Official Visitor Guide to Leicester & Leicestershire 2007 FREE To book your short break and get all the best deals, including family rooms from just £60 per night, visit www.goleicestershire.com or call 0906 294 1113 Calls cost 25p per minute Produced by In partnership with © Leicester Shire Promotions 2006 7-9 Every Street, Town Hall Square, Leicester LE1 6AG www.goleicestershire.com Great ideas for short breaks • Things to do • Accommodation • Great days out www.goleicestershire.com www.goleicestershire.com brought to you by Leicester Shire Promotions Market Harborough CONTENTS Great Ideas for 3-16 Go Beyond Your Getting Away Living Life to the 3 Full in Leicester Expectations The Fun has Just Begun 5 A Journey to Foodie Heaven 7 Town Hall Square Over a Thousand Years 9 of Adventure Belgrave Mela Get Fresh in the Great Outdoors 11 Leicester & Leicestershire’s Market Place 15 Leicestershire 17-45 Places to go If you haven’t already discovered Leicester and Leicestershire, Family Days Out 19 you’re in for a wonderful surprise! At the heart of England, Gardens, Parks & Nature 26 this county combines the finest English rural traditions with the cosmopolitan buzz of city life. Perfectly located, Leicestershire Museums & Galleries 30 is easy to find, but almost impossible to leave without savouring History & Heritage 34 at least some of its many delights. Waterways 38 Leicester’s continuing renaissance has created one of the UK’s Places to Shop & Eat 40 most cultural, creative and progressive cities. Visitors can witness Entertainment 44 this first-hand at cutting-edge visitor attractions like the National Space Centre and at a wide range of world-renowned events including the Leicester Comedy Festival, Summer Sundae 46-49 Events 2007 Weekender and the UK’s most spectacular Diwali celebrations. Add to this the city’s fabulous shopping, sports and nightlife, the newly refurbished New Walk Museum with world-class 50-75 Where to Stay international exhibitions, plus some of the UK’s best curry houses along the famous Belgrave Road and you have a truly culturally Hotels 52 diverse and exciting city. Guest Accommodation 59 Of course, the county of Leicestershire is equally as exciting; Self Catering 68 within just a few miles of the city lie beautiful rolling fields, winding waterways, ancient woodland, historic country towns Caravan & Camping 73 and picturesque villages. The newly emerging National Forest boasts enormous diversity, from history, heritage and amazing Win a Fabulous 76-77 attractions, to mile upon mile of hidden nature trails. Meanwhile, Family Break some of England’s quintessential market towns are sprinkled within this rural landscape: Market Harborough, with nearby Planning Your Foxton Locks; Loughborough, home of the Great Central 78-84 Railway; Ashby de la Zouch, with its imposing castle; the Break historical Market Bosworth, and the nearby Bosworth Battlefield Tourist Information Centres 78 and of course Melton Mowbray, the UK’s Rural Capital of Food Getting to Leicestershire 79 WELCOME... and Drink and home to the annual East Midlands Food Festival. Welcome to the official visitor guide for Leicester and Leicestershire. Whether you need Leicester City Map 80 inspiring ideas for great days out, a weekend break or a longer stay, this comprehensive As you’ll see, Leicester and Leicestershire Leicestershire Map 81 guide is packed with details of things to see and do, and places to stay. Updated information are the perfect places for a short break, Front cover images: Main images Wistow can also be found at www.goleicestershire.com which has literally thousands of ideas of Maze. Left to right: Belgrave Road, Town Hall whatever the season. Square, Leicester, Foxton Locks, National what to do while you’re here. So enjoy! Space Centre. Back cover images: Left to right: Leicester Lanes, New Walk Museum, Hotel room, Bradgate Park. 1 www.goleicestershire.com www.goleicestershire.com 2 Living Life to the Full in Leicester Tin Fish, Leicester Lanes New Walk Museum Belgrave Hall Curry Pot San Carlos Come and enjoy the delights of the UK’s most diverse, progressive city, packed full of exciting things to do and places to go to make your visit memorable. Leicester is undergoing some modern European to contemporary the ancient heart of Leicester, with dramatic changes. Over the next Asian cuisine. its gardens, riverside walks and few years over £3 billion is being fascinating buildings. Don’t miss spent on transforming the city The Golden Mile Leicester Cathedral and the half- Belgrave Road is the vibrant heart centre, including a world-class timbered Guildhall, built in 1390 of Leicester’s Asian communities and Performing Arts Centre, a new and reputedly home to five ghosts! a riot of colour and activity. You’ll be Shopping Quarter and an emerging Then there’s the stunning Jain spoilt for choice with its numerous Cultural Quarter. Centre, the