Woodhouse Eaves and Bradgate Park

Date: 2012-09-30

From: Woodhouse Eaves

Region: Leicestershire

Walk :  Circular

OS Sheet: Explorer 246

Start Grid: SK 530 145

Distance: 8.4 ml, 13.5 km 

Height Gain: 630 ft, 192m

Height Lost: 630 ft, 192 m

Walking with: Andy, Mrs G and Katie

Notes: Largely on field paths and tracks a few short sections on road, a few stiles and a good few gates, muddy in parts.

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1:25,000 map.

From Woodhouse Eaves take the Leicestershire Round E towards Swithland Reservoir, at the railway bridge take footpath S to Swithland. In village turn left E to bridleway on right S to Leicester Lane turn right then left onto bridleway. Then left S towards Hallgates, cross road into Bradgate Park. In the Park pick up the Leicestershire Round heading NNE and follow back to Woodhouse Eaves

  

Journey

Once again circumstances dictated our walk this weekend, if we wanted a walk it would have to be on Sunday, with a relatively late start. Andy drove over to us and we went out on a walk he planned.

As I have said before the area south east of Loughborough, part of Charnwood Forest, is great for walking with hills, woodland, moorland and rocky bits all joined together by a network of roads, footpaths and bridleways including the Leicestershire Round. There a number of villages around the area but Woodhouse Eaves sit in the center.

Maize and Hay

On leaving Woodhouse Eaves we were straight into a country side of hedges and fields, some pasture land others clearly arable. The Great Central Railway fixes the eastern point of the walk. We wait in hope of a train appearing. Unfortunately when it came, it was a disappointment for some, as it was not a steam train merely a diesel.

Great Central Railway

Pressing on we entered Bradgate Park a wonderful gem of a place, very roughly 3 miles by 3 miles in size. The park is hilly, rocky, has open grassland, wooded areas and dense bracken making it an ideal home to the herds of deer contained there. Much of this area is open to the public with three main car parks and miles of paths.
Bradgate House, now in ruins was once the home of Lady Jane Grey. She was a cousin of Edward VI, who in his will nominated Jane as his successor to the Crown. On his death in 1553, she became Queen, only to fall foul of the political wrangling over religion and the Kings half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth. Jane was beheaded in The Tower of London in 1554.

Bradgate Park

Old John

From Bradgate we walked through a section of recently forested land, across a golf course and back to Woodhouse Eaves.

A very pleasing walk with plenty of interest.