Visiting Charnwood

Posted by admin on May 27th, 2009 in Charnwood

Charnwood is at the heart of England in the northern most part of the County of Leicestershire. Being centrally placed it is well served by road, rail and air. The closest point of access to the motorway network is Junction 23 of the M1, a short distance to the west of Loughborough, Charnwoods main town, while the London to Sheffield, Midland Main Line high speed rail link serves Loughborough station. Just to the north, the Borough is served by the East Midlands Airport to cater for visitors from further afield.

Attractions in and around Loughborough

There are lots of attractions in and around Loughborough. This is a personalised listing, with many suggestions from other people, by someone who moved from the South East and hasn’t regretted a day since. Everything is within 1 hour of Loughborough.

Water

Loughborough may be a long way from the coast in any direction but there’s water nearby.

  • Holme Pierrepoint National Watersports Centre - Adbolton Lane, Nottingham. White water, canoeing, rowing, dragon boating in a country park beside the River Trent. 0115 982 1212
  • Soar River and Grand Union Canal - Delightful walks along towpaths and waterside meadows north and south of Loughborough town.
  • Peter le Marchant Trust - Narrowboats specially adapted for disabled people and seriously ill for day trips and holidays. Beeches Road, Loughborough. 01509 265590.
  • Trent Lock - Sawley Marina, Long Eaton. Boats for hire and sale. Cafés, crafts, waterside relaxation. 0115 973 4728
  • Rutland Water - Europe’s largest man-made lake – a reservoir for Anglian Water and Eastern England. Water sports, pleasure cruiser, fishing, sailing, wind surfing, 26 miles of cycling on paths round the lake with bikes for hire for children and adults. Bird sanctuary, breeding ospreys, cafes, rock climbing, picnic areas. A number of visitor centres, things to do if its wet, butterfly centre, Normanton Church. Nature Reserve
  • Six Hills Jet-Ski Centre - Reservoir dedicated to the wilder water sports. 01664 434080
  • Staunton Harold Reservoir - Visitor Centre, adventure playground, fishing, sailing. Footpaths to Calke Abbey. Staunton Harold Church built during Cromwell’s Commonwealth. Ferrers Centre for Arts & Crafts. 01332 965 408 www.stwater.co.uk

Fishing

  • Beedles Lake Fishing Centre - Broome Lane, East Goscote, Leicester. Two lakes, one for large carp, the smaller for bream and tench, good for matches and pleasure. 0116 269 4728. Day Tickets £5
  • Eyebrook Reservoir - Great Easton Road, Caldecott, Market Harborough. Trout fishing, juniors, tackle hire, boat hire, permits from 1 day to a year. 01536 770264
  • Loughborough Soar Angling Club - River fishing in Loughborough and also all along the Soar. 01509 813384. Daily Ticket: £1.50 from Soar Valley Tackle Shop, 7 Woodbrook Road, Loughborough (01509 231817).
  • Lakeside Sporting Fishery - Wide Lane, Wymeswold. Lake fishing. 01509 881714. Daily Ticket: £16.50. www.go-fish.co.uk
  • Whetstone Gorse Fisheries - Whetstone Gorse Lane, Whetstone, Leicester. Lake fishing. 0116 277 3796. Daily Ticket: £5.

