The Clooper Guide To Oadby
You may be thinking: what on Earth is Oadby? We’re here to tell you!
Oadby is a suburb in Leicestershire that may well be a best-kept secret. A wholesome slice of village living just an hour from London, what exactly awaits you in this lovely little locale?
PROPERTIES AND PRICES
TO BUY: Property prices in Leicester, generally, are often lower than they are in London. All this without missing out on too many city vibes. Flats start from around £80,000, with prices rising as apartments get larger and expand into semi-detached and detached homes. You can even get a semi-detached bungalow for the generous price of £210,000 – often in central locations.
TO RENT: Oadby is quite popular for students and home shares. These can be found to rent for around £300 per month and upwards. If you’re looking to rent apartments or semi-detached homes, prices start to creep into the £700 – £800 mark.
TO STAY: Typically, luxury serviced apartments in Oadby and the surrounding city of Leicester start at around £75 per night. You can browse through some of our available properties here.
GREEN SPACES
Leicestershire stretches out around Oadby, meaning that green spaces are all around. We recently covered a similar area in Epsom. Living ( or staying ) in Oadby, you’re only often a stone’s throw from the countryside.
Coombe Park is a popular choice for locals, though is a relatively small park. It’s ideal for young children or walking smaller dogs. We’re unsure if a husky would get the exercise they need here! There is a field for sports, a small playground to keep the little ones amused, and even an orchard. Locals praise this orchard as something of an outdoor reading nook. Very hundred-acre woods.
Brocks Hill Country Park is a significantly larger park. There are lots of reasons to visit this park. Notably the two play areas. One play area caters to smaller children and a larger, more advanced play area caters to older children. We’re sure even teenagers could join in with their younger siblings’ fun here. There are lots of structures to climb, your average swingset, and also a den making area in the woods. Creative children are sure to thrive here. However, we recommend getting the washing machine prepared – this place can get really muddy.
Our final recommendation is Uplands Park. Locals praise this park for its size; large enough to enjoy a nice, healthy walk, but not big enough to be overwhelmingly busy. Additionally, Uplands also has its own play area. Complete with gym equipment! Not only this, Uplands Park is very well-kept. You’re very unlikely to find your foot in something unsavoury, despite all the dogs around, which is more than can be said for some parks. This is one of many things that speak to Oadbys fantastic community spirit.
THINGS TO DO
Oadby is far from a bustling party hub. However, it is located quite close to the city centre. Being only around a fifteen-minute drive away, or just under half an hour away by bus. With this in mind, here are some of our recommendations for things to do in and around Oadby.
- Treetop Adventure Golf Leicester is a zany, tropical themed adventure golf centre. Fun for all the family!
- Belong Leicester is an indoor arcade and gaming cafe. There are 24 seats available, and this venue can even be hired out for parties.
- Goldhill Adventure Playground is a ‘community hub with a playground at the heart.’ You can have a virtual tour of its incredible playground here!
- The University of Leicester Botanic Garden is ’16 acres of lovingly cultivated grounds and greenhouses’, featuring a diverse array of plants, fountain structures and environments.
- Hollywood Bowl Leicester is both a tenpin bowling alley and another indoor amusement arcade.
- Wigston Framework Knitters Museum Ltd is an interesting museum that displays items from the areas social and industrial history. It even has its own cafe. Locals praise the chocolate cake, especially!
AMENITIES
Oadby benefits from being incredibly close to Leicester city, and therefore the city centre. However, Oadby also has its own town centre. Here, you can find a wide swathe of basic amenities. Superstores, corner stores, gyms, post offices, medical centres, and many of the parks we’ve mentioned previously are also close by.
You can find many pubs here particularly. You won’t be short of pub grub! Because Oadby is such a scenic suburb, many pubs also benefit from having fantastic pub gardens. With summer rolling around, we’re thinking of the best places to catch the sun. Chilling in a leafy garden and surrounded by Leicestershire countryside sounds like a tempting destination!
If you for some reason can’t find what you need in Oadby, hop on a quick bus journey to Leicester City centre. Here you can find Highcross, one of the more glamorous shopping centres in the area. Leicester in general also boasts numerous markets, shops, boutiques and restaurants. You could easily have a fabulous night out in the city and then take a quick bus or cab back to your home … or your home away from home!
SCHOOLS
Oadby is a popular choice for families. You may have noticed the exceptional array of child-centric activities around, such as the Goldhill Adventure Playground. Not only is there fun to be had, but there are also learning opportunities to be had.
This suburb has an impressive selection of private and public schools. Most have received a rating of ‘good’ from Ofsted, though there are some that have been granted an outstanding rating. One such example is Beauchamp College, a secondary school and further education college.
You can find Catholic schools in Oadby, notably St Pauls Catholic School, as well as single-gender or mixed-gender schools. Again, commuting to London takes just under an hour, so Oadby could also make a sensible ( and exciting! ) home for commuting students. Looking for something more central? Check out our Shepherds Bush area guide.
