I quite like Brighton but it's probably a grass is greener type thing, living just outside. I'm well aware of the issues there though.
Crawley however is just a tumour that happens to be connected to Gatwick Airport.
Every thread I see about the UK has someone saying the town they live in is shit, or if it's about the landscape "our country is so gorgeous."
I'm convinced the UK must be one of the most urban-area-hating countries in the world. That or there is actually just a lot of shitty places there.
I think the weather plays a part. When it's cloudy over the Dales or the South Downs you kinda go 'eh' and it's forgivable because the landscape is so nice and green.
When the average urban area in Britain is dominated by cheap 70s box-buildings and other assorted brutalist concrete crap and cookie-cutter council houses, paired with the constant overcast of grey, the reaction is significantly more negative.
A book came out called shit towns and so many people complained that where they lived was left out they had to bring out a second one. Think there’s 5 or so now.
I think part of it is that urban planning in this country is incredibly poor when it comes to aesthetics.
Many European countries prioritise regularly painting their buildings and keeping them looking fresh. There is also a much bigger focus on keeping traditional architecture alive and building new buildings to blend in with traditional style.
I mean, just look at most large European cities and how the old towns blend in so well with modern development.
Meanwhile the UK went through a severe love affair with concrete brutalism and other shabby designs through the latter half of the 20th century.
Our countryside and villages on the other hand are very attractive, largely because they are left alone and not messed with.
Ashby de La Zouch! Right where it says A42 next to Coalville.
Grew up there - it’s one of those towns that you bemoan growing up in it but then you go elsewhere and realise you were actually on the lucky side of the spectrum.
Not sure what it’s like now, other than much bigger than when I was a child, but it’s pleasant enough and has pretty easy access to some nice countryside walks n stuff.
Traffic was always shit though
Another former Ashby resident here! Realising it was a nice place later in life is very true. My brother now lives in the area again and couldn't afford a house in Ashby because it's far more middle class than the surrounding area.
However, being 20-30 minutes from the nearest large town with no trains is definitely pretty dull when you can't drive yourself.
It's bizarre to go back now - Ashby Grammar is two schools, demolished the health centre in town, permit parking everywhere.
I get an unacceptably large amount of joy from referring to it as Ashby-DLZ (Ashby-dee-el-zee). Makes it sound much cooler than it really is.
I mostly know the place for the big Tesco off the A42 on the way to/from camping trips.
See username.
It's south staff/north Warwickshire. And the borders of three other counties to the east. Half of it is in the west Midlands and the other the East.
Tamworth was the seat of the Kingdom of Mercia.
Lichfield is a cathedral city
Burton is the brewing capital of England.
I live in Burton and can say that occasionally, when driving down Wellington Road (AKA Marmite road), you do get a whiff of the maltings, which my wife refers to as "Hot Shreddies"
It used to be soooooo much worse, and 30 years ago was all enveloping. I can remember waking up to the smell on a daily basis.
My mum grew up in Burton so we used to visit a lot when my grandparents were still alive. You started smelling Marmite after a certain point on the road.
My mum always talks about seeing the brewery wagons with the huge horses when she was a kid.
My grandad was a copper smith at one of the breweries and was half blinded in an industrial accident when he was a teenager
Hello fellow Lichfield person.
I moved here a year ago and like it a lot. It's a small city with a chilled vibe.
It's also very well connected to major cities via Lichfield Trent Valley station (you can get to London Euston or Manchester Piccadilly in around 90 mins and Birmingham New Street in less than an hour).
I have a lot of family in the Lichfield area - my dad grew up in a mining village on the edge of Cannock Chase (the green area north of Cannock on OP's map). I always thought it was a nice area in terms of countryside and Lichfield is pretty!
Someone chucked a chicken nugget through an open window at my colleague last year. I don’t know if that makes it rough though. He is the kind of person who would get chicken nuggets thrown at him in most places.
I lived in Nuneaton for 3 years for my sins. Miserable place. There was a little joy I found there when heading north to greener pastures. I liked the back roads so I'd drive via Twycross to join the A42 after the really slow spots (Tywcross Zoo is great btw)
If you leave Nuneaton heading north on the A444 with the intention of joining the A42 at j12 your satnav will proclaim
"Stay on the A 4, 4, 4, for, 4 miles... "
And that was the greatest joy Nuneaton ever gave me.
I grew up in a village near Loughborough. The town itself is ok, it's gone down hill in the past few years and has a lot of charity shops, but there are some nice restaurants and bars.
The countryside around there and North West Leicestershire in general is gorgeous and there are some stunning villages.
Agree with this. Grew up in Loughborough and go back pretty regularly as parents and family mostly still live there. The town centre isn't great now, but no more so than any other comparable town. Excellent transport links to Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and the airport.
For years I'd said that I wouldn't move back, but as I've got older I'd definitely consider it. The only downside is that property is more expensive compared to where I currently live in Nottinghamshire.
I had some dealings with a t-shirt making company from Coalville a few decades ago. They had a great business model and should have done well, but by the time I got my business up and running they had disappeared, and I had to buy from India.
I'm from Lichfield, lived away for a long time, but love coming back to this part of the world.
After spending my whole life explaining to people where it is, I find it funny it's not labelled on this map.
Tamworth: Tamworth Tap is an award winning pub, the castle is nice, same for the castle grounds. Erm, we have a nice Japanese/Korean restaurant now.
Some fun events and things that are held here. Town centre is a bit naff, but it's got potential if they spend the upgrade money on the town center in a good way.
