Are you a green fingered garden lover? Then we have the perfect way for you to spend an afternoon.  

This short journey will take you from a natural paradise to two of Leicester’s best local shopping streets.  

You’ll start this journey near Leicester’s Racecourse on the outskirts of the city at the Botanic Gardens. Owned and run by the University of Leicester, the 16-acre gardens are packed full of rare plants, flowers and trees that you’ll find nowhere else in the city. Take time to slowly explore the pathways around the cactus house, ornamental koi pond, herb garden, meadow and arboretum which even features enormous Redwood trees.  

It should take up to two hours to fully explore the gardens, and once you’re done, you can choose to walk, or take the car back towards the city. Stop off in Stoneygate, which has a number of bars and shops on Allandale Road and Francis Street, but in particular, Outerspace, which has everything that you need to make your home and garden beautiful. They also have a beautiful café at the back of the shop where you can get sandwiches, salads, baguettes and a drink. 

Once you’re done there, keep on London Road towards the city, turning left down Clarendon Park Road until you reach Queens Road. There you can find loads of great little shops including The Bloom Project, which has beautiful hand-made flower displays available for purchase, and a range of bars and cafés to finish your botanic afternoon off in style.