This is the main railway station serving the University town of Loughborough, 20 miles north of…read moreLeicester. First opened in 1840 on the then Midland Counties Railway, the station was rebuilt in its present position and style by its successor company, the Midland Railway in 1872. The transverse gabled glass canopies and neat Italianate buildings in yellow stock brick are classics of Midland Railway architecture, and the building is grade II listed. It is served by East Midland train services from London along the Midland Main Line to Nottingham and Derby, with a smaller number of Sheffield trains calling. It is also served by the local service from Leicester to Newark and Lincoln via Nottingham. The station has a small shop, ticket office (part time), toilets, an ample car-park and cycle storage, but there is no cafe. Regular local buses call here, including the town shuttle into the centre, and a link bus to East Midlands Airport. The station has level access to platform 1, but platforms 2 and 3 require the use of a barrow crossing which can be used with staff supervision only. The station has short platforms, so some expresses can be accessed by specific carriages only.

Loughborough was a bit of a surprise for me. I heard about how small the town was before I came…read morefor a weeklong stay, and expected it to be like some of the other small towns on the outskirts of England. Maybe a bit rough, a bit old and run-down. It was actually quite a pleasant place to stay! It definitely has that small-town feel, with everything within walking distance. Loads of great restaurants to visit, and a plethora of assorted bars catering to different clientele. The bars all seem to have deals on Jagerbombs, so that's a plus if you're in a party mood. As for the train station specifically, it's a small one-platform setup, the type of station where half of the trains fly by without slowing down. Modern amenities with electronic access, all the normal features you'd expect from a smallish station. Nice and clean, too.

The UK's Southeastern Railway operates one of the busiest networks in the country, running the…read moretrain service between London and Kent and parts of East Sussex.. Gayle and I recently were on their system for a round trip (St. Pancras to Faversham and Canterbury West back to Charring Cross). We sat regular class on slower "local" trains both ways, which were basically commuter runs. The price was right, we had lots of room to spread out as there were few fellow passengers, the ride was comfortable, and the scenery out the window was interesting enough. I'm not sure I'd want to commute like this every day, but that's the bargain that a lot of folks make to live in a nice area that's not the big city.

Southeastern Railway is currently owned by London & South Eastern Railway Limited, it operates…read moreroutes on the Integrated Kent franchise by Govia, who in turn is owned by two rather big players in the UK transportation game including Go-Ahead (largest bus operator in London, Manchester and offering services in other cities) and Keolis (A truly worldwide company who operate buses in Sweden, trains in Boston, the Metro in Shanghai as well as services closer to home such as Manchester's Metrolink, the DLR in London and TFW Rail services.) While the interior of my train wasn't overly impressive or modern, it was comfortable for a short journey of 10 minutes between Charring Cros and London Bridge which also goes via Waterloo East, this is a zone where you can use your Oyster meaning it can work out pretty cheap to travel in comparison to a normal ticket. This journey only came to £2.40, with a daily cap of £7.20 for all zone 1 and 2 services in the cap which includes national rail, tube, DLR and buses. Trains seemed to operate efficiently and quickly with services every two minutes between these destinations and the train staff seemed friendly enough at both stations, although I didn't see a train staff member on board which could be down to it being a short journey. The website is easy to use and explains the ticketing system including Oyster well. Southeastern has 73 stations in the Oyster PAYG area (the price varies between zones obviously between 1 and 9), which is one of the highest of any railway operating company and I presume is second after TFL Rail. I would recommend going along their central London route between London Bridge and Charing Cross via Waterloo East just for the view, with trains every 2-3 minutes during the day (which didn't get busy outside of rush hour) and a journey lasting just under 8 minutes, it is worth it for some great views on the bridge crossing including Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye. 3*

East Midlands Parkway is located next to radcliffe on soar power station in Leicestershire,…read moreEngland. It is the newst rail station to open in the country, and is operated by East Midlands Trains, with services to Nottingham, Derby, Sheffield, Leeds and London St Pancras Directly, with connections at Derby, Nottingham and Leicester to other towns and cities accross the UK. East Midlands Parkway is located between Long Eaton and Loughtborough Train Stations and has a bus service to East Midlands Airport twice an hour. East Midlands Parkway opened on the 26th January, and is planned to expand when rails are upgraded alongside the station, allowing more services to stop. Overall a great station to travel from.

Comfy room and as you would expect a comfy bed. Free wifi was a let down and had to pay for the…read morepremium wifi as I needed to do some work as the free wifi was almost as slow as dialup. Breakfast was good and the staff ever so helpful and friendly. Also you now have to pay £4 to park in their private car park, which was new since my last visit here, I don't agree with the charge, even if I do get reimbursed later.