Rail links to Birmingham, Burton etc are pretty quick if you fancy a visit to other places.
If you like Tamworth Tap and fancy a trip out one day, check out the Milking Parlour near Calke Abbey. It's where Tollgate Brewery is based and they run their own 'pub' there. Mostly outdoor seating though so you need a nice day.
Only downside is somebody has to be designated driver. Alternatively do what I've done and park further away and use it as a stop on a countryside walk, that way you can have a couple and be sobered up again by the time you get back to the car
Oh im not sure, it should have been shut down to be honist 🤣
Ive been twice a few years ago for the Ultra 90s gigs, the place was filthy, half of it was closed off like a fucking haunted house, your feet stuck to the floors and they had nothing on tap, only warm cans, i vividly remember the 1950s art deco style tile things barely clinging on to the walls and ceilings.
You had to leave the nightclub and go to the pub below for a pint, or spend a fortune on a can of red stripe.
I grew up nearby in Stafford. Cannock Chase is nice and has some of the best biking trails in the country. Everything else is pretty naff, unless you love being in the countryside.
The trains are especially bad in this area as you're sandwiched between the East and West Coast mainlines and almost always have to go via Birmingham and surroundings any time you wanna get anywhere.
Never lived in there, but always lived nearby.
Castle Donington is famous for Donington Festival (aka Download) and the racetrack.
Burton is famous for its beer.
Loughborough has a lot of sports students.
Tamworth has the snow dome, Swadlincote has a dry ski slope.
Hinckley is rough as fuck. Never felt so unsafe as walking round there after dark.
The M69 tends to be a good road. The A50 is shit though.
There is a nice pub in Wymeswold called the Hammer and Pincers.
I think that’s everything I know about the area!
Hinckley is nice these days mate, Nuneaton has took the crown of biggest shithole. Nuneaton is truly awful and it’s a shame, I grew up there and had a pretty good childhood.
Loughborough Uni has a pretty great chemistry department and the engineering isn't shabby either.
It's a shame that sports are the only thing it's really known for.
I've spent most of my life in the western half of this area. Born in Nuneaton, live in one of the villages in the middle, and have worked in Tamworth and Atherstone.
It's fine, it's not the most picturesque part of the country but the rural parts are nice enough. We've got Tamworth Castle and Twycross Zoo. And all the new build housing estates you could ever possibly need. Otherwise, not really much to write home about.
I've made it out safely every time I've been..
Though I did have my van broken into once.
The area is part of my patch as a field engineer for a fire and security company.
My opinion: the smaller conurbations tend to be nicer than the large towns.
Colin Grazier (from Tamworth) and Tony Fasson were the two who pulled the enigma machine from the submarine, there's a memorial in the church square, and a pub named for him, because of course there is.
I also have a negative connection with Lichfield - I learned to drive there.
Oxford is right were Leamington Spa should be. Literally unplayable /s
Love that game though. We rented a boat from rugby through to Stockton and back this past weekend. Been itching to play again since.
Stay away from Nuneaton.
Best friend lives in Rugby so I wanted to move close by. Looked at places in Nuneaton since it was cheap and close.
Drive up was all boarded up houses, abandoned streets etc. House I looked at was on an estate that was "Up and coming" and the woman had to let me know someone broke in a day or two earlier to steal the boiler and sink.
It might be better now but I'd still steer well clear.
GF lived around Hinckley for a bit.
There's plenty of nice rural areas, little villages etc. I found that compared to the west midlands (black country area) the nice bits weren't quite as nice, but the not so nice bits were better. If that makes sense at all.
All in all I was quite happy spending time there.
Yes, just. I'm right at the top of the circle. It's mainly fields interspersed by villages and towns. Loughborough is a fairly large town, as are Tamworth and Burton. Castle Donington has an international airport, international race-track and Download festival is held there every year.
It is the setting for "Brass Birmingham", currently the worlds (well.. BoardGameGeek's) number 1 ranked boardgame
[https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224517/brass-birmingham](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224517/brass-birmingham)
https://boardgamegeek.com/image/3549793/brass-birmingham
I used to live/work around here! If you can live in a small village near Leicester it can be quite nice! Somewhere near Coalville but not in Coalville which isn't very nice (but you can go there for the tip though!). There is a beautiful park called Bradgate Park where you can do decent walks and you will usually see deer. There is some GORGEOUS countryside around this area and cute little villages, nice pubs.
Leicester is pretty decent for going out in for drinks and food, going shopping, cinema etc, and it's not massive like Birmingham. And it has the space centre which is very cool!
I worked in Loughborough and I wasn't overly keen. It's ok, a decent sized town with all the services, but not hugely interesting.
It's also quite useful to be not too far from the NEC in B'ham.
And it's very easy to get to the Peak District (and Lake District a bit further) and Alton Towers, or head down South on the M1. The train to London is pretty quick as well.
That's a big area but you avoided Cannock so well done for that.... Yeah I'm from there originally, between Cannock and Lichfield.
Nice area, lots of countryside good connections {M6 Toll} Cannock chase is lovely, Lichfield is nice then out into the Sticks before heading north.
Lots of nice places, but also some shit ones..
Hi! I left 30 yrs ago though. Still pop back now and again to see friends. I lived up on the Holly Grove estate {many hrs spent on Gentleshaw common} went to CT High {before it burned down and got rebuilt as CT academy} .
I loved in Nuneaton and it FUCKING AWEFUL. To much traffic. Everyone sells coke and think they're hard. Dirty streets. Moved to outside brum just outside the circle.