Houses, Gardens & Parks

  • Queens Park - In the centre of Loughborough. Carillon Tower with small museum dedicated to the people who fought in the two world wars. Steps up to the top for views over the town and to the surrounding countryside. Carillon recitals in summer on Thursdays and Sunday afternoons. Charnwood Museum and Café. Bandstand. Flowers, playgrounds for young children. 01509 233754 Museum. 01509 263370 Carillon.
  • Ryton Organic Gardens - Ryton, Coventry. Henry Doubleday Research Association. Great ideas for organic gardening, vegetables, flowers, herbs, fruit. Café serving beautiful organic food. Guided tours. Disabled friendly apart from some areas of rougher grass. 024 7630 3517.
  • Geoff Hamilton’s Barnsdale Gardens - The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland. Beautiful displays and ideas for all sorts of garden. Relatively disabled friendly, most paths negotiable. Café. 01572 813 200.
  • Beacon Hill - Beacon Road, Woodhouse Eaves, Loughborough. Granite outcrop - high point of Charnwood Forest. The next highest hill going east is in the Ural mountains! Panoramic views over Loughborough and the Soar Valley. Lower down the hill, picnic and barbecue field. Telephone: 01509 890048. Pay for car parking.
  • Bradgate Park - Access from Cropston and Newtown Linford. Originally the home of Lady Jane Grey. Deer Park, Old John Tower. Walking for everybody, whether fit or disabled, tobogganing in winter, assuming it snows. Cafes in Newtown Linford. Telephone: 0116 236 2713. Pay for car parking.
  • Broombriggs Farm - Beacon Road, Woodhouse Eaves, Loughborough. Farm trail, windmill. 01509 890048. Pay for car parking.
  • Calke Abbey & Park - Ticknall, Derby. National Trust. A stately home with all the trappings of an aristocratic family in poverty and decline. Acres of parkland gardens to wander and walk in. 01332 863822. www.nationaltrust.org.uk
  • Jubilee Wood and Outwoods - Beginning at the edge of town at Valley Road these are lovely open spaces and public woods for walking, fungus hunting, playing. Walk right through to Beacon Hill and even to Bradgate Park. Woodhouse Lane (off B5350), Nanpantan, Loughborough. 01509 890048
  • Melbourne Hall and Gardens - Melbourne, Derbyshire. 01332 862 502.
  • Clumber Park - Worksop. Thousands of acres of woodland and lake. Bikes for hire, walled garden, restaurant. 01909 476592. www.nationaltrust.org.uk
  • Beaumanor Hall - Woodhouse. Used by Leicestershire County Council Education Department. Beautiful house and gardens. Conference and wedding venue, open air concerts. Great place for children’s and adult’s awaydays. Restaurant open to public for Sunday lunches once a month and at Christmas. Beautiful gardens and a yew tree so big you can have parties inside it. 01509 890119.
  • Melton Country Park and Visitor Centre - Wymondham Way, Melton Mowbray. 01664 480164. Free.
  • Whatton Gardens - Whatton House, Loughborough. Walled garden. 01509 842268. Entrance Fee.
  • Watermead Country Park - Wanlip. Nature reserve formed from old gravel workings. Acres of wildlife, sailing, picnics. King Lear’s Lake. 0116 267 1944. Free.

Family Attractions

  • Alton Towers - Alton, Stoke-On-Trent. The Original – with ever increasing thrills. Hotels, stately home, waterpark, spa. 0870 520 4060.
  • American Adventure - Ilkeston. Theme Park. 0845 330 2929
  • Hardwick Hall - Chesterfield. Elizabethan home of Bess of Hardwick. Reflects the ingenuity and imagination of a woman in a man’s world. 01246 850430. www.nationaltrust.org.uk
  • Bosworth Battlefield - Market Bosworth. Site of the Battle of Bosworth where Richard III died for want of a horse and the Tudor reign began! Visitor centre, wheelchair friendly, café, re-enactments, events. 01455 290429.
  • Mr Straw’s House - Blyth Grove, Worksop. Mr Straw was a grocer. His sons kept the house as it was from the time when it was last ‘modernised’ in the 1930’s. Untouched then until they died and it was given to the National Trust. Blyth Grove is still a (quiet) residential road - admission is by timed ticket only. 01909 482380. www.nationaltrust.org.uk
  • Great Central Railway - Great Central Station, Great Central Road, Loughborough. 01509 230726. 8½ miles of mainline steam railway. Drive a steam engine. Superb dining at evenings and weekends. Special days with Thomas the Tank Engine
  • Halstead House Farm - Oakham Road, Halstead, Leicester. 0116 259 7239.
  • Manor Farm Animal Centre & Donkey Sanctuary - Manor Farm, East Leake, Loughborough. 01509 854205.
  • Sileby Mill Boatyard - Mill Lane, Sileby, Loughborough. Canal boats for hire by the day and longer. 01509 813583.
  • Snibston Discovery Park - Ashby Road, Coalville. A converted coal mine. Loads of hands on experiments for kids – for adults too if you can get close enough. 01530 278 444.
  • Conkers - In the new National Forest. Moira, Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Interactive exhibitions, crafts, adventure playgrounds for little ones, and a brilliant one for adults too. Tree top walks. 01283 216633.
  • National Space Centre - Off Abbey Road, Leicester. Great interactive displays for kids, theatre, rockets, space craft. 0116 261 0261.
  • And right next door. Free entry to Abbey Pumping Station - Victorian pumping engines often in steam. Museum dedicated to the toilet – yes. With space for picnics and access to miles of Riverside Park through Leicester. 0116 299 5111.
  • Stonehurst Family Farm and Motor Museum - Bond Lane, Mountsorrel, Loughborough. 01509 413216.
  • The Tales of Robin Hood - Maid Marian Way, Nottingham. Indoor ride through the famous legend. Prizes. 0115 948 3284.
  • Twinlakes Park - Melton Mowbray. Family entertainment. 01664 567777.
  • Twycross Zoo - Burton Road (A444), Atherstone. 01827 880250.

