in some cities where there very close together and you take the wrong turning and you end up in the most dangerous area of the city! As I say I've lived here all my life and I've never been to nor ever had the need to go to these 'bad' areas.
Comparing it to Bradford and Luton
- You must really have had a terrible experience when you came here Good call. However if the OP is fairly young I can't really see that being his sort of place to spend his time. It is a beatiful area with a lot of nice houses and Rutland Waters, ofcourse! However it is very quiet and the general population appear to be OAP who are enjoying themselves after retiring. It would take you probably a good 45 minutes if not more to get into town.
That's a bit of sweeping comment. Evington is pretty big - it has substantial houses and very nice areas with houses hitting £1m. However on the other side the areas a bit run down and has factories etc. So to distinguish, Evington is split into three. There's North Evington and Evington Valley which I recommend you stay away from. While there not dangerous or known for crime, they are pretty run down and mainly have people newly come from other countries residing.
The rest of Evington (Evington Village etc) is absolutely fine. As said above there's some very nice parts.
Areas overall I strongly recommend you stay away from. Braunstone, Beamont Leys, Highfields, Hamilton and New Parks. Even taxi drivers are afraid to go into some parts of these areas and don't bother. You don't want to be around these areas. These areas are tucked away so you should never really have to go to these areas unless you actually want to go there.
I'm not going to make a list of all the good areas, Leicester is quite big. So if you have any more questions I'd be happy to help.
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Soldato
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I'll attempt to answer your questions
Horrible?
Say what!? Do you wander around blindfolded?I'm not particularly patriotic to Notts, but Leicester is a hole. I don't even think the city centres compare tbh. Nottingham has one of the best (official apparently) shopping centres and nightlife....oh yes....and crime
(bad point there).Admittedly Leics city centre is improving, but....it aint there yet.
As for rural places outside city centre, Quorn....and most of what has been said already. I have a friend in Burstall, who's a bit of a snob, so would imagine that's not too bad a place.
I think Ruddington, Gamston etc are possibly on the border for britters. They are only 20mins from Loughborough, and you can hop straight on the A46. Takes me 40 mins to get from Radcliffe-on-Trent to Coalville-ish down the A46 at non-peak times.
What does Nottingham have to offer in terms of shops? Apart from the lovely little circle where there's Ted Baker, Kurt Geiger, Zara etc there's nothing for shops. It's the general consensus amongst the uni students aswell. Victoria Centre is shockingly bad, Broadmarsh is no better. I'm not saying Leicester is the Paris of England for shopping but it's better than Nottingham.
I agree with nightlife. Nottingham is better.
OP: You could also live in Tollerton which is just outside Nottingham and commute in. Tollerton looks lovely. It's just a 20min blast down the A46 and up Belgrave road into town.
I agree with nightlife. Nottingham is better.
OP: You could also live in Tollerton which is just outside Nottingham and commute in. Tollerton looks lovely. It's just a 20min blast down the A46 and up Belgrave road into town.
Soldato
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Dude, you're going on what lowly grub-hunting students say? I used to work in pubs in Notts city and the students line up with their happy hour £1 coins to get a cheap drink. What could they possibly do with Ted Baker etc, they should be in Primark!!
If students shop at the shops you've mentioned then they foreit the right to moan about lack of money/funds etc.....FACT! *maybe taken with a tiny pinch of salt*
As for Tollerton, yeah it is nice, as is Cropwell Bishop and Butler. Quiet little villages on the edge of the A46.
If students shop at the shops you've mentioned then they foreit the right to moan about lack of money/funds etc.....FACT! *maybe taken with a tiny pinch of salt*
As for Tollerton, yeah it is nice, as is Cropwell Bishop and Butler. Quiet little villages on the edge of the A46.
My brother-in-law lives in Ratby which is just off the M1. Seems pretty nice when I've been up to visit. Doesn't take long to get into the city centre from there.
His wife used to live in Melton Mowbray which I saw less of, but has the added bonus of great pork pies.