first in the Western great restaurants, not least the world World, with its extraordinary famous Bobby’s. Take your pick from Shopaholics carvings. Understand the social Looking for retail therapy? In the colourful saree shops, the history of Leicester at the Newarke Leicester’s city centre you’ll find specialist spice emporiums and the Houses Museum. An innovative a lively mix of top stores in the many gold jewellery shops that are £2 million refurbishment tells the rapidly expanding Shires Shopping one of the reasons this area is history of the Royal Leicestershire Centre, plus a vibrant selection of internationally known as the Golden Regiment, in the context of the story independent galleries, craft specialists Mile. Celebrate Leicester’s diversity of Leicester. At the opposite side of and designer clothes shops around by visiting the inspirational Peepul town, visit one of the many special the Leicester Lanes. Just on the Centre, a £14.7 million flagship arts events at the ‘haunted’ 18th Century outskirts of the city centre, you will and community centre. Belgrave Hall and Gardens. find a unique shopping experience Music to your ears in the Stoneygate area. Wander Sporting Leicester Leicester is blessed with a number around the market town-style Sports enthusiasts are spoilt for of music venues, from legendary boutique shops on Francis Street choice with world class rugby rock gigs at The Charlotte, to De and Allendale Road, alternatively, from Welford Road, Championship Montfort Hall where you can catch SHORT BREAK IDEA just south of the city, visit Fosse football at the Walkers Stadium, the best touring musicals, opera, Why not make a weekend of it? Enjoy a day of retail therapy, before dinner at one of the city’s Shopping Park, one of the country’s county cricket at Grace Road and orchestral, rock and world music. largest out of town shopping parks. horse racing at Leicester Racecourse. contemporary restaurants. Then explore Leicester’s colourful past at one of the city’s many Visit in the summer and you can If you’re looking for faster sports chill out at the Hall’s hugely popular, museums for a truly cultural weekend away. Visit www.goleicestershire.com for up to date Take a pit stop pursuits then travel into the county When you need refuelling there’s laid back outdoor festivals. events and great city hotel offers. and visit Donington Park with an plenty of choice. Treat yourself at extensive events calendar including smart modern restaurants serving Historic Leicester If you’re looking for a little peace and GP Live, and of course Mallory Park. a range of quality food from quiet, wander over to Castle Park, FIVE BRIGHT IDEAS Summer Sundae, De Montfort Hall Hop on and hop Visit one of the many changing Visit the Peepul Centre Take the family to the award- Or why not feast on one off the Discover two exhibitions at New Walk Museum and three and enjoy Asian theatre four winning Summer Sundae five the dazzling colours Leicester open Art Gallery, including Matisse to Freud, and leading Jazz artists Weekender at De Montfort Hall and and flavours of the top bus tour. Picasso and Joe Orton, taking place this from around the world. see bands from all over the world Caribbean Carnival. spring and summer. playing some fine summer music. 3 www.goleicestershire.com www.goleicestershire.com 4 The Fun has Just Begun FIVE BRIGHT IDEAS Discover how one astronauts use the toilet when they’re in space at the National Sparks Festival Space Centre. Conkers For more jungle adventures, swoop maze set in eight acres of corn crop Are your kids ready to… explore the galaxy, The louder you down to Tropical Birdland, where with a quiz trail and secret code to encounter rare species of monkeys, go wild in two scream, the faster 85 species of exotic birds display their crack. For a green day out visit we go! Enjoy all the forest, escape from a giant maze, mess colourful plumage. The animal magic Brocks Hill Country Park and enjoy the fun of the fair, continues at Stonehurst Family Farm the human sundial. Meanwhile, about on the water and discover fascinating every November and Gorse Hill City Farm. Twinlakes Park is the place for all-out, in Loughborough. local heritage? Leicester and Leicestershire all-weather family fun – from Excalibur Snibston Discovery Park is where offer excitement for everyone! Adventure, with swings, slides and a kids’ imaginations run riot. This former Survive the terrifying chance to climb around the awesome Truly out of this world, the National Space Centre is Britain’s colliery site offers 90 indoor and 50-foot drop at Black Knights Castle, to the Labyrinth, three only attraction dedicated to space exploration. With 250 exhibits, outdoor exhibits, including a diesel- Trauma Tower, an unbelievable four floors of slides, you can do everything from ascending the awesome 42 metre- hauled locomotive, interactive Twinlakes Park.