Moving to a new town away from home for the first time can seem daunting. To help make you feel more at ease, recent graduate Ella has created an ultimate guide to Loughborough town to ensure that you arrive with insider knowledge to help you settle in.

Food shopping

The trusty Purple Onion located on campus can sort you out for quick meals and yummy snacks. But, for those bigger food trips it’s a good idea to walk, cycle, or get the bus into town

• Sainsbury’s is one of the closest supermarkets to campus, located on Ashby Road. It’s about a 15 minute walk and a 5 minute bike ride from the Union.
• At the other side of town there’s a shopping centre called ‘The Rushes’ which contains various supermarkets including Tesco and M&S Food.
• Brand new to Loughborough this year is Lidl, which is situated on Station Street, right in the heart of the student triangle in town.

If you feel like you need to give your room a bit of tender loving care, there are several homeware shops in town…

• Located in ‘Regent Place’ retail park, just off Ashby Road, Dunelm has a huge variety of home furnishings available to buy.
• In the heart of town you’ll find lots of shops, such as Primark, with lots of home comforts like cushions, air fresheners and photo frames.
• Wilkos, also based in town, is ideal for fundamentals that you may have forgotten such as hangers and doorstops.

Places to eat

There are plenty of places in town to eat at with your mates at the weekend. Here’s some of our student’s favourites…

• Fernandez – grill restaurant which has a great selection of burgers, steaks and homemade sauces. They often do affordable lunch deals too.
• Plan Burrito – hands down the best burritos in town! Plan Burrito is a small chain of two restaurants, exclusive to Loughborough. The closest to campus is down Ashby Road as you walk to town, just before you reach Sainsbury’s. Either eat in or takeaway.
• Fenway’s – a trendy new addition to Loughborough is Fenway’s bar and smokehouse. The offer a huge selection of burgers, ribs, platters and steaks.
• Peter’s Pizzeria – exclusive to Leicester and Loughborough, Peter’s Pizzeria is a small yet high quality pizza place. Eat in their restaurant or order a takeaway.
• Bella Italia – A classic Italian chain, Bella Italia offer a delicious selection of pizzas, pasta and salads. Don’t forget: money off food with student discount… what’s not to love?

If your family or carers are coming up to uni to see you, it’s always a great idea to go for a meal out. Here are our top suggestions for great places to eat with your family…

• The Basin – A swanky restaurant and cocktail bar situated in the heart of Loughborough, the Basin offers a delicious range of Chinese, Thai and Japanese cuisine. If you’re a sushi fan, look no further as they offer a spectacular variety.
• Goodliffe’s – This trendy bistro offers a huge selection of foods and are well known for their sharing platters. Goodliffe’s is slightly hidden in a snug location, off Church Gate.
• The Priory – You’ll need to drive to The Priory, which is a lovely gastropub close to the M1. We hear they do cracking Sunday roasts.
• Centro Lounge – A relaxed family friendly restaurant in town, Centro Lounge is perfect if you have younger siblings.

Getting around

You can mostly get to key places in Loughborough by foot or on bike. But for those journeys that stretch a little too far, here’s the best transport options available…

• The campus shuttle also has a route through town to the train station. There are several stops around campus with different timings so be sure to check out the full timetable on your MyLboro app before planning a journey.
• It’s easy to get to the train station by Kinch bus from campus. Leicester is only a 10 minute train journey away, Nottingham 20 minutes and Birmingham approx. 1 hour. Loughborough has a direct line to London St Pancras which, depending on the train, is 1-1 ½ hours away.

Fun stuff!

During your spare time, there are plenty of activities to be getting on with in town…

• Loughborough’s trampoline park Jump Giants is just outside of town but is well worth a visit for a fun-filled outing.
• There are two cinemas’ in town: ODEON and Cineworld. Be sure to check out the latest blockbusters with your mates. There is also the student cinema, FLIX, ran by students for students which is based at Loughborough College across the road from campus.
• Action is the volunteering section at the Students Union. They offer a range of fun projects from dog walking, working with alpaca’s and looking after horses. Action is the best way to have fun whilst also giving back to the community you live in.
• Battle it out with your mates at the local laser quest to see who the ultimate real-life gaming champion is.
• Loughborough also has a well-equipped indoor climbing centre which is ideal for blowing off steam during stressful exam periods.

We hope this guide has given you an informative introduction to your new home! Loughborough has a lot to offer and is a very student friendly town. We’re sure you’ll settle right in.