Wild places

Brown's Wood, formerly Manor Farm Woodland, lies just north of Thornton Reservoir. It was planted in part due to the heavy metal group Iron Maiden liaising with the Carbon Neutral Company to plant enough saplings to offset the carbon dioxide generated by the production and distribution of their 2003 album Dance of Death.

Several public footpaths cross the site.

This 80 hectare site is a country park with a visitor centre and a network of well-marked paths. It has extensive mature woodland, unimproved grassland and a number of other features such as ponds and streams.

Whilst clearly not a road verge, this wildflower area was surveyed in 2020 by NatureSpot volunteers as part of the Urban Verges Trial run by the County Council. It has a similar objective of creating wildflower grassland from regularly mown grass and persuading the public to support this action.

The wildflower area lies between a group of trees and within the wider amenity parkland.

Owned and managed by Loughborough University, Burleigh Wood is situated in the South-West corner of the campus. It consists of ancient woodland with a circular path running around it. To the North it has been extended with new planting.

This is a plantation woodland, possibly ancient, lying just north of Rutland Water towards Exton. It is now managed as part of the Rutland Falcony and Owl Centre, who are undertaking a number of conservation projects to improve the biodiversity of the wood.

This is the largest ancient woodland in Leicestershire and Rutland, covering 158.3 ha. and located just north of Rutland Water. It is part of the Burley and Rushpits Woods SSSI. The wood stands on Upper Lias Clay, mostly on a south-facing slope, but with varied topography. Parts have been planted with conifers and broadleaves.

Located between Burrough on the Hill and Somerby, south of Melton Mowbray, Burrough Hill Country Park is one of the most striking and historic features in the landscape of eastern Leicestershire. The well-preserved Iron Age hill fort dramatically crowns a steep-sided promontory of land reaching 210m (690 ft), with superb views. A prominent landmark and ready-made arena, the hill has long been a place for public recreation. As well as the grassy hilltop the country park offers diverse wildlife habitats and varied areas to visit.

This quiet country lane offers a lovely walk into the National Forest, with rolling hills, new woodland and a historic landscape around you. The lane only offers access to a few houses but there is a very small car park at Burroughs Wood. At the end of the lane there is a tarmac cycle path that weaves its way to Thornton Reservoir. It is just possible to glimpse Bury Camp, a large Iron Age settlement, now on private land about 150 metres from the road. 

Ratby Burroughs is in two parts: the southern part of fairly new plantations and the northern part, ancient woodlands with carpets of wood anemones and bluebells during the season. Both are part of the New National Forest.

Cademan Wood lies to the south of Grace Dieu Park. It is a mature and attractive woodland with numerous rocky outcrops, popular with families, dog walkers and local climbers.

Caldecott is the most southerly village in Rutland and is located about 4 miles south of Uppingham. The church dates from the 12th century although there is some Norman fabric remaining. The churchyard is a reasonably large and has a number of trees and areas of unmown grassland.

This corridor follows the path of the small brook which flows southwest past past the sewage works of the Goadby Road before running along the boundary of the parish towards the boundary of the Thorpe Arnold cricket ground. At that point, it is known as Thorpe Brook and runs through Melton Mowbray before joining the River Eye. Farther upstream, the name of they brook is not designated on OS maps; a previous wildlife study gives the name of Caldwell Brook (does anyone have more information?).

Designated a Local Wildlife Site in 2011, the site includes the verges on both sides of the road (688 metres in length on the east/south side, and 668 metres on the west/north side). The main habitats are calcareous grassland and mixed grassland. The verge is approximately 1 metre wide (E/S) and 1.5 metres wide (W/N).

Castle Gardens is a green oasis close to the City centre in Leicester.  It is located in the historic “Castle Park” area with the River Soar forming a natural boundary on the west and the old Courthouse and St Mary de Castro church to the East (note that access to the churchyard is restricted).

The Gardens contain many specimen trees, shrubs and seasonal planting whilst the Castle motte has more natural vegetation and mature trees with fine views from the top.

The park was established in 1985 and comprises of approximately 104 ha of mainly improved grassland and plantation woodland which are located between Beaumont Leys and the village of Anstey.  The A46 Western Bypass divides the park into two linear sections with the Rothley Brook forming the western boundary.

Centenary and Royal Tigers Wood, purchased by the Woodland Trust in 1993, covers an area of 33.5 hectares and occupies a prominent hillside position south of the village of Bagworth. The woodland is made up of two sections: Centenary Wood to the north was planted to commemorate 100 years of Bagworth Parish Council, whilst the section to the south, Royal Tigers Wood, is a living memorial to The Royal Leicestershire Regiment.

This small fragment of ancient wood was extended by the Woodland Trust (sometimes called Hollow Oak Wood). It lies on a traditional walk route referred to as the 'Ratby Change' with a public footpath running through it.