Leicestershire - County of the Horse

Leicestershire is rural England at its best, a county where timeless villages really do exist and uplands revealing far off horizons contrast with secluded, almost secret valleys. Needless to say, it is ideal riding country as well. Scenically, Leicestershire could be several counties in one.

Charnwood Forest is a unique and very attractive area where rugged outcrops of ancient rock overlook a blend of fields, stone walls, woodland and picturesque reservoirs.

South Leicestershire consists of gentler country. Around Market Bosworth, Lutterworth and Kibworth, low hills swell out of shallow valleys and villages are often pinpointed by church spires peeping above dark spinneys. Near Foxton and Gumley the Laughton Hills tumble down to the Grand Union Canal and Welland Valley, a particularly attractive spot.

High Leicestershire, the tract of land between Market Harborough, Tilton on the Hill and Melton Mowbray is some of the loneliest countryside in the Midlands. Many villages were deserted centuries ago and remote hills such as Robin-a-Tiptoe peer out over pastures and the occasional farmhouse.

The Wolds stretch away to the north and east of Melton Mowbray. These breezy rolling uplands afford long views, but also conceal lovely villages of cream or brown stone.

The Vale of Belvoir is the home of Stilton Cheese. Although almost flat, the character of the Vale is assured by the prominent wooded edge of the Wolds with the romantic silhouette of Belvoir Castle.