His wife used to live in Melton Mowbray which I saw less of, but has the added bonus of great pork pies.
I used to commute quorn-> leicester for a summer job. It takes over 20 mins out of rush hour, and double that in it.
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For whoever asked no I'm not particularly young - a stone's throw away from 40 really. And I have done enough drinking/partying to last 3 life-times. So ready for the 'next stage' of life now .. quiet village would do me just nicely!
I will be working within a stone's throw of here:
Does anyone know, is there any free (public) parking for motorbikes or cars round there? Or am I going to be paying £12 a day or something every single day pay and display for the rest of my working life?
Thanks for all the amazingly helpful comments.
I will be working within a stone's throw of here:
Does anyone know, is there any free (public) parking for motorbikes or cars round there? Or am I going to be paying £12 a day or something every single day pay and display for the rest of my working life?
Thanks for all the amazingly helpful comments.
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Excellent post - my other half has lived in Leicestershire all her life and she too mentioned Beaumont Leys, Braunstone and New Parks as areas to 100% avoid. The only reason I ever go to Beaumont Leys is if I really need to go to a reasonably big Tesco or I'm visiting our TNT Leicester depot!I'll attempt to answer your questions
1. Yes, there are a lot of small, quiet villages which are not too far from the city centre. Just have a look and see which one takes your fancy. However if you don't want to live in a village, Oadby, Stoneygate and Evington (Not North or Evington Valley) are very nice places. Just go have a look for yourself, and all of them are no more than a 15 minute drive into town. If you need public transport the bus links from all three are good too. Basically, Evington, Oadby, Stoneygate and Wigston surround each other so they are close together and are all nice areas. Only issue with Wigston is there is a part of it which is a bit erm, 'councillish'. You don't hear of much trouble however.
Horrible?
As for yours second point. Leicester is pretty much split. The bad areas are on to one side and the good areas are on the other. So it's not like in some cities where there very close together and you take the wrong turning and you end up in the most dangerous area of the city! As I say I've lived here all my life and I've never been to nor ever had the need to go to these 'bad' areas.
Comparing it to Bradford and Luton
Good call. However if the OP is fairly young I can't really see that being his sort of place to spend his time. It is a beatiful area with a lot of nice houses and Rutland Waters, ofcourse! However it is very quiet and the general population appear to be OAP who are enjoying themselves after retiring. It would take you probably a good 45 minutes if not more to get into town.
That's a bit of sweeping comment. Evington is pretty big - it has substantial houses and very nice areas with houses hitting £1m. However on the other side the areas a bit run down and has factories etc. So to distinguish, Evington is split into three. There's North Evington and Evington Valley which I recommend you stay away from. While there not dangerous or known for crime, they are pretty run down and mainly have people newly come from other countries residing.
The rest of Evington (Evington Village etc) is absolutely fine. As said above there's some very nice parts.
Areas overall I strongly recommend you stay away from. Braunstone, Beamont Leys, Highfields, Hamilton and New Parks. Even taxi drivers are afraid to go into some parts of these areas and don't bother. You don't want to be around these areas. These areas are tucked away so you should never really have to go to these areas unless you actually want to go there.
I'm not going to make a list of all the good areas, Leicester is quite big. So if you have any more questions I'd be happy to help.
West End is where it's at for access to town + local shops and bars (narborough road/braunstone gate) not too bad housing either - depends on what you are looking for. There's lots of 'quieter' places too - knighton, anywhere off london road heading out of town (past victoria park), also there's clarendon park road area which is right near leic university. Belgrave gate/melton road - if you're into indian food etc there's a big asian community there
Places to avoid:
braunstone, new parks, rowlatts hill, highfields (though this is not too bad these days), beaumont leys, mow acre hill, saffron lane ('the saff' horid place, with lots of scum).
There's not much more to say about places to live within the outer ring road.
As city's go, Leicester ain't all that bad. It's just big enough, not like brum or london which is just miles and miles of suburban sprawl.
