Leicestershire

Leicestershire is in the centre of England. The uplands are rich and fertile farm land with industry and some mining to the East and West. The hilly Charnwood Forest is in the North/West and the main rivers are the Soar and the Wreak. The dairy farming here is the source of the legendary Stilton cheese, a well-known delight from this area.

For the visitor, Leicestershire offers an incredible and ambitious project to explore and enjoy; the National Forest. The area covered by this forest, just north of Birmingham, takes in parts of the counties of Derbyshire, and Staffordshire as well as Leicetershire. It encompasses a number of towns and villages, miles of rolling farmland and a former coalfield, which was in desperate need of regeneration. The National Forest is a forest in the making: a place of 200 square miles, whose physical creation can now be witnessed and enjoyed. The National Forest is one of Britain's biggest, boldest, long-term environmental initiatives.

Before the Forest initiative got underway, woodland cover across the area accounted for just six per cent of land use, well below the national average. The ambitious goal for The National Forest is for about one third of all the land within its boundaries to be wooded, a task that will involve planting in the region of 20 million trees. Do visit to support this worthwhile project and see for yourself, the wonder of working with nature for the benefit of all.