When Sharon Conroy moved to Castle Donington it took her nearly three years to find out which county she was actually living in. It's an easy mistake to make in the Leicestershire town, with the postcode being DE74, Derby the nearest city and to add to the confusion, the town is next to what was formerly known as Nottingham East Midlands Airport.
Castle Donington has an international profile, with the racetrack, airport and huge events like Download. But those who come to the area might be forgiven for not being quite sure where they are.
As reported by Leicestershire Live, the location of the town has even mystified some residents. Sharon, 56, said: "There's the Derbyshire postcode, so when I moved here seven years ago it was probably two or three years before I realised it was actually Leicestershire.
Have you experienced problems with potholes on Notts' roads? Tell us here
"I lived in the Loughborough area before and I thought I'd moved to a new county. But I was still here!"
She's not the only villager caught in the confusion between the three cities nearby. Polly Pound, 43, who works with Sharon at Strawberry House Interiors in Borough Street, said: "I do think of it as being a town near Derby. And it was very odd when the airport changed its name to Nottingham."
Bruce Townsend, 92, also thinks of himself as still living in Derbyshire, where he grew up. He said: "I'm a Derbyshire man and I suppose I don't really think of this as being Leicestershire."
Phil Campbell, 73, who was visiting his sister in Castle Donington, agreed: "I know my sister has a Derbyshire postcode but then she pays tax to the Leicestershire council."
But like everyone we spoke to he agreed that for all the confusion, Castle Donington was a very nice place: "It's got a very good community spirit. I live in Long Eaton and I do prefer here - it's much nicer!"
The postcode confusion involved in living in the town is nothing new for Caroline Travers, whose husband's family has owned Bargain Fabrics in The Hollow for generations. She said: "I used to live here - having a Derbyshire postcode but living in Leicestershire.
"But a few years ago we moved to Stanford on Soar, which is very near to Loughborough, and has a Leicestershire postcode - LE12 - but it's actually in Nottinghamshire. There are often these discussions on local Facebook groups about which county Donington is really in!"
Stuart Ferguson, 72, who moved to the area a couple of years ago summed it up: "It feels like we're in the middle of nowhere!" When asked about life in the town he said it wasn't great for supermarkets but had plenty of nice restaurants, adding that the airport, on the town's doorstep, was hardly noticeable.
That was also Bruce's opinion. He said: "There are flights at night but I don't hear them. When the Download festival is on it does get busy around here - you just have to make sure you have plenty of milk beforehand!"
Does more need to be done to clamp down on dog fouling? Vote here
READ NEXT:
