Leicester - Charnwood Forest

North of Bradgate extends Charnwood Forest once densely wooded, now open heathland. It is excellent walking country consisting of cliffs and rugged landscapes and is dominated by Bardon Hill (912ft/278m) with good views as far as Derbyshire and the Welsh Marshes. In the past wood from Charnwood was used in the mining of brown coal, the granite quarries of Mountsorrel were worked as far back as in Norman times.