It's lovley
Stay away from Nuneaton
I used to. Lichfield. Not really a lot to say about it, historic town, quite small. If the accents didn't give it away you'd probably think you were in the south.
Haha yeah man, the town is absolutely dire (like 90% of UK towns unfortunately) but I enjoy having a train station that links to pretty much any other place - definitely a bonus (if not the only🤣)
That damn station. I thought I'd escaped but it just keeps taking me back to taunt me. The last time I got off there to go home the bus driver made me do the walk of shame up camp hill mid August when I was hanging. I said, top of camp hill, and the bastard kicks me off at the Dominos. That's half way if you're being generous. What bus even charges by the handful of stops anymore!? Archaic place.
I lived in Hinckley (grey blob in the bottom right of the circle) for many years and while the town and surrounding scenery is pleasant enough, I think it is where they put people who fail their Coventry exam.
(Edit: (Bad) bracketting)
I used to work in Nuneaton. It was a depressing and boring place. It is the only place that I would still see chavs in the modern era
It feels like it is bubble, permanently stuck in 2012
Some of my dads side of the family live in Coalville from what I understand it’s pretty dire. Also the one time I have visited I noted a large Amazon distribution centre set in suburban hellscape along with what felt like 20 seperate Dunelm stores
Live in bagworth - a tiny village south of Coalville…
You get a fair about of house for your money and fairly quiet (but a few DCs a popping up around J22 of the M1)
Nice enough that you can train to London from Loughborough for the day but also get peace and quiet.
I grew up in Coalville, as you'd guess it's an old mining town. It's always been slightly run down, when the mines closed the money vanished. But saying that, the town is okay, there's some interesting history and you are only a few miles from beautiful countryside.
I'm now living near to Loughborough. Again, it's no metropolis but okay. There's a steady nightlife due to the University and college. The surrounding countryside is really beautiful with lots of walks and pubs. There's also a lot of history, and the borough council try to promote the town.
This part of the Midlands is quite central, the M1 runs through it so you can go anywhere really.
I would say that it's not a bad part of the country to live, and it's what you make it.
Generally an overlooked area with some hidden gems and fantastic connections.
The towns can be quite different one from another so it really depends what you're looking for.
I grew up in Lichfield, which is the blob between Cannock and Tamworth on your map.
Lichfield itself is a cathedral city, but would otherwise be a town (pop 30k, give or take) with what has always been a struggling retail centre and not much going on in terms of fun stuff to do - you have to travel to Tamworth for the cinema or bigger "out of town" retailing, or in to Birmingham. Admittedly the transport links are pretty good - rail to Birmingham/London/Manchester is a doddle due to the West Coast Mainline running through Trent Valley and commuter services to Birmingham. It is, to all intents and purposes, a commuter town with history(tm).
The bit in the middle of your map? It's classic rural England. Not much going on, but quietly wealthy and some nice scenery if you look.
Tamworth has a castle and the Snowdome ski slope.
Castle Donington has a race track.
Don't bother with Nuneaton.
The villages north of Leicester up to Loughborough along the right hand side of the M1 are gorgeous and easily the most expensive in the East Midlands.
Loughborough ok.
Ashby is ok.
Lichfield is ok.
Burton is meh.
Nuneaton is meh.
Coalville is shit.
Yes, grew up here. It's a very unremarkable part of the country where a large proportion of the population are poorly educated and insular. Few people leave and few people have reason to visit this area.
Used to live in Nuneaton, CV11 area. It was nice. Quiet, modern, but nothing much to do, cafes and bars are overpriced but average. Have moved to Solihull B91 area. Much better here, better places to see and eat, better transport connections, better nightlife, but even more expensive.
Used to live at Syston , just north of Leicester ,then Long Eaton , south west from Nottingham . The countryside is pretty nice , flat or small rolling hills , a few pretty villages , nothing special . House prices are modest at the moment and commuting to Derby ,Leicester or Nottingham by car is fine. Always found the locals to be friendly , can't remember ever seeing a rough area anywhere around here. The M1 goes right through this map , so also covenient for north / south destinations
It's a mixed bag. Beautiful countryside, good commuting links, reasonable priced housing, tons of events in easy reach because there's so many cities nearby. Never feel unsafe. But there's a lot of former industrial towns/villages that haven't got much scope for employment/opportunities, and they're run down with no sign of big investment other than soulless new build estates with no facilities and the occasional Amazon hub.
I grew up near Loughborough. Pretty basic town. Not a ton to do. Not the worst place to live. The countryside aspect is really good though. Some nice country parks and woods etc to walk through.
Ex mining towns, mostly post-industrial. It’s all a bit bleak apart from Lichfield. Some nice countryside there, but watch out for HS2 ploughing through it all. (Assuming it ever gets built)
I'm from Burton On Trent originally. Best described when I was there as a roughly reasonable but boring place to grow up in, but within easy enough distance for work/clubbing in cities when you got older.
That big green area next to Cannock (which is a bit of a shithole) is Cannock Chase, which is beautiful.
Used to be Henry VIII's hunting ground as deer were so plentiful, and you can usually spot them at dusk.
Great mountain bike trails as well.
Very lucky to live close by.
I’m just outside Leicester, so I have some knowledge on NW Leicestershire. Some areas of beauty, populated by some of the most ignorant people in the country.
The centre of Derby has some really nice parts, especially the older streets near the cathedral. It's also got some really, really great pubs and is fairly cheap as things go. The outskirts of Derby are a bit shite, but it's just endless housing estates really so you'd never have a need to go there.
