Attractions and Places To See around Thurlaston - Top 20

Sand martins return annually to an artificial nesting wall at Bagworth Heath Wood Country Park in Leicestershire, usually arriving in March to nest through the summer. The site, featuring a specialized "Sandmartin Pool," is maintained by rangers and volunteers who refresh the sandy bank annually, with hundreds of chicks raised there.

From this entrance at Newtown Linford there is a traffic-free, good asphalt drive which descends slowly for 2 miles to the eastern end of the park. But as Ken and others have commented it can get very busy with walkers, especially at weekends. A lovely part of the East Midlands; keep an eye out for the elusive deer.

Bradgate House is one of England's great 'lost country houses', a once-magnificent Tudor mansion and the birthplace of Lady Jane Grey, the tragic 'Nine Days Queen'. The story of Bradgate House goes back long before Lady Jane's birth, however, and is intertwined with the history of Bradgate Park, a large country park in which the ruins stand. Bradgate Park began as a hunting ground in the early 13th century. It was enclosed by an earthwork bank and ditch, topped by oak timbers. In 1445 the park passed by marriage to the Grey family, who owned it for the next 5 centuries. The first grey owner was Edward Grey, whose son John married Elizabeth Woodville. After John's death at the Battle of St Albans in 1461 Elizabeth married King Edward IV. One of Elizabeth's sons by her first marriage was Sir Thomas Grey, the 1st Marquess of Dorset.

Old John is the highest hill in Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, England, on the southern edge of Charnwood Forest. It gives its name to the folly that stands at its top. The hill stands at 696 foot (212 m) high, and is a prominent landmark across Leicester and Leicestershire. The earliest recorded use of the name is on a map of 1754, which records a windmill on the site, some 30 years before the tower was built. The tower itself began life as a ruined folly, built in 1784, during the time of George Grey, 5th Earl of Stamford. He got Thomas Sketchley of Anstey to build him the mock ruin, which had strong similarities to Mow Cop, Staffordshire. It was adapted in the mid-19th century by the seventh Earl to serve as an observation tower for the practice circuit he laid out for his horses, along with the building of a stable block lower down the hill.

Arrive early at Bradgate Park to enjoy it at its best. It's a lovely ride, but as a very popular attraction, the park can get very busy with pedestrians later in the day. Cyclists do not have right of way, and you may be asked to dismount on very busy days. Stick to the tarmac as cycling off-route can attract heavy fines.

Bradgate House was a Tudor mansion built in the early 1500s, and was lived in by the Grey family - including Lady Jane Grey - for 220 years. The house was abandoned in the 1730s, and by 1790, it was declared a ruin.

Love this place; the nearest thing in this part of the world to the Yorkshire moorland of my upbringing. Regularly ride the drive through the park or picnic at one of the cafes. Links with Lady Jane Grey for the historians and elusive deer for the curious. Be aware though that it is difficult to cycle along the drive on summer weekends due to the number of tourists in this honeypot for nearby cities.

Bradgate Park is a tranquil space for pedestrians and cyclists only. Whether it be the old manor house ruins, 830 acres of medieval deer forest to explore or the babbling river Lin meandering through - Bradgate Park has been a favourite for hundreds of years.