LondonSquirrel

Only been to Leicester once. Going again in September, staying a couple of nights in a hotel with DH. I really want to do the Richard III Visitor Experience as I am a 15th Century history buff. Last time I went, with my mum and sister but not DH, we did Leicester Cathedral and the king's new burial spot. It was just a few months after the televised funeral.

ExBritFL

It's a small world - I was raised in Leicester (evington area) and also lived in Nottinghamshire !
I would consider Leicestershire this time, as opposed to Leicester "proper" which has become a bit too congested for my liking now (or maybe seems that way as I'm getting old)!

christmasoompa

Whilst I wouldn't put it the same way that verystormy did, I do respectfully disagree.

There are some amazing schools in the UK that aren't private, my children are at two of them. I'm very pro private education myself, but it's just not needed here IMO.

My daughter is currently doing a week's sailing around the Suffolk coast to get her RYA Level 1 & 2 certs. She can do a scuba diving course and get her PADI open water cert. She has rock climbing lessons (again, getting an internationally recognised qualification in the process) on the rock climbing wall that's at school. She's learning Mandarin. She has 11 state of the art science labs to choose from. She has an amphitheatre in the school grounds for outside learning. Her (and her classmates) oxygen levels are monitored throughout the day and if they dip in the afternoon at the usual 'I'm feeling snoozy and not paying full attention' time, then oxygen is pumped in to her classroom. She's in a French immersion program so has several classes taught in French. She's in a class of 18 pupils. All of this is at a state/public secondary school.

We did look at private schooling for her, but frankly couldn't see what we'd be getting for our money.

Yes, there are crap schools in the UK, but there are also amazing ones. Granted, I live in an area that is known to have some of the best state schools in the country, but there are plenty of other equally fab schools in other areas. If you think that all state schools in the UK are rubbish, then I suspect you've not looked at them properly for a while, as they've come on in leaps and bounds since I was at school.

verystormy

I think as we get older, we are less inclined to city life. We lived in Highfields - a bad reputation, but with some little gems within. At the time, it was great for us. We were young and been in the city was fun. Now, we couldn't tolerate city life and far prefer the village life. Swapped night clubs for country walks.


There are some great places just outside the city though.

verystormy

There are some really interesting things to see.


Go for a walk down New Walk.
Bradgate Park is not far from the city and a great spot - home of some of the oldest fossils in the world and has an amazing history.


We will be heading to the Cathedral soon as my wife is entitled to become a freeman / freewoman of the city and will have her ceremony there.

ExBritFL

Agreed,I grew up not far from highfields and it was quite a pleasant area. Changed a lot over the years though. I love Quorn, Oakham and some of the other neighboring villages.