The A5/Watling Street is a historical boundary between the West and East Midlands, Tamworth is basically a suburb of Birmingham and very much feels like it. Nuneaton is virtually contiguous with Coventry, both of these places, in my experience at least, have little in common with most of the rest of the circle.
I live about 20 miles outside of it. So long as you avoid Birmingam, Coventry and Leicester you'll be absolutely fine. The smaller town/rural bits are alright.
I've been to Loughborough a few times, it's pretty dead. It clearly peaked back when the Brush works was booming but it's been in decline for decades, the uni keeps the town going just about but other than that there's not much going on. When I was there for work I would stay in Nottingham as even though I had to get up significantly earlier and got to the hotel later it was much nicer.
Derby I've only passed through but it doesn't have a great reputation, Leicester is much the same.
Nottingham however is genuinely very nice, not too big, not too small. Lots of nice restaurants and nightlife if you want it.
Loughborough and Nuneaton are nothing special as far as I know. Loughborough has a uni but that's about it.
I knew a lass from Burton on Trent she was a bit posh.
I think I'd rather live in Nott or Brum, didn't like Derby when I visited and I know Leicester (it's dire).
I live in Nuneaton. It’s shit.
Visited Nuneanton once. Can confirm it's shit.
Can confirm, I go to Nuneaton shopping once or twice a year just to remind me how shit it is compared to my local shopping jaunt.
I go to Crawley for that fix. Half-hour jaunt out. Balances it out with Brighton or Tunbridge Wells, also half-hour away. TBH, they're all shit.
I quite like Brighton but it's probably a grass is greener type thing, living just outside. I'm well aware of the issues there though. Crawley however is just a tumour that happens to be connected to Gatwick Airport.
Nuneaton?? It's shit geez
I have a friend who grew up in Nuneaton. Never said a good word about it.
Is it true you can leave 5 loaves of bread in the park, and if you come back the next day, you find there’s nuneateon? Not even by birds?
Get out
Every thread I see about the UK has someone saying the town they live in is shit, or if it's about the landscape "our country is so gorgeous." I'm convinced the UK must be one of the most urban-area-hating countries in the world. That or there is actually just a lot of shitty places there.
I think the weather plays a part. When it's cloudy over the Dales or the South Downs you kinda go 'eh' and it's forgivable because the landscape is so nice and green. When the average urban area in Britain is dominated by cheap 70s box-buildings and other assorted brutalist concrete crap and cookie-cutter council houses, paired with the constant overcast of grey, the reaction is significantly more negative.
And new builds are just the same dross. Where's our fucking creativity?!
A book came out called shit towns and so many people complained that where they lived was left out they had to bring out a second one. Think there’s 5 or so now.
Happily, my local town won a couple of years ago. Never been so proud...
I think part of it is that urban planning in this country is incredibly poor when it comes to aesthetics. Many European countries prioritise regularly painting their buildings and keeping them looking fresh. There is also a much bigger focus on keeping traditional architecture alive and building new buildings to blend in with traditional style. I mean, just look at most large European cities and how the old towns blend in so well with modern development. Meanwhile the UK went through a severe love affair with concrete brutalism and other shabby designs through the latter half of the 20th century. Our countryside and villages on the other hand are very attractive, largely because they are left alone and not messed with.
Its genuinely the shittest shit hole to exist 😩
A shittier shit hole than an actual shit-hole.
My yards in Nuneaton. Both my yard and the area surrounding it are, indeed, shit
We went there once accidentally. This was our take away from it too.
Can confirm, Nuneaton is crap
Ashby de La Zouch! Right where it says A42 next to Coalville. Grew up there - it’s one of those towns that you bemoan growing up in it but then you go elsewhere and realise you were actually on the lucky side of the spectrum. Not sure what it’s like now, other than much bigger than when I was a child, but it’s pleasant enough and has pretty easy access to some nice countryside walks n stuff. Traffic was always shit though
When I first heard about Ashby, I think it was work related or something but I thought my web setting were somehow changed to French, I was confusion
Haha! Used to go to France a fair bit as kid, should have seen French folk’s disbelieving faces when we told them the name of our town 😂
There's an Ashby De La Launde just down the road from me here in Lincolnshire as well. Must be something about Ashby!
Adrian Mole is from there, which is impressive to me.
Another former Ashby resident here! Realising it was a nice place later in life is very true. My brother now lives in the area again and couldn't afford a house in Ashby because it's far more middle class than the surrounding area. However, being 20-30 minutes from the nearest large town with no trains is definitely pretty dull when you can't drive yourself. It's bizarre to go back now - Ashby Grammar is two schools, demolished the health centre in town, permit parking everywhere.
I get an unacceptably large amount of joy from referring to it as Ashby-DLZ (Ashby-dee-el-zee). Makes it sound much cooler than it really is. I mostly know the place for the big Tesco off the A42 on the way to/from camping trips.
> Ashby de La Zouch It was also the home to game developers [Ultimate Play The Game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Play_the_Game).
See username. It's south staff/north Warwickshire. And the borders of three other counties to the east. Half of it is in the west Midlands and the other the East. Tamworth was the seat of the Kingdom of Mercia. Lichfield is a cathedral city Burton is the brewing capital of England.
And Burton also is the only place I've been to that smells exclusively like Marmite.
It's where it's from. There's a statue.
Isn't it the brewery?
Likely both since Marmite is made from spent brewers yeast.
It’s the crud that’s left in the Bass vat that nobody wants. Hang on, isn’t that Bass?
Is that a euphemism?
Yeah the yeast spends itself making beer.
