THE NEW WALK

April 2025. Leicester for Hinckley.

Another Big Day Out, arranged at very short notice, in Happy Hinckley.

I’d managed to set up my Old Person’s Railcard on my phone,  well, Mrs RM did that for me, and an almost bargain rail trip gave me a close-up view of iconic power stations at East Midland Parkway,

and 38 minutes in Leicester.

38 minutes in Leicester can be quite a bonus if the Ale Wagon is open, but at 9.45am it isn’t, so I target a double espresso at Bread & Honey at the top of New Walk,

a cute café playing Nick Drake’s “Place to Be”, a nice start.

Yes, yes, should have gone to Spoons for a pint of Abbot, but I had 25,000 steps ahead, not that mixing caffeine and beer is ever a good idea.

Like Sheffield, Leicester isn’t thought of as an architectural gem,

but the New Walk is a gorgeous thoroughfare taking you from that Black Country Ales pub, past the Art Gallery and back to the station.

The art today is all open air,

but the gems arrived at De Montfort Square,

your moment of peace and reflection before heading into the multicultural whirl of the A6 below the station, Jimmy’s Killer Prawns and all.

No idea what this is,

but this shot of a brutalist apartment block perched anxiously above a Turkish charcoal house sums up Leicester perfectly.

OK, let’s do Hinckley.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

7 thoughts on “THE NEW WALK”

  1. I don’t have an old persons railcard-fortunately as we usually travel together we are able to have a 2 Together card.So I don’t have to explain why I don’t look a day over 60 when I produce the card. We usually get out moneys worth !
    Pauline

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    1. You’re never 60 !!

      Good point about the Two Together card. Mrs RM hasn’t joined me on all the days out so a couple of these trips will pay for the OAP card alone.

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      1. Yes Martin, and you might have notice that Mrs SP doesn’t join me on many of our Proper Days Out.
        As for railcards, mine paid for itself ten times over last year. Delay Repay is helpfully paying for some of my journeys this year.

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      3. Yes, and all the excitement, 37 minutes late through Exeter looks good, but then not calling at Dawlish and Teignmouth risks catching up, but no, still 31 minutes late into Torquay.

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    1. Bristol by a distance, particularly the centre and the suburbs by the water. Bristol is a Top 10 UK city. Have I blogged my Top 10 UK cities ?;-0

      BUT I think Leicester is very underrated, and I’ve just discovered a classic I’ve missed over the decades.

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