Bardon Hill - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

This 20 hectare local nature reserve, located in the north of the borough of Hinckley and Bosworth, consists of a variety of habitats including acid grassland, which is ecologically significant at a local level. Additionally, there are a number of rocky outcrops of Markfieldite, making the hill a regionally important geological site.

This rare and beautiful house is a surviving example of a family home which was built in the 13th century and then modernised in the 17th Century, one of the oldest houses in Leicestershire. It was once owned by a relative of one of the Gunpowder plotters, and is now managed by Leicestershire County Council. All the rooms are fully furnished as they might have been at the time and the mixture of original and replica furniture and household objects can be touched and used - with one exception.

A beautiful 60ha country park created by Leicestershire County Council on a former opencast colliery site near Heather. It includes the River Sence and three major lakes, which attract a wide variety of wildfowl. Large areas of the site are planted with Corsican pine, larch and poplars, which will provide an income when they are thinned in about 20 years. It is excellent for birdwatchers. Surfaced trails provide access for walkers, cyclists, riders and disabled visitors. A varied events programm

Thornton Reservoir lies in a quiet, picturesque valley and was opened to the public in 1997. A surfaced track allows you to walk all the way around the reservoir and to the woodland on the north shore. The trout fishery is open to the public and the water is home to a variety of wildfowl. The reservoir is fed by two small streams which enter from the north via two weirs. Rothley Brook takes water away from the south.

It was the first Catholic Abbey to be founded in this country after the Reformation. This is a Cistercian Monastery of white monks founded in 1835 as a continuation of Garendon Abbey. Includes gardens, high calvary, gift shop, and Abbey Church. The abbey was the first permanent monastery to be founded in England since the Reformation and is the sole Trappist house in England. The monks brew the only Trappist beer in Britain.

Stoneywell is an arts and crafts house set in the beautiful Leicestershire countryside, cared for by the National Trust since 2012. It was built in collaboration with Detmar Blow in 1899 for Ernest's brother Sydney Gimson as a summer residence, and along with much original furniture, it remained in the Gimson family for over a century. As part of a highly influential vernacular movement, it has become well known within Arts and Crafts circles.