Golf

  • Beedles Lake Golf Centre (18 hole) Broome Lane, East Goscote, Leicester. 0116 260 6759
  • Charnwood Golf Centre (18 hole) Derby Road, Loughborough. 01509 610 022
  • [linkwww.lingdale-golf-club.com]Lingdale Golf Club[/link] (18 hole) Joe Moores Lane, Woodhouse Eaves, Loughborough . 01509 890035
  • Park Hill Golf & Leisure (18 hole). Seagrave. 01509 815454
  • Rushcliffe Golf Club (18 hole). Stocking Lane, East Leake. 01509 852959

Heritage and Museums

  • Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle - South Street, Ashby-de-la-Zouch. 01530 413343
  • Ashby-de-la-Zouch Museum - North Street, Ashby-de-la-Zouch. 01530 560090
  • Belgrave Hall - Church Road, off Thurcaston Road, Belgrave, Leicester. Peace and quiet in this charming Georgian House and gardens with a reputed ghost. 0116 266 6590. FREE.
  • New Walk Museum and Art Gallery - New Walk, Leicester. From the oldest to the newest. Egyptian mummies and dinosaurs. Beautiful art collection. 0116 225 4900
  • Nottingham Castle - Made famous by Players cigarettes. Museum and Art Gallery, Caves, Medieval Festivals of Jousting. 0115 915 3700
  • Leicester Guildhall - Guildhall Lane, Leicester. Fine timbered medieval building next to the Cathedral. A venue for meetings, shows, education. 0116 253 2569
  • Belvoir Castle - Vale of Belvoir, Grantham. On top of the hill, home of the Dukes of Rutland. 01476 870262
  • Charnwood Museum - In Queens Park, Granby Street, Loughborough. 01509 233754. Display of local history, flora and fauna. Changing exhibitions of art and local interest. Café. www.leics.gov.uk/museums FREE.
  • Church of Saint Michael with Saint Mary - Church Square, Melbourne, Derby. One of the finest Norman parish churches in the UK, one of the few to escape the ravages of the reformation. Next to Staunton Harold Reservoir.
  • Hallaton Museum - Hogg Lane, Hallaton, Market Harborough. 01858 555416
  • Loughborough War Memorial Museum In Queens Park, Granby Street, Loughborough. Mostly on upper floors of the Carillon Tower and unfortunately inaccessible to mobility impaired people. Climb the stairs to the top for super views over the town and its surrounding country. 01509 634704. www.lrmf.org.uk (Leicestershire and Rutland Museums Forum for all the museums in the area)
  • Moira Furnace - Furnace Lane, Moira, near Ashby. An industrial revolution blast furnace. Canalside walk and canal rides to Conkers. 01283 224667. www.lrmf.org.uk
  • Old Rectory MuseumRectory Place, Loughborough. Nearly demolished in the 1960s this is one of the few medieval buildings left in the town. Small scale but lovely, the history of Loughborough, set in a peaceful garden next to All Saints Parish Church. 01509 843297. www.lrmf.org.uk FREE.
  • John Taylor Bell Foundry and Museum - Freehold Street, Loughborough. World famous, one of only two bell foundries in the country – the other is in Whitechapel. The museum is open all year and by booking there are tours of the foundry as well. 01509 233414
  • Rockingham Castle - Market Harborough. 01536 770240
  • Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre - Laxton, Newark, Nottinghamshire. Stephen and James Smith have turned their parental home into a memorial to the Holocaust and a study centre for the prevention of genocide. Permanent exhibition and a garden so moving it brings tears to your eyes. 01623 836627

Shopping

  • Loughborough Town Centre - All the shops you need for everyday in a traffic free environment with shopmobility easily available. Cafes, bars, seating, entertainment, ice-creams.
  • Supermarkets - 24 hour Tescos, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Aldi
  • Loughborough Market - Every Thursday and Saturday by Royal Charter since 1226. Fresh fruit and veg, fish, meat, spices, cakes, clothes, shoes, household, ties, flowers, haberdashery … all at good prices. The place to meet.
  • Fosse Park Shopping Centre – off Junction 20 on the M1, Leicester. Massive car park surrounded by stores – but sometimes you just have to go! 0116 263 0603
  • Belgrave Road – Leicester. The Asian Golden Mile. Jewellery shops, Indian sweeties, Indian restaurants - the real thing.
  • Leicester City - Covered market for fruit and veg, fish and meat. Department stores. Haymarket Centre. St Martins for arcades, bars and cafes. The Shires shopping mall.
  • Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe - Nottingham Street, Melton Mowbray. 01664 562341
  • Henry Walkers Pork Pie Shop - In Loughborough Market Place. See their displays at Christmas!
  • Nottingham City - Two shopping malls, Broad Street and Victoria Centre. Department stores, small shops, everything you can’t find in Loughborough.

