Nearby
NEARBY
Nearby: Luton & Dunstable
Staying in Luton or Dunstable for work? Here are the supermarkets, 24-hour gyms, pubs and places to unwind that our guests use most, plus the essentials every contractor needs to know.
Supermarkets
Asda superstore – Wigmore Lane, Luton LU2. Big store with a pharmacy and petrol station, on the airport side of town. Directions
Sainsbury's – Bramingham Park, north Luton LU3. Large supermarket handy for the north of Luton and the M1 (junction 11). Directions
Sainsbury's – Dunstable Road, Bury Park, Luton LU1. Close to the town centre. Directions
Tesco – Skimpot Road, on the Luton–Dunstable border. Large store with a petrol station on the A505. Directions
Aldi and The Food Warehouse – Gipsy Lane, Luton LU1. Good-value shopping near Luton Airport Parkway. Directions
Asda and Sainsbury's – Court Drive and Luton Road, Dunstable. Two big supermarkets in Dunstable town centre. Directions
Gyms
PureGym Luton and Dunstable – Skimpot Lane, LU4 0JB. Open 24/7, so it fits around early starts and late finishes. Directions
PureGym Luton Retail Park – Luton Retail Park. Another 24/7 PureGym, near B&M and Next. Directions
The Gym Group Luton – The Galaxy, Bridge Street, LU1 2NB. 24/7 gym in the town centre. Directions
David Lloyd Luton – Cutenhoe Road, LU1 3NF. Health club with gym, pools and spa. Handy if you're already a David Lloyd member. Directions
Pubs & places to eat
The Jolly Topers – 369 Hitchin Road, Round Green, LU2 7SP. Friendly local a short walk from Richmond House and Stanford House, and one of my personal favourites. – Sasha Directions
The White House (Wetherspoon) – Bridge Street, Luton town centre. Good-value food and drink all day. Directions
The Brache (Beefeater) – Osborne Road, Luton. Pub restaurant near Luton Airport Parkway. Directions
The Old Moat House – Luton. Well known for its Sunday carvery. Directions
The Gary Cooper (Wetherspoon) – Court Drive, Dunstable. Town-centre pub next to the Grove Theatre. Directions
The White Lion – Dunstable. Family-friendly pub with a Sunday roast. Directions
Your day off
Stockwood Park and Discovery Centre – London Road, Luton LU1. Free museum and gardens, plus golf, sports pitches and an athletics track. Directions
Wardown Park – Central Luton. Lakeside park and the Wardown House museum, close to the town centre. Directions
Dunstable Downs – Whipsnade Road, Dunstable. Big views, long walks and kite flying on the highest point in Bedfordshire. Directions
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo – Near Dunstable. The UK's largest zoo, a good day out if family visit. Directions
Luton Town FC – Kenilworth Road, Luton. Catch a Hatters match. Directions
London – About half an hour by train. Thameslink trains run from Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and Leagrave to central London.
Essentials
A&E: Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, Lewsey Road, LU4 0HE
Trade counters: Screwfix (Bilton Way and Park Town, Luton) · Travis Perkins (Dallow Road, Luton)
Trains: Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and Leagrave stations · DART shuttle to London Luton Airport
Roads: M1 junctions 10, 11 and 11a · A505 · A5
Nearby: Hinckley
Working in Hinckley or across Leicestershire? Our Station Road flats and Clarendon House are close to the town centre. Here's where to shop, train, eat and switch off.
Supermarkets
The Crescent – Next to Station Road, a few minutes' walk from our flats. The closest place to stock up on essentials: Sainsbury's, Iceland, B&M, Boots, TK Maxx and Costa, plus small shops, cafés, restaurants and a Cineworld cinema. Directions
Tesco – Hawley Road, LE10. Large store with a petrol station. Directions
Asda – Barwell Lane, LE10. Superstore with a pharmacy, café and petrol station. Directions
Morrisons – Clover Field, LE10. Supermarket with petrol, north of the town centre. Directions
Aldi and Lidl – Holliers Walk (town centre) and Coventry Road. Good-value shops, both a short drive away.
