Myself and my partner, Faye, have decided that this year we are going to section hike the 102 mile route around our local county. I’ve been debating this one for the past two years, and after considering bikepacking it, running it or non-stop hiking it, we’ve instead decided to take our time and enjoy it one walk at a time across 2024.

The Leicestershire Round is a circuit of the county, devised by the Leicestershire Footpath Association (LFA) and takes in the beautiful and historically interesting parts of the county including Burrough Hill, Foxton Locks, High Cross, Bosworth battlefield and Charnwood Forest.

I’ve done a few long distance hikes before, completing the Coast to Coast and also Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path, but hiking is new for Faye so we thought ticking off short sections of the walk a bit at a time was the best way to finish this one.

We started at the official starting point, outside the gates of Bradgate Country Park, and were welcomes by a downpour of hail and rain, which caused a 30 minute delay as we rushed into a nearby tea room for a coffee and some cake. It wasn’t a race after all!

Once we did finally enter the park, the weather mostly played nice and we had the sun on our backs for most of the walk. We were starting off easy on the first walk, just getting to the next village, Woodhouse Eaves, which was 4 miles away.

The first couple of miles of our walk took us through Bradgate Country Park, 870 acres of public accessible countryside where you are free to roam amongst the grounds alongside the hundreds of deer who call the park home.

As well as all the deer, who are hardly bothered by people walking so close by, the park is also home to some of Leicestershire’s more interesting points, including the shortest river in the county, the River Lin, Bradgate House, the childhood home of Lady Gray, the Nine Day Queen, and Old John, a 19th Century Folly which stands at the highest point in the park.

Old John at the top of the hill was our first landmark to aim for and we passed through herds of deer as we climbed up the hill in the midday sun. It took around an hour to make our way to the top, where we were able to enjoy panoramic views of the park and the county, whilst relaxing on the grass to have a short snack break.

Beyond Old John was the exit from the park and from here we left all the crowds behind and were able to enjoy the majority of the remaining route in idyllic peace. The route took us across the road past a Christmas Tree Farm, now looking out of place in the spring sunshine, and off onto a trail through Rough Hill Woodlands, an extended part of the National Forest. A change in the seasons was evident as we passed through, with fresh green leaves shooting from the branches of the trees that encompassed the path through the woods.

The trail finally threw us out onto a golf course, which was bustling with lots of men in Nike caps and body warmers. Golf balls flew through the air as we passed across the green to some disgruntled looks, having to navigate through thick patches of mud whilst the golfers enjoyed a steady walk on the immaculate greens next to us.

The golf course seemed to go on forever, and every time we thought we had finished and crossed a road it would lead us back onto another hole. The grounds were full of nature and well kept, if not disrupted by the calls I’d the golfers swinging for a whole in one.

Eventually we did make it across to the other side and a gentle walk alongside the road took us into Woodhouse Eaves, a pretty little village on the slopes of Beacon Hill, full of thatched roof cottages with their gardens brimming full of spring flowers.

After a quick stop off at the village shop for a cold drink, we headed back to the van to finish our walk, 4.5 miles in total. It wasn’t the typical 20+ mile hikes that people usually complete on ‘section hikes’ but it was a pleasant start to our wander around our home county, where we are hopeful to discover the beauty and history of Leicestershire.

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