Multi Culture

Loughborough and Leicester are home to many peoples of a wide variety of faiths.
The temples in Loughborough are perhaps not as grand as those in Leicester.

  • Shree Ram Krishna Temple - Alfred Street. Gujarati Hindu Temple.
  • Swaminarayan Temple - Moira Street.
  • Geeta Bhawan - Lemyngton Street. Punjabi Hindu Temple.
  • Sikh Gurdwara - Clarence Street.
  • Loughborough Mosque - King Street.
  • Muslim Prayer Hall - James France Building, Loughborough University

For all these places of worship, please respect traditions and principles, be prepared to remove your shoes, wear modest clothing, cover your head in the Gurdwara.

  • Leicester Central Mosque - Highfields. Magnificent domed space of prayer. 0116 254 4459
  • Masjid Umar - Evington, Leicester. Stunning, newly built mosque. 0116 273 5529
  • Leicester Jain Centre - Oxford Street. The only centre of its kind in the UK, and even in Europe. Breathtaking carved stone shrine. Visitors are welcomed. Please respect their principle of non-violence. Do not wear leather, women should not visit during menstruation. 0116 254 3091
  • Southwell Minster - Home of Nottingham Diocese. 01636 812649
  • Shree Sanatan Mandir - Weymouth Street, Leicester. Beautifully decorated Hindu temple. 0116 266 1402
  • Shree Jalaram Prathana Mandal - Narborough Road, Leicester. Place of Healing and Worship. Beautiful pictorial description of Hindu philosophy. 0116 254 0117
  • Guru Nanak Gurdwara - Holy Bones, Leicester. Thriving Sikh community centre, sanctuary, museum. 0116 262 8606
  • Markfield Islamic Foundation and Conference Centre - World renowned centre of learning and study. Well stocked library and bookshop. Conference venue – and you don’t have to be Muslim to come.

Annual Events

  • Loughborough Mela - Every year in August – multi-cultural festival with food and music
  • Loughborough Carnivals – Streets Alive, Picnic in the Park - Parties and entertainment in the Market Place and Queens Park.
  • Loughborough Student Union Bonfire Night and Fireworks - Public event – the best for miles around.
  • Loughborough Fair - The last great show of the year. Three days in November the whole of the town centre is given over to a fairground, by royal charter dating from 1226.
  • Leicester Comedy Festival - Various venues, stand-ups, shows, art, etc
  • Leicester Caribbean Carnival - Every year in Abbey Park
  • Leicester Mela - Every year in July in Belgrave
  • Diwali night - Hosted by Leicester’s Asian community. Fireworks. Music. Belgrave Road closed to traffic for the evening.

Theatre, Music, Cinema

  • Loughborough Town Hall - Market Place, Loughborough. Newly refurbished, the town’s show piece. Theatre, small theatre, cafés. Box Office: 01509 231914.
  • Curzon Cinema - Cattlemarket, Loughborough. Six screens in the town centre – why go further? 01509 212261
  • Stamford Hall - East Leake. Magnificent art-deco theatre in a country house – with a real Wurlitzer organ. Regular amateur comedies. Box office at Loughborough Town Hall: 01509 231914
  • Charnwood Arts – Offices in Granby Street, Loughborough. Major voluntary provider of art, poetry, film, photography, theatre, music, throughout the Borough. Get involved! 01509 822558
  • Loughborough University Arts Centre - Theatre, Studio theatre, Classical concerts, Jazz, Chamber music. Events are organised by the University and open to everyone. 01509 222899
  • Phoenix Arts - Newarke Street, Leicester. Arts cinema, theatre, theatre for children, live music, café, bar. 0116 255 4854
  • De Montfort Hall - Granville Road, Leicester. Shows, concerts, jazz, opera, dance, etc, etc. 0116 233 3111
  • Leicester Haymarket Theatre – With a new performing arts centre due to open in 2006. Exciting!
  • Stanley Leicester Casino - East Bond Street, Leicester. 0116 262 5036
  • The Little Theatre - Dover Street, Leicester. Regular amateur theatre and other shows. Box Office: 0116 255 1302
  • The ‘Y’ - East Street, Leicester. Farside Music, Theatre. 0116 255 6507
  • Nottingham Royal Centre - Theatre and Concert Hall - Theatre, Opera, Classical Music in the city centre. 0115 989 5555
  • Nottingham Playhouse - Wellington Circus, Nottingham. Just off the city centre. 0115 941 9419
  • Broadway Cinema - Broad Street, Nottingham. Arts cinema, two cinemas, café and bar. 0115 952 6611
  • Nottingham Showcase Cinema - Clifton Boulevard. 0115 9 866 766
  • Warner Village Cinema - Meridian Leisure Park, Braunstone, Leicester. 08712 240 240

Sporting Venues

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