Rutland Water
Donington Park
Belvoir CastleLeicestershire and Rutland offer a great variety of holiday experiences from the great outdoors of the National Forest and Rutland Water Nature Reserve to world famous heritage sites like the Bosworth Battlefield and dynamic city breaks in Leicester. Award winning interactive museums and family attractions in Leicestershire include the National Space Centre in Leicester and the Snibston Discovery Museum in Coalville. Leicestershire and Rutland are also top local produce regions in the East Midlands offering a host of award winning restaurants, best farmers' markets and acclaimed food and drink from Melton Mowbray pork pies and Stilton Cheese to Rutland real ales.
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An accessible region in the heart of England, Leicestershire and Rutland are located just off the M1 main motorway artery in Britain. East Midlands Airport situated just off the M1 is the major international gateway into the region. Leicestershire and Rutland have excellent rail links to the rest of the UK with Leicester, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway and Market Harborough all offering fast, frequent and direct rail links to London St Pancras.
Attractions and things to do in Leicestershire and Rutland include internationally acclaimed nature reserves like Rutland Water and tours of the famous English Bosworth Battlefield site. An acclaimed English farming region and a centre for local produce, Leicestershire and Rutland contain ancient market towns like Melton Mowbray, famous worldwide for its pork pies and Stilton cheese. North Leicestershire around Ashby, Coalville and Loughborough are surrounded by the ancient woodlands of the National Forest which offer the visitor a wealth of woodland walking and cycling trails, with fantastic bird watching in hotspots like The Outwoods in Loughborough.
Fun family days out in Leicestershire can be found at top family attractions like the Snibston Discovery Museum in Coalville, the award winning National Space Centre in Leicester and Twinlakes Family Theme Park near Melton Mowbray. Take canal boat trips and canal walks in Leicestershire around the county's extensive waterways network with feature highlights including the Foxton Locks near Market Harborough and Sutton Wharf on the Ashby Canal near Market Bosworth. The city of Leicester in the heart of the region is a breathtaking mix of cutting edge modern and heritage attractions. Acclaimed as one of Britain's top curry capitals, Leicester also features in the top ten shopping breaks in the UK and boasts spectacular city centre parks, first class art galleries, funky arts centres with award winning contemporary architecture and city centre heritage sites which include Roman bath remains and one of Britain's best preserved medieval timber-framed Guildhalls. The National Space Centre in Leicester is one of England's best interactive cutting edge family museums.
Leicestershire attractions cater for all tastes from the dazzling choice of heritage sites and museums in Leicester city centre to classic racing at Donington Park near Loughborough and Mallory Park near Hinckley. Take in dramatic castles and stately homes in Leicestershire like family friendly Ashby Castle or beautiful Belvoir Castle in the Leicestershire Wolds near Melton. Rutland with central historic county town Oakham is England's smallest county perfect for walking and birdwatching holidays. Luxury country house hotels and country cottages in Rutland are numerous, affording easy access into centrepiece the Rutland Water Nature Reserve, famous for its osprey breeding project and containing a host of walking trails, bird hides, outdoor activities and birding centres.
Leicestershire and Rutland are the local produce heart of the East Midlands. The annual East Midlands Food Festival takes place just outside Melton Mowbray and this area of England is famous for its real ales, fine cheeses and fresh meats. The medieval market towns of Leicestershire and Rutland retain their tradition of markets with famous market centres like Melton Mowbray featuring twice weekly farmers markets. Other food and drink highlights include the Market Bosworth County Show, daily Leicester markets, the Rutland Beer Festival at Oakham's Grainstore Brewery and essential visiting the Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe in Melton Mowbray.
Rutland Water image contributed by Steve F. Donington Park image contributed by David Forster. Belvoir Castle image contributed by Christine Matthews.
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