Loughborough is a Leicestershire market town that runs largely on its university, which dominates the local economy and gives the place more energy than its size might suggest. Loughborough University is consistently rated among the best in the UK for sports, and the campus facilities were used as a training base for the 2012 Olympics. The student population keeps the town's pubs and restaurants ticking over, particularly along the high street and Baxter Gate.
The Great Central Railway is the main draw for visitors. It is the only double-track heritage railway in the UK, running steam and diesel services between Loughborough and Leicester North, and it does a convincing job of evoking the golden age of British rail travel. Their themed event weekends, particularly the wartime re-enactments and the real ale trains, are genuinely popular. The John Taylor Bell Foundry, which has been casting bells since the fourteenth century, offers tours that give a fascinating glimpse into one of the oldest continuous manufacturing trades in England.
The Loughborough Carillon in Queen's Park is a 46-metre war memorial tower with 47 tuned bells — the first memorial carillon built in Britain. For something quieter, the Outwoods is 110 acres of ancient woodland on the town's edge and one of the oldest surviving woodland sites in Charnwood.
Loughborough is not a destination in itself, but it makes a reasonable base for exploring this part of the East Midlands. The town is well connected by rail to Leicester, Nottingham, and Derby.