You won't hear any brummy accents, though you might hear the local estate yobbos call it 'lestaaah'
Places to avoid:
braunstone, new parks, rowlatts hill, highfields (though this is not too bad these days), beaumont leys, mow acre hill, saffron lane ('the saff' horid place, with lots of scum).
There's not much more to say about places to live within the outer ring road.
As city's go, Leicester ain't all that bad. It's just big enough, not like brum or london which is just miles and miles of suburban sprawl.
You won't hear any brummy accents, though you might hear the local estate yobbos call it 'lestaaah'
Don't forget the train.
Peterborough is 1 hour away, and itself is 50 minutes from Kings cross
Stamford is 45 mins away
Melton Mowbray - 30 Mins.
The best part is the train station is a 30 minute walk from almost anywhere in the centre of leicester, or a 10 minute taxi.
Peterborough is 1 hour away, and itself is 50 minutes from Kings cross
Stamford is 45 mins away
Melton Mowbray - 30 Mins.
The best part is the train station is a 30 minute walk from almost anywhere in the centre of leicester, or a 10 minute taxi.
There are a lot of nice places in the County it's just the city itself that I dislike
The surrounding countryside is actually very beautiful (especially in the southern areas) but the city itself is rundown with massive racial segregation and divides. It's quite a grimacing sight as you stroll or drive past the massive 'multicultural city' signs, like it's trying to kid itself. The traffic isn't bad though, and the central areas aren't too bad. Highcross is good, plenty of nightlife, and such. I can name plenty of worse cities but Leicester isn't too great itself.
And God yes, avoid Braunstone. There's plenty of people actually packing heat there. Just give you an idea of how horribly dodgy that place is.
I can give you a very very very very specific answer to this one - Lubenham/Husbands Bosworth/Theddingworth/Sibbertoft. All small hamlets or villages within 20-30 minutes of Leicester deeply entrenched in the countryside and situated largely on the Leicestershire/Northamptonshire border.
And God yes, avoid Braunstone. There's plenty of people actually packing heat there. Just give you an idea of how horribly dodgy that place is.
I can give you a very very very very specific answer to this one - Lubenham/Husbands Bosworth/Theddingworth/Sibbertoft. All small hamlets or villages within 20-30 minutes of Leicester deeply entrenched in the countryside and situated largely on the Leicestershire/Northamptonshire border.
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Leicester is definitely nicer than nottingham. I've lived in leicestershire my entire life and frequent both cities regularly and i live in neither so i'd say i'm fairly unbiased.
Lets put it this way, in certain areas of leicester i'm wary of going around on my own at night. In nottingham, i'm pretty on edge the whole time. I once saw a guy get mugged at knife point in the centre of nottingham, that wasn't nice at all. I've never even seen a knife in leicester.
Barkby is a sleepy little village, Birstall is quiet too. Quorn like mentioned is rather nice and if you want a really picturesque village then woodhouse eaves and swithland are the places to be in my opinion.
Lets put it this way, in certain areas of leicester i'm wary of going around on my own at night. In nottingham, i'm pretty on edge the whole time. I once saw a guy get mugged at knife point in the centre of nottingham, that wasn't nice at all. I've never even seen a knife in leicester.
Barkby is a sleepy little village, Birstall is quiet too. Quorn like mentioned is rather nice and if you want a really picturesque village then woodhouse eaves and swithland are the places to be in my opinion.
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Again this stuff is like gold dust to me .. thanks to everyone for their help. Before I posted here the plan was literally for a big map, picking random places outside of town, and driving to them then basically guessing if they looked nice and how long to get into the centre from there ..
IN short, you guys have probably saved me days, or a massive mistake resulting in my family living in Braunstone because it looked ok for the 15 minutes we would have spent driving round it (as well as everywhere else)!
So thanks again ..
IN short, you guys have probably saved me days, or a massive mistake resulting in my family living in Braunstone because it looked ok for the 15 minutes we would have spent driving round it (as well as everywhere else)!
So thanks again ..