This is a standard airport Premier Inn. Quiet, comfy, and clean. Why 4 stars? We stayed here during…read morethe Download festival in near by Donington Park. The hotel was booked out with heavy metal fans (including a few families) who all landed back to the hotel covered in mud. The hotel had placed out plastic bags for everyone to put their muddy clothes into. They had signs around the reception, hoping everyone enjoyed themselves, and asking nicely to use the bags. They put on a selection of pizzas and food late in the evening for people coming back from the festival. And above all that, the staff were fantastic. Helpful, cheery, in great humour. Massive thanks to all of the staff for making our muddy stay great.

A Fascinating Day Out…read more We got a discount vouchers for this place and thought it might be interesting and it certainly was. Our guide whose name escape me just now was an absolute joy to listen to as using his knowledge he brought the whole tour alive. From the ingredients in beer to the brewing process through the ages including some beautiful vintage vehicles to the steam engine what was supposed to last 11/2 hours ended up being at least 2 hours not that it seemed to be that long. All in all we had a great time so much so that we intend to return and would certainly recommend it.

This has recently re-opened as the National Brewery Centre and has had a bit of a facelift. It is a…read moresmall museum which shows the history of brewing in Burton with a mix of machinery, video displays and wall boards. A family ticket - two adults and two children - is £27.50 which covers the museum and four drinks tasters (1/7th pint each) per person (squash for the kids, beer for the grown-ups). There is plenty of free parking. Sadly the whole thing was a bit of a disappointment. Most of the video displays were broken, the shire horses were out, and there was very little actually to experience. Anything interesting was cordoned off, so we could look at the outside of a bus, a train, some machinery, but not get close. Basically it is a small museum, with a couple of rooms of stuff in but not much to engage with. It is hard to see how they justify the new grander name of "The National Brewery Centre" and £27.50 is even harder to justify. When I was there they were doing some development work, so I hope they are expanding and improving. As of today though, one to miss.

Stayed here a few times as it is ideally located near to my husbands work in Nottingham…read more It is a good priced hotel with special deals for booking in advance. There is now a pub/family restaurant built next door so you don't need to travel too far for food. It's a little outside of the city centre but it only takes 5/10 mins by bus/taxi to get there. It's within walking distance of Riverside retail park which offers a reasonable selection of shops.

I've stayed at this lodge several times. The staff are not the lodge's strongest suite but they…read moretolerate me with several Irish Wolfhounds, so perhaps I shouldn't be too unkind. Very conveniently located for visiting the centre of Nottingham, or for cricket at Trent Bridge. The rooms may be basic, but they are clean, and everything works - not always guaranteed in the price range that Travelodge works in. Amazing value when booked online sometime in advance! Avoid the Harry Ramsden's end if you don't want your room to smell of fish and chips!

Worst food I've ever eaten..truly diabolical…read more We went for Sunday lunch and had to wait 2 hours. The place was practically empty (we now know why) and when the food did arrive it wasn't what we ordered, half was missing and the plate's were filthy. The manager did not want to listen and blamed us. Tried to suggest we didn't know what good food was. This claims to be a "gastro" pub when it's more of a disaster.

This pub is always on form. We have been for evening meals, Sunday lunches, quick weekday snacks…read moreand even a work's Christmas party. We have never known the quality of food or the drinks to drop beyond superb. There is an extensive regular menu including lighter choices but the real beauty of The Wheel is it's specials. Always at least three fish dishes and varying meats (inc. offal) and vegetarian options. I have no idea how such a small kitchen continues to turn out faultless menus. There isn't currently a children's menu but they will always adapt any of the dished for the smaller guest. I was reliably informed that they are printing a new 'regular' menu as we speak so we will be back soon to test it out! They also cater for dietary requirements, just ask. There is an outdoor seating area but when the sun shines you need to get there early. A small downstairs bar and a larger upstairs dining room makes up for the restaurant with some sofas in the bar area too. Don't miss this delightful place! Small warning though that they don't serve all day so always check before you go! I think lunch service finishes at 2pm. Don't miss this one if you are in the area.

What a nice little day trip if you're staying in Nottingham. Walk around the forest where Robin…read moreHood and his gang spent their time. See the old Major Oak where Robin Hood and his Merry Men would hide before they stole from the rich. This tree is about 1000 years old and it's supported by beams. Come check it out!

Could have been so much better. A lovely forest walk, and they've spent a fortune on the shop and…read morecafe, apparently, but apart from the stuff at the shop the only reference to Robin Hood is two statues on a little bridge with Little John and RH himself. A small museum or exhibition would have been welcome. You can find shops and cafes anywhere. And £3 for an ice cream from the van is pushing it. There seemed more to see with the older set up. Not that impressed. Sorry.