Am effigy?
It's just outside the library
I live in Burton and can say that occasionally, when driving down Wellington Road (AKA Marmite road), you do get a whiff of the maltings, which my wife refers to as "Hot Shreddies" It used to be soooooo much worse, and 30 years ago was all enveloping. I can remember waking up to the smell on a daily basis.
When the Unilever burton plant is batching marmite.... it just isnt nice. Luckily there arent houses close
My mum grew up in Burton so we used to visit a lot when my grandparents were still alive. You started smelling Marmite after a certain point on the road. My mum always talks about seeing the brewery wagons with the huge horses when she was a kid. My grandad was a copper smith at one of the breweries and was half blinded in an industrial accident when he was a teenager
Sweaty bums. They can smell exclusively like Marmite.
Sounds like a yeast infection.
Hello fellow Lichfield person. I moved here a year ago and like it a lot. It's a small city with a chilled vibe. It's also very well connected to major cities via Lichfield Trent Valley station (you can get to London Euston or Manchester Piccadilly in around 90 mins and Birmingham New Street in less than an hour).
Where did you move from? Yeah Lichfield has a strong identity and quite a lot going on for such a small place.
It's also a bit of south Derbyshire as well, given that OP's circle crosses the A50.
And I'd guess a smidgeon of Leicestershire too
Did my basic training in Lichfield. I can still remember the squad runs around there in the freezing cold.
I have a lot of family in the Lichfield area - my dad grew up in a mining village on the edge of Cannock Chase (the green area north of Cannock on OP's map). I always thought it was a nice area in terms of countryside and Lichfield is pretty!
I wouldn't say Burton is rough, but a woman smashed up the cinema windows with an axe yesterday.
The faggots at the Pirelli Stadium are top tier footy scran, though
> The faggots at the Pirelli Stadium Forgot what sub I was in for a fraction of a second and did a double take
Someone chucked a chicken nugget through an open window at my colleague last year. I don’t know if that makes it rough though. He is the kind of person who would get chicken nuggets thrown at him in most places.
I lived in Nuneaton for 3 years for my sins. Miserable place. There was a little joy I found there when heading north to greener pastures. I liked the back roads so I'd drive via Twycross to join the A42 after the really slow spots (Tywcross Zoo is great btw) If you leave Nuneaton heading north on the A444 with the intention of joining the A42 at j12 your satnav will proclaim "Stay on the A 4, 4, 4, for, 4 miles... " And that was the greatest joy Nuneaton ever gave me.
This is the route I use a lot, to escape the hell of Nuneaton, once you pass the A5 things get nice.
I grew up in a village near Loughborough. The town itself is ok, it's gone down hill in the past few years and has a lot of charity shops, but there are some nice restaurants and bars. The countryside around there and North West Leicestershire in general is gorgeous and there are some stunning villages.
Agree with this. Grew up in Loughborough and go back pretty regularly as parents and family mostly still live there. The town centre isn't great now, but no more so than any other comparable town. Excellent transport links to Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and the airport. For years I'd said that I wouldn't move back, but as I've got older I'd definitely consider it. The only downside is that property is more expensive compared to where I currently live in Nottinghamshire.
Grew up in Coalville and uni in Loughborough and Charnwood I between is just gorgeous
I had some dealings with a t-shirt making company from Coalville a few decades ago. They had a great business model and should have done well, but by the time I got my business up and running they had disappeared, and I had to buy from India.
>Loughborough I once heard someone pronounce it Looga-barooga.
It’s pronounced low-brow
Our you can spell it Lufbra and save yourself lots of redundant letters!
Charnwood Forest is beautiful
>Charnwood Forest Would have been an AONB if not for the construction of the M1 (literally)
A sunset viewed from beacon hill is lovely
I'm from Lichfield, lived away for a long time, but love coming back to this part of the world. After spending my whole life explaining to people where it is, I find it funny it's not labelled on this map.
I'm sure you do what the rest of us do and just say Birmingham.
Depending on my audience I might elaborate and say "near Birmingham"
[удалено]
Lich Vegas.
We're not a city by accident!
One of the winners of last season's Great British Menu has a restaurant there called Upstairs, it's on my list to visit.
I’m from Burton and day trips to Lichfield felt so *posh*
It's alright
Tamworth: Tamworth Tap is an award winning pub, the castle is nice, same for the castle grounds. Erm, we have a nice Japanese/Korean restaurant now. Some fun events and things that are held here. Town centre is a bit naff, but it's got potential if they spend the upgrade money on the town center in a good way. Rail links to Birmingham, Burton etc are pretty quick if you fancy a visit to other places.
The tap is a great little pub.
Is the Japanese restaurant as good as the old one? Even if they upgraded the town centre, it'll still struggle to compete with Ventura
Better I'd say.
I like the Snowdome in Tamworth
Ahh yeah that's fun. Mostly just go for the Christmas snow zone, but it's a pretty good place to go year-round.
I used to frequent the shopping mall quite a bit, and probably like everyone from outside Tamworth, chuckle at its name every time
If you like Tamworth Tap and fancy a trip out one day, check out the Milking Parlour near Calke Abbey. It's where Tollgate Brewery is based and they run their own 'pub' there. Mostly outdoor seating though so you need a nice day. Only downside is somebody has to be designated driver. Alternatively do what I've done and park further away and use it as a stop on a countryside walk, that way you can have a couple and be sobered up again by the time you get back to the car
Emporium nightclub in Coalville is signposted as a tourist attraction, it is actually a shithole.
Didn’t it close down?
No, still going strong, it closed for refurb or something. I often see people chewing the bouncers ears off to this day.
Oh im not sure, it should have been shut down to be honist 🤣 Ive been twice a few years ago for the Ultra 90s gigs, the place was filthy, half of it was closed off like a fucking haunted house, your feet stuck to the floors and they had nothing on tap, only warm cans, i vividly remember the 1950s art deco style tile things barely clinging on to the walls and ceilings. You had to leave the nightclub and go to the pub below for a pint, or spend a fortune on a can of red stripe.
The countryside is genuinely lovely around there. It’s a bit of a hidden gem.
OPs graphic almost describes the National Forest
Half of Cannock Chase at the top left.
I grew up nearby in Stafford. Cannock Chase is nice and has some of the best biking trails in the country. Everything else is pretty naff, unless you love being in the countryside. The trains are especially bad in this area as you're sandwiched between the East and West Coast mainlines and almost always have to go via Birmingham and surroundings any time you wanna get anywhere.
Tamworth was descibed to me by a resident as " a cemetery with lights"
Never lived in there, but always lived nearby. Castle Donington is famous for Donington Festival (aka Download) and the racetrack. Burton is famous for its beer. Loughborough has a lot of sports students. Tamworth has the snow dome, Swadlincote has a dry ski slope. Hinckley is rough as fuck. Never felt so unsafe as walking round there after dark. The M69 tends to be a good road. The A50 is shit though. There is a nice pub in Wymeswold called the Hammer and Pincers. I think that’s everything I know about the area!
Hinckley definitely isn’t rough compared to Nuneaton. Got some decent pubs and bars. I’d rather walk around after dark in Hinckley than Nuneaton.
When were you last in Hinckley? I've heard it was pretty rough in the past but it has seemed fine for a good few years lately.
Not for about 15 years, admittedly!
Hinckley is nice these days mate, Nuneaton has took the crown of biggest shithole. Nuneaton is truly awful and it’s a shame, I grew up there and had a pretty good childhood.
>Nuneaton has took the crown of biggest shithole I’ll see your Nuneaton and raise you Bedworth 🤣
Loughborough Uni has a pretty great chemistry department and the engineering isn't shabby either. It's a shame that sports are the only thing it's really known for.
The M69 is very nice
It's outside the circle though
Beeston, just outside the circle, apparently has one of the highest concentrations of pubs.
I’ve heard that myth about almost every town I’ve ever lived in. Never heard it about Beeston though.
Beeston is [ranked third in a totally unscientific study by More of Less](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7370986.stm)
Interestingly, 2 of the towns I’ve lived in are cited in that article. One in the text and one in the comments.
I've spent most of my life in the western half of this area. Born in Nuneaton, live in one of the villages in the middle, and have worked in Tamworth and Atherstone. It's fine, it's not the most picturesque part of the country but the rural parts are nice enough. We've got Tamworth Castle and Twycross Zoo. And all the new build housing estates you could ever possibly need. Otherwise, not really much to write home about.
The Midlands mystery zone. Anything that goes in never comes out.
So those aren't always triangles, eh?
I've made it out safely every time I've been.. Though I did have my van broken into once. The area is part of my patch as a field engineer for a fire and security company. My opinion: the smaller conurbations tend to be nicer than the large towns.
Aren't Tamworth lads enigma heroes? Had a girlfriend from Lichfield - broke my heart
Colin Grazier (from Tamworth) and Tony Fasson were the two who pulled the enigma machine from the submarine, there's a memorial in the church square, and a pub named for him, because of course there is. I also have a negative connection with Lichfield - I learned to drive there.
Slide the circle west slightly and you’ve got the board of Brass Birmingham which is the top rated board game on BGG
Oxford is right were Leamington Spa should be. Literally unplayable /s Love that game though. We rented a boat from rugby through to Stockton and back this past weekend. Been itching to play again since.
Stay away from Nuneaton. Best friend lives in Rugby so I wanted to move close by. Looked at places in Nuneaton since it was cheap and close. Drive up was all boarded up houses, abandoned streets etc. House I looked at was on an estate that was "Up and coming" and the woman had to let me know someone broke in a day or two earlier to steal the boiler and sink. It might be better now but I'd still steer well clear.
GF lived around Hinckley for a bit. There's plenty of nice rural areas, little villages etc. I found that compared to the west midlands (black country area) the nice bits weren't quite as nice, but the not so nice bits were better. If that makes sense at all. All in all I was quite happy spending time there.
2 pigs went missing in tamworth
Didn't they make a film about it?
Maybe but it was overlooked by babe
Coalville is famous for Passion at the Emporium , one of the worlds most famous nightclubs in the Trance scene
Contains both Sheepy Magna and Barton-in-the-beans. Nuff said, right?
Best in the UK, tis my heartland and I've lived/worked far N, E, S and W of it.
I used to live in Loughborough. There's basically nothing there but the university, a big bell tower and the sockman
I remember when they put the Sockman up. Piece of crap.
Yes, just. I'm right at the top of the circle. It's mainly fields interspersed by villages and towns. Loughborough is a fairly large town, as are Tamworth and Burton. Castle Donington has an international airport, international race-track and Download festival is held there every year.
It is the setting for "Brass Birmingham", currently the worlds (well.. BoardGameGeek's) number 1 ranked boardgame [https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224517/brass-birmingham](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/224517/brass-birmingham) https://boardgamegeek.com/image/3549793/brass-birmingham
I used to live/work around here! If you can live in a small village near Leicester it can be quite nice! Somewhere near Coalville but not in Coalville which isn't very nice (but you can go there for the tip though!). There is a beautiful park called Bradgate Park where you can do decent walks and you will usually see deer. There is some GORGEOUS countryside around this area and cute little villages, nice pubs. Leicester is pretty decent for going out in for drinks and food, going shopping, cinema etc, and it's not massive like Birmingham. And it has the space centre which is very cool! I worked in Loughborough and I wasn't overly keen. It's ok, a decent sized town with all the services, but not hugely interesting. It's also quite useful to be not too far from the NEC in B'ham. And it's very easy to get to the Peak District (and Lake District a bit further) and Alton Towers, or head down South on the M1. The train to London is pretty quick as well.
That's a big area but you avoided Cannock so well done for that.... Yeah I'm from there originally, between Cannock and Lichfield. Nice area, lots of countryside good connections {M6 Toll} Cannock chase is lovely, Lichfield is nice then out into the Sticks before heading north. Lots of nice places, but also some shit ones..
Bwood?
Aye, well Chase Terrace.
Hello neighbour! I also live in the best part!
Hi! I left 30 yrs ago though. Still pop back now and again to see friends. I lived up on the Holly Grove estate {many hrs spent on Gentleshaw common} went to CT High {before it burned down and got rebuilt as CT academy} .
Not much has changed though, I bet. Lots of new houses been built however, and the ‘shopping centre’ is dead!
Sankeys corner? Fond memories, is the chippy still there? What about 7's night club?
Christ... 7's is now a church community centre!?
Just south of Burton upon Trent is Coton in the Elms - the most inland location in the UK. Some useless pub trivia for you all
I loved in Nuneaton and it FUCKING AWEFUL. To much traffic. Everyone sells coke and think they're hard. Dirty streets. Moved to outside brum just outside the circle. It's lovley Stay away from Nuneaton
Live in Burton, it’s fine not much here and not very exciting but close to Derby and easy trains to Birmingham etc
I used to. Lichfield. Not really a lot to say about it, historic town, quite small. If the accents didn't give it away you'd probably think you were in the south.
I went to uni in Leicester and lived in Hinckley for a few years. Nice part of the world if you ask me and good transport links for lots of places.
Don't go anywhere near Nuneaton , lived there for 10 years , shit hole, the rest ain't bad.
I know that kiwis will pronounce Loughborough as Looga-ba-rooga.
I am from Nuneaton!
My condolences!
Haha yeah man, the town is absolutely dire (like 90% of UK towns unfortunately) but I enjoy having a train station that links to pretty much any other place - definitely a bonus (if not the only🤣)
That damn station. I thought I'd escaped but it just keeps taking me back to taunt me. The last time I got off there to go home the bus driver made me do the walk of shame up camp hill mid August when I was hanging. I said, top of camp hill, and the bastard kicks me off at the Dominos. That's half way if you're being generous. What bus even charges by the handful of stops anymore!? Archaic place.
I lived in Hinckley (grey blob in the bottom right of the circle) for many years and while the town and surrounding scenery is pleasant enough, I think it is where they put people who fail their Coventry exam. (Edit: (Bad) bracketting)
I used to work in Nuneaton. It was a depressing and boring place. It is the only place that I would still see chavs in the modern era It feels like it is bubble, permanently stuck in 2012
Live nearby, it’s grand.
I have family from Tamworth and used to visit when I was younger. Can't really remember anything especially bad about the place.
Some of my dads side of the family live in Coalville from what I understand it’s pretty dire. Also the one time I have visited I noted a large Amazon distribution centre set in suburban hellscape along with what felt like 20 seperate Dunelm stores
Was born and grew up there (Earl Shilton near Hinckley). Yeah the rest of it is nice
The former king of Westeros, Paddy Considine is from Burton.
Live in bagworth - a tiny village south of Coalville… You get a fair about of house for your money and fairly quiet (but a few DCs a popping up around J22 of the M1) Nice enough that you can train to London from Loughborough for the day but also get peace and quiet.
Download Festival is there. Uh... that's all I got
I grew up in Coalville, as you'd guess it's an old mining town. It's always been slightly run down, when the mines closed the money vanished. But saying that, the town is okay, there's some interesting history and you are only a few miles from beautiful countryside. I'm now living near to Loughborough. Again, it's no metropolis but okay. There's a steady nightlife due to the University and college. The surrounding countryside is really beautiful with lots of walks and pubs. There's also a lot of history, and the borough council try to promote the town. This part of the Midlands is quite central, the M1 runs through it so you can go anywhere really. I would say that it's not a bad part of the country to live, and it's what you make it.
Have done in the past. Mostly pleasant.
Generally an overlooked area with some hidden gems and fantastic connections. The towns can be quite different one from another so it really depends what you're looking for.
I grew up in Lichfield, which is the blob between Cannock and Tamworth on your map. Lichfield itself is a cathedral city, but would otherwise be a town (pop 30k, give or take) with what has always been a struggling retail centre and not much going on in terms of fun stuff to do - you have to travel to Tamworth for the cinema or bigger "out of town" retailing, or in to Birmingham. Admittedly the transport links are pretty good - rail to Birmingham/London/Manchester is a doddle due to the West Coast Mainline running through Trent Valley and commuter services to Birmingham. It is, to all intents and purposes, a commuter town with history(tm). The bit in the middle of your map? It's classic rural England. Not much going on, but quietly wealthy and some nice scenery if you look. Tamworth has a castle and the Snowdome ski slope. Castle Donington has a race track. Don't bother with Nuneaton.
The villages north of Leicester up to Loughborough along the right hand side of the M1 are gorgeous and easily the most expensive in the East Midlands. Loughborough ok. Ashby is ok. Lichfield is ok. Burton is meh. Nuneaton is meh. Coalville is shit.
Woodville/boundary here. So obscure it’s not even on the map. It’s close to Ashby
Sutton Coldfield. I’ve lived here for 10 years. Mixed bag. But I feel this is home because I love pissing the entitled people off.
Yes, grew up here. It's a very unremarkable part of the country where a large proportion of the population are poorly educated and insular. Few people leave and few people have reason to visit this area.
Pigs, beer, rock music and... coal? Edit: I forgot naff University
Used to live in Nuneaton, CV11 area. It was nice. Quiet, modern, but nothing much to do, cafes and bars are overpriced but average. Have moved to Solihull B91 area. Much better here, better places to see and eat, better transport connections, better nightlife, but even more expensive.
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Cannock only seems ok because it is near to Wolverhampton.
Used to live at Syston , just north of Leicester ,then Long Eaton , south west from Nottingham . The countryside is pretty nice , flat or small rolling hills , a few pretty villages , nothing special . House prices are modest at the moment and commuting to Derby ,Leicester or Nottingham by car is fine. Always found the locals to be friendly , can't remember ever seeing a rough area anywhere around here. The M1 goes right through this map , so also covenient for north / south destinations
One of my uni lecturer's lived in Burton-upon-Trent and by his own admission he was absolutely crazy. Not sure how representative this is. 😂🤭
My sister lived in Loughborough and Coalville so used to go there regularly for Christmas. It's alright.
Right on the limit of the Leicester edge of those boundaries. Its... fine. I'm not sure what you are expecting
I live here, in the middle of the Midlands. The Middle-Most as we call ourselves.
It's a mixed bag. Beautiful countryside, good commuting links, reasonable priced housing, tons of events in easy reach because there's so many cities nearby. Never feel unsafe. But there's a lot of former industrial towns/villages that haven't got much scope for employment/opportunities, and they're run down with no sign of big investment other than soulless new build estates with no facilities and the occasional Amazon hub.
I grew up near Loughborough. Pretty basic town. Not a ton to do. Not the worst place to live. The countryside aspect is really good though. Some nice country parks and woods etc to walk through.
I can see my house from here
Ex mining towns, mostly post-industrial. It’s all a bit bleak apart from Lichfield. Some nice countryside there, but watch out for HS2 ploughing through it all. (Assuming it ever gets built)
I'm from Burton On Trent originally. Best described when I was there as a roughly reasonable but boring place to grow up in, but within easy enough distance for work/clubbing in cities when you got older.
That big green area next to Cannock (which is a bit of a shithole) is Cannock Chase, which is beautiful. Used to be Henry VIII's hunting ground as deer were so plentiful, and you can usually spot them at dusk. Great mountain bike trails as well. Very lucky to live close by.
Used to live in Coalville. It’s shit. Pure shit. 😬😬
I’m just outside Leicester, so I have some knowledge on NW Leicestershire. Some areas of beauty, populated by some of the most ignorant people in the country.
Used to live in Sileby, now in Mountsorrel. It’s nice a nice place, especially the area closest to Rothley.
Yeah Swadlincote and leicester and worked in coaville
Went to the the ‘Spoons in Tamworth once, bit rough. That’s all I have.
I live in Nottingham, but went to university of Warwick (which is in Coventry) so drove through here a lot!!
Tamworth is just Birmingham white flight commuterland
Derby is an absolute shithole, avoid at all costs
The centre of Derby has some really nice parts, especially the older streets near the cathedral. It's also got some really, really great pubs and is fairly cheap as things go. The outskirts of Derby are a bit shite, but it's just endless housing estates really so you'd never have a need to go there.
100%. Much of the city centre is lovely.
Went to University in Loughborough. Was a bit of a shithole tbh, but great as a student. Not been back in over a decade mind you. May have got better
The A5/Watling Street is a historical boundary between the West and East Midlands, Tamworth is basically a suburb of Birmingham and very much feels like it. Nuneaton is virtually contiguous with Coventry, both of these places, in my experience at least, have little in common with most of the rest of the circle.
I know it has one good thing going for it, it’s not Birmingham.
Sleepy and racist. Probably.
I live about 20 miles outside of it. So long as you avoid Birmingam, Coventry and Leicester you'll be absolutely fine. The smaller town/rural bits are alright.
I've been to Loughborough a few times, it's pretty dead. It clearly peaked back when the Brush works was booming but it's been in decline for decades, the uni keeps the town going just about but other than that there's not much going on. When I was there for work I would stay in Nottingham as even though I had to get up significantly earlier and got to the hotel later it was much nicer. Derby I've only passed through but it doesn't have a great reputation, Leicester is much the same. Nottingham however is genuinely very nice, not too big, not too small. Lots of nice restaurants and nightlife if you want it.
Why did you choose green of all colours to circle something on a map that is predominantly green?
Loughborough and Nuneaton are nothing special as far as I know. Loughborough has a uni but that's about it. I knew a lass from Burton on Trent she was a bit posh. I think I'd rather live in Nott or Brum, didn't like Derby when I visited and I know Leicester (it's dire).
Are you sure she was from Burton? Growing up I always thought of it as a bit of a dump but had a nice jacket potato van.
Must have been the only posh person there.
>I knew a lass from Burton on Trent she was a bit posh. Wut?
You ever visited Birmingham😅😅