The East Midlands Lifestyle
going out
From quiet village pubs in the scenic Peak District to the Indian bazaar that is Leicester’s Belgrave Road and from the huge Victoria Shopping Centre in Nottingham with its 450,000 shoppers a week to pleasant cruises down the River Trent, the East Midlands has something for everyone.
The key word to describe going out in the East Midlands is diversity. Although the region is described by the Government as 90% rural, its 3 main cities - Derby, Leicester and Nottingham - all have plenty to offer, whether it be nightlife or shopping.
Nottingham
However, when it comes to entertainment, the regional leader is Nottingham. Its city centre is brought to life every night by its large student population and vast array of bars and clubs. Aside from Leeds and Manchester, Nottingham is regarded as one of the best nights out for the young at heart outside of London.
Nottingham maintains a vibrant nightlife that ranges from real ale drinking in one of Britain’s oldest pubs, The Trip To Jerusalem, to the in-your-face club and bar scene of the Hockley area. Add to that the city’s miniature version of Leicester Square known as Market Square in the centre of town and you have a recipe for a good night out.
Aside from the mass of bars, there are also a number of well-established nightclubs. Probably the most famous club in Nottingham is Rock City where a standard fare of rock and pop has kept the locals happy for years.
For those who seek something a little more genteel, there is the Victorian splendour of the Lace Market development which combines cool bars with trendy boutiques and brasseries.
While for those who want even posher nosh there are a number of excellent restaurants in the centre such as the award-winning World Service, which serves a global fusion of food styles, as well as the Mediterranean specialists Aquarium or, for French food lovers, there is Petit Paris.
Coming in a close second on the club scene to Nottingham is multicultural Leicester which has a significant Indian population. Their impact on the city has been to give the region some of the best Indian restaurants in the country and a multiethnic vibrancy you would not expect in a small city of under 300,000 people.
Leicester
Leicester, the city which gave us footballer Gary Lineker as well as Showaddywaddy and Engelbert Humperdinck, also gives the clubber and gig goer plenty to chose from. Leicester has a number of well appointed venues such as The Princess Charlotte for live bands and DeMontfort Hall which is part of the eponymous university which has hosted Blur, Pulp and many other top British acts.
But Leicester also has plenty of other attractions aside from baltis, beer and bands. For example, bizarrely enough, it is the home to the UK’s National Space Centre where you can see exhibits on Britain’s small but important part in exploring outer space. While, for art lovers, the city also boasts the Phoenix Art Centre cinema and theatre complex which regularly puts on the best art-house films and touring theatrical acts in the country.
Derby
Although Derby is sometimes regarded as the lesser of the 3 East Midlands cities it has a population of over 225,000 and, in recent years, has done a lot to boost its image as a cultural centre.
This Autumn, Derby has seen the opening of its first regular comedy club in the shape of the Funhouse. In the summer the city’s locals enjoyed their own Caribbean Carnival set up to rival a similar event in Leeds.
Derby also has a club scene that is larger than that of many other towns of a similar size. The coolest club at present seems to be the Bluenote Club at Sadler Gate, while the Zanzibar, Destiny and Elite all pull in a regular crowd of students and locals who, as the lingo goes, are ‘up for it’.
No matter how many bars the region’s trio of towns has on offer, still one of the best aspects of the area is its heritage and beautiful countryside. From the Newark Town Art Gallery in Nottinghamshire which exhibits work by artists such Sir Stanley Spencer to the Creswell Crags limestone gorge and Ice Age caverns just north of Nottingham, there is plenty to experience outside the urban area too.
One of the East Midlands’ strongest selling points is its lack of overall development which gives walkers and the outward bound 19,000 km of footpaths, bridleways and byways through some of the best and unspoilt countryside Britain can offer.
So, if its Friday night boozing or natural beauty on a Sunday morning stroll you seek, the East Midlands has both in spades.
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