5 Day Trip around Leicestershire Begining Earl Shilton

[Boerewors]

Hi All

Looking to do a 5 day cycle trip with my 15 year old daughter staring from Earl Shilton. Been South African and only been here for a year not to sure about the areas whats great or not. Any assistance would be greatly appriciated.

Regards

Wayne

[Richard Barrett]

Being a Leicester lad originally, I'd say head north and east through Charnwood Forest and out to Rutland and back using minor roads. You may well find the Leicestershire cycle maps useful [url]http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/environment/countryside/cycle_trails/coalvillecyclingmap.htm[url]

[simonhill]

I go to Rutland every year for a social event and also get in a bit of cycling. It is a great place to cycle, but beware of the numerous short and often fairly steep hills - basically a series of ridges. If fully loaded with a youngster they may be a bit taxing, especialy at the end of the day.

I am not trying to put you off, just warn you. Go and enjoy (with a relief map).

Great campsite at Belton in Rutland.

[ericonabike]

You're just up the road from me - at Kirby Muxloe. Try the Sustrans Guthlaxton Trail to Market Harborough, then the Gartee Ride to Melton Mowbray, then the National Byway Oakham Loop. Catching a train back from Oakham to finish it off in comfort. Nice quiet roads and good scenery.

[Boerewors]

Thanks to everyone for their assistance will look into all the routes and keep you updated.

[hazecellar]

FAIRLY STEEP they are damn near vertical ! i live in northamptonshire and go out that way when i fancy a hard ride , the scenery is brilliant thru rutland and sneaking into leicestershire but if you go the wrong way on the ridges ie up and down rather than along the bottom or top they can give you a punishing ride - check the contours . theres an old abbey somewhere in rutland and it looks lovely but i think the end of the road near there should have a box of tissues on a post so you can wipe away your tears

[honesty]

Don't miss out Bradgate park and Beacon hill, its some of the best scenery in Leicestershire. If you wanted to push up into the very bottom of Derbyshire Leicestershire border you've got Calke Abbey, Stanton Harold and Melbourne, all of which are right next to each other and have some really good back roads connecting them. Finally there's the new national forest. Its mostly on old mining sites (I've not been round them since they got planted but have been down the shafts when they were working so my view is a bit coloured here....) but my family tell me they're turning out really rather nice now.

From Earl Shilton head up to Market Bosworth, dont use the A447 use Hinkley Road/Shenton Lane its much nicer. Then from Market Bosworth head up to Carlton and out to Shakerstone (nice pub, nice canal boat area), then to Newton Bergoland, then to Ashby-de-la-Zouch (the castle is good if you're interested). From there go up to Ticknall, through Calke Abbey (you can cycle through it even if you don't stop to see the National Trust house) this connects on to Staunton Harold (good craft centre, decent food), then go back up to Melbourne (nice little town and another house to go around if you want. The pond outside the house is nice even if you dont go round it). From there I'd hop on the Cloud Trail back to Worthington, follow the lanes and trail up to Osgathorpe , skirt Whitwick (don't go into Coalville, its a **** hole...) across to Breacon hill and into the back entrance of Bradgate park (it says no cycling if I remember correctly, but talking to a warden there before they don't mind as long as you're not damaging anything...).

From there head over east of Leicester and to Rutland, but I dont know that side very well.

Edit: I should say, if you do go to Ashby, go to Birds the Confectioners and have a caramel doughnut if they have any left. God I miss having a Birds close to me!

[vjosullivan]

Don't miss out Bradgate park

The deer park is definitely worth doing and has a long tarmac path through it that you can cycle (unless it's too busy, in which case they make it pedestrian only). Worth taking a picnic, stopping by the stream and watching the deer. The Charnwood area in general between Leicester and Loughborough is excellent cycling country, probably the best in the East Midlands.