Wild places

Towpath is an excellent site for wildlife, containing a number of small ponds and marshy grassland areas. The site includes the historic endpoint of the Ashby Canal which was home to a huge pipeworks. The neighbouring Swainspark Wood is approximately 10 ha and is an established woodland with trees that are 20-50 years old. The wood also has a history of workings for clay and coal. 

This verge is being managed to improve biodiversity as part of the County Council/Parