George Eliot's Nuneaton Railway Station, Rail Trails

Start: Nuneaton Railway Station (CV11 4BU) Grid ref. SP 364 922

(S/E) With your back to Nuneaton (A) Railway Station entrance walk straight ahead towards the town. At the road junction keep straight on along Bond Street on the right hand side of the road then just after the Scout hut cross to the other side at the pedestrian lights. Turn right to regain your direction, passing the old red brick Crown Hotel on your right to a cross roads.

(1) Cross straight over the main road at the lights then immediately go right to cross Bond Street at the lights and turn left to keep straight on along the right hand side of Bond Street. Ignore a footbridge going right to the bus station.

Then just after crossing the entrance to a car park go right over a black metal footbridge. Turn left and follow the path with a river on your left to the pedestrianised shopping area by the Silk Mill Pub. Turn right to reach the George Eliot statue at a crossroads. Face the same way as the statue and turn left along Newdegate Street.

(2) At a T-junction with Bridge Street with Boots ahead turn left. At the next junction turn right along Church Street and pass the library on your left. Just after the library go left on a walkway/cycleway for a short distance then cross the ring road at the pedestrian lights. Go right a few paces then left up the tarmac path to the tower of Saint Nicolas Parish church(B).

(3) Face the tower and turn right to follow the path through the graveyard, parallel to the road on the right, to the church's car park. Go right past the white barriers to Attleborough Road. Go left a short distance to a pedestrian crossing. Cross here, go left.

Then immediately go right onto a wide tarmac path. Follow this, with playing fields to your left, to reach Riversley Park by a play area. Turn left to follow the River Anker on your right down to a footbridge. Cross it.

(4) Turn right to follow the river back up the other side, passing a bandstand to your left. Ahead you will see the town's museum and art gallery (C).

Leaving the museum, go round to the right hand side of it where you will find a wooden footbridge over the river. Cross it and go left to follow the river on your left to pass under the ring road, where you will see the interesting golden belt art work (D). Keep straight on along the left edge.

Immediately after passing the memorial obelisk go left over a wide wooden bridge. Go right to the end of the car park and then left along a road called Mill Walk to a T-junction. Turn right along Coventry Street to the market place.

(5) Turn left a short distance then go right along Abbey Gate. At the end turn right to return to the George Eliot statue (E). Turn left along Harefield Road.

On reaching the bus station turn right to pass the public toilets on your right. Keep ahead to find a footbridge back over the river. Cross it and turn left to retrace your steps back to the station. (S/E)

Start: Nuneaton Railway Station (CV11 4BU) Grid ref. SP 364 922

Transport: Nuneaton is a busy junction station on the West Coast main line with regular trains to Birmingham, Coventry, Leamington, Leicester, London Euston and the North-west.
Trains run hourly to Coventry via Bermuda Park, Bedworth and Coventry Arena and more frequently to Rugby on the London mainline. Refreshments and toilets are available.

Refreshments: If you want a bite to eat you can stick with the theme and stop off at the George Eliot on Bridge Street, or go completely off piste with some Taiwanese bubble tea at Mo’s Bubble Tea Shop on Queens Road.
There’s plenty of shopping too. Nuneaton’s street market takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays whilst the Ropewalk Shopping Centre has two floors of retail stores. While you’re here, do check out the Enterprise Zone at Saints on Newdegate Street, which is all about supporting local business.

Mo’s Bubble Tea Shop: Throw yourself into the Taiwanese phenomenon of “bubble tea”! A wondrous concoction of tea, milk, fruit, fruit juices and the all important chewy tapioca balls, its a different take on a cuppa!
5 Queens Rd, Nuneaton CV11 5JL

Discover the Heart of England by rail at Heart Community Rail Trail here.

(A) Nuneaton is famous as the birthplace of Victorian novelist George Eliot, whose major works include The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner and Middlemarch, and on this trail you’ll pass some of the many memorials to her. You’ll also pass through the beautiful Riversley Park where you’ll find the Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery.
What’s in a name? This time literally what it says! In around 1155 a nunnery was built near the village of Eaton and the district became known as Nuneaton.

(B) Tower of Saint Nicolas Parish church : St Nicolas dates back to 1340. It appears as Milby Church in George Eliot's Scenes Of Clerical Life.

(C) Town's museum and art gallery. A gift to the town from a local colliery owner, Edward Melly, the museum has a gallery devoted to George Eliot.
Nuneaton Museum & Art Gallery: A free, fun and friendly museum located in beautiful parkland. The Museum a gallery dedicated to George Eliot, together with two others focusing on local history and fine art as well as temporary exhibitions.

(D) Interesting golden belt art work : It represents a miner's leather belt, symbolising the local mining industry and a large leather factory that was once nearby. On the other side you will reach the George Eliot memorial garden, on the site of houses that appeared in George Eliot's, Janet's Repentance.

(E) George Eliot Memorial Gardens: Created in 1952 in memory of Mary Anne Evans (AKA George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans). The gardens feature an obelisk and a nearby 2003 artwork, Gold Belt, by Alisha Miller, commemorating the mining heritage.
The George Eliot: A former coaching inn right in the heart of Nuneaton, which also features Nuneaton’s best beer garden! Cask ales, pub food and everything you need for a on-theme pit stop on this trail!

Enterprise Zone at Saints Nuneaton: A thriving shopping hub encouraging existing and new start-up businesses. Find Wayside Willow, Fair Trading, the Handcrafter’s Hub plus pop up stalls and market events.

All Saints’ Church: 13th century church located in the parish of Chilvers Coton. Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) lived in the parish and worshipped here. Badly damaged by bombing during WWII, and rebuilt largely by German prisoners of war.