Charnwood Forest is a hilly tract in north-western Leicestershire, England, bounded by Leicester, Loughborough and Coalville. The area is undulating, rocky and picturesque, with barren areas. It also has some extensive tracts of woodland; its elevation is generally 600 feet (180 m) and upwards, the area exceeding this height being about 6,100 acres (25 km2). The highest point, Bardon Hill, is 912 feet (278 m). On its western flank lies an abandoned coalfield, with Coalville and other former mining villages, now being regenerated and replanted as part of the National Forest. The M1 motorway, between junctions 22 and 23, cuts through Charnwood Forest.
The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT) is one of 46 wildlife trusts across the United Kingdom. It manages nature reserves in Leicestershire and Rutland, and was founded in 1956 as the Leicestershire and Rutland Trust for Nature Conservation. As of January 2018, it has over 16,000 members, a staff of about 25 and more than 500 volunteers. It is based in Leicester, and is managed by a Council of Trustees which is elected by the members. It is a charity which covers all aspects of nature conservation, and works to protect wild places and wildlife.
The Mountsorrel Railway was a network of industrial railway lines that served the granite quarries which dominate the Leicestershire village of Mountsorrel. After being closed in the 1950s, a section was reopened in 2015 as a heritage line run by Mountsorrel & Rothley Community Heritage Centre.
Charnwood Lodge is a 134.2-hectare (332-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Charnwood Forest, east of Coalville in Leicestershire. It is a national nature reserve, and contains two Geological Conservation Review sites. It is managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
Loughborough Meadows is a 60.5 hectares biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the northern outskirts of Loughborough in Leicestershire, England. An area of 35.3 hectares is managed as a nature reserve by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
Aylestone Meadows is an 8.8-hectare (22-acre) Local Nature Reserve in Leicester, England, United Kingdom. It is owned and managed by Leicester City Council.
Cribb's Meadow is a 4.2-hectare (10-acre) nature reserve east of Wymondham in Leicestershire. It is owned and managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, and is designated a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest under the name Cribb's Lodge Meadows. It is also a National Nature Reserve and a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade 2.
Merry's Meadows is a 12.4-hectare (31-acre) nature reserve west of Stretton in Rutland. It is managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, and is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest under the name Greetham Meadows.
Narborough Bog is an 8.5-hectare (21-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Narborough in Leicestershire. It is owned and managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
Wymeswold Meadows is a 4.5-hectare (11-acre) nature reserve east of Wymeswold in Leicestershire. It is owned and managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
Croft Pasture is a 6.2-hectare (15-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the outskirts of Croft in Leicestershire. Most of the site, totalling 5.8 hectares, is owned and managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
Cossington Meadows is an 88.9 hectares nature reserve west of Cossington in Leicestershire. It is managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
Wymondham Rough is a 6.0 hectares biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) east of Stapleford in Leicestershire. The SSSI is part of the 12.5 hectare Wymondham Rough nature reserve, which is managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
Wanlip Meadows is a 16.2 hectares nature reserve south of Wanlip and north of Leicester. It is owned and managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.
Ulverscroft Valley is a 110.8 hectares biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north-west of Markfield in Leicestershire. The site is in five separate blocks, and two areas are nature reserves managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT). Lea Meadows is owned by the LRWT and it is also a scheduled monument. Part of Ulverscroft Nature Reserve is owned by the LRWT and part is owned by the National Trust and leased to the LRWT.
Lea Meadows is a 12-hectare (30-acre) nature reserve east of Markfield in Leicestershire. It is owned and managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. It is part of the Ulverscroft Valley, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and part of it is a scheduled monument.
Ulverscroft is a 56-hectare (140-acre) nature reserve north of Markfield in Leicestershire, England. It is managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT) and part of it is owned by the National Trust and part by the LRWT. The site is partly in Ulverscroft Valley, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