Gyms
Hinckley Leisure Centre – Argents Mead, LE10 1BZ. Gym, pool and classes, walking distance from the town centre. Directions
Simply Gym Hinckley – Brunel Road, LE10. Budget gym on the edge of town. Directions
Bodywize Gym – Mistral Close, LE10. Independent gym in Hinckley. Directions
Pubs & places to eat
The Elbow Room – Station Road, Hinckley. Pub right on Station Road, on the doorstep of our flats. Directions
Prezzo and Tarro Lounge – The Crescent, Hinckley. Sit-down restaurants a few minutes' walk from Station Road. Directions
The New Baron of Hinckley (Wetherspoon) – Regent Street, town centre. Good-value food and drink, a short walk from Station Road. Directions
Hinckley Knight – Watling Street, Burbage. Pub restaurant on the A5. Directions
The Lime Kilns – Watling Street, Burbage. Canalside pub with a garden. Directions
Town-centre cafés and restaurants – The Crescent, Castle Street and around. Plenty of choice within a few minutes' walk of our flats.
Your day off
Cineworld Hinckley – The Crescent. Cinema a short walk from our Station Road flats. Directions
Hollycroft Park – Hinckley. A green space a few minutes from the town centre. Directions
Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre – Sutton Cheney, CV13. Visitor centre and country park on the site of the 1485 battle. Directions
Burbage Common and Woods – Burbage. Walking trails and woodland on the edge of town. Directions
Ashby Canal – Runs past Hinckley. Quiet towpath walks and canalside pubs. Directions
Essentials
A&E: George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton, CV10 7BQ (nearest A&E) · Hinckley & Bosworth Community Hospital, Ashby Road
Trade counters: Screwfix (Maple Drive, Hinckley) · Toolstation (Rainbow Way, Burbage)
Trains: Hinckley station, a 4-minute walk from our Station Road flats, for Leicester, Nuneaton and Birmingham
Roads: M69 · A5 · M1 and M6 within easy reach
Nearby: Westcliff-on-Sea & Southend
Northview House is in a quiet residential part of Westcliff-on-Sea, on the western side of Southend. Here's what's within walking distance, plus the best of Southend for your days off. Walking times are approximate.
Supermarkets
Aldi – London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea. About a 9-minute walk from Northview House. The closest big shop for stocking up. Directions
Co-op Food – Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff-on-Sea. About a 14-minute walk, with cafés, a noodle bar and restaurants on the same street. Directions
Lidl and Sainsbury's – London Road, Prittlewell. A few minutes' drive towards Southend town centre. Directions
Tesco – Prince Avenue (A127). Large store with a petrol station, a short drive away. Directions
Morrisons – Coniston, Eastwood. Large supermarket near the A127. Directions
Gyms
Chase Sport & Fitness Centre – Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff-on-Sea. About a 10-minute walk. Gym, pool and sports facilities. Directions
The Gym Group Southend – London Road Retail Park, SS1 1PA. Open 24/7, a short drive away. Directions
PureGym Southend Fossetts Park – Fossetts Way, SS2 4DQ. Open 24/7. Directions
Leigh Fitness Centre – London Road, Leigh-on-Sea. Independent gym towards Leigh. Directions
Pubs & places to eat
The Plough – London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea. Local pub about an 8-minute walk from Northview House. Directions
West Road Tap – West Road, Westcliff-on-Sea. Neighbourhood pub about a 9-minute walk away. Directions
Hamlet Court Road – Westcliff-on-Sea. About 15 minutes' walk: pubs like The Melrose and The Craftsman, plus cafés, a noodle bar and Piri Piri. Directions
Barolo and Imperial Chinese – London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea. Sit-down restaurants within walking distance.
Toby Carvery – Prince Avenue, Southend. Hearty carvery a short drive away. Directions
The Crooked Billet – High Street, Old Leigh. Historic pub in the old fishing village at Leigh-on-Sea. Directions
Your day off
Prittle Brook Park – Westcliff-on-Sea. Green space and brook-side path, about an 8-minute walk. Directions
Chalkwell Park – London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea. About a 15-minute walk, then on down to the seafront. Directions
Westcliff and Chalkwell seafront – Chalkwell Esplanade. Long promenade walks, with beach cafés like Surf and Saltwater. Directions
Priory Park – Prittlewell. Large park with Prittlewell Priory museum. Directions
Southend Pier and Adventure Island – Southend seafront. The world's longest pleasure pier, plus seafront rides and arcades. Directions
Old Leigh – Leigh-on-Sea. Cobbled fishing village, cockle sheds and seafood stalls. Directions
Essentials
A&E: Southend University Hospital, Prittlewell Chase, less than a mile from Northview House
Pharmacies: Several on London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, about a 12-minute walk
Trains: Westcliff station, about a 19-minute walk (c2c to London Fenchurch Street) · Prittlewell (Greater Anglia to London Liverpool Street)
Trade counters: Screwfix and Toolstation (Progress Road, Leigh-on-Sea) · Travis Perkins (Greyhound Way, Southend)
What to do while you stay?
A beautiful, yet underrated countryside town, Luton lies on 30 miles (48.2 km) north of the capital city, London. Instead of crowded streets bustling with tourists and endless traffic, you instead get the quiet bliss of this countryside town. Overcome with beautiful parks, such as Wardown Park with its enriching history, or Whipsnade Tree Cathedral with its fascinating architecture, you’ll truly feel like you’re in another world when you come to this quaint town. Priding itself on its beautiful natural havens, you can still enjoy a fun evening out at the Luton Library Theatre where you can watch high-quality performances, on a romantic date, or as family time with your children! Check out the best things to do in Luton for a fun and memorable trip.
Stockwood Park
This 100-hectare park is at Luton’s southern limits is a former country estate.
Stockwood House (1740) was pulled down in the 1960s, and its stables and walled gardens now host the Stockwood Discovery Centre, developed with finance from the Heritage Lottery Fund and which we’ll cover below.
The remainder of the parkland features sports pitches and an athletics facility among the giant historic trees. On the east side is the Stockwood Park Golf Centre, which has an 18-hole par 69 and a nine-hole par 3 course.
Stockwood Discovery Centre
The museum in the stables at Stockwood Park is fringed by a Medieval garden, Elizabethan formal knot garden, and a Dig for Victory Garden, recreating the vegetable plots of the Second World War.
In the museum’s complex of old and new buildings, there’s a Discovery Hall, a set of Victorian Greenhouses, and the Discovery Galleries.
In the Discovery Hall, the Springs and Wheel exhibition looks at the evolution of transport over centuries, while Life’s Journey is home to the awesome Mossman Collection, which we’ll talk about below.
The Discovery Galleries are dedicated to local history and have Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Medieval artifacts, as well as a collection of arts and crafts, gathered from Bedfordshire villages from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Whipsnade Zoo
A few miles into the Dunstable Downs is the largest zoo in the UK. Whipsnade Zoo is owned by the ZSL (Zoological Society of London), a non-profit organisation engaged in animal conservation around the world.
Over more than a dozen zones, Whipsnade has cheetahs, Indian rhinos, birds from around the world, a herd of nine Asian elephants, sea lions, African lions, African hunting dogs, and a new butterfly house, containing the humungous Atlas moth.
On top of daily sea lion and bird demonstrations, the zoo also has a range of animal experiences, where for an extra fee you can get up close to rhinos and giraffes, “Zoo Explorers” is a one-day course for kids aged 5-7 with educational hands-on games and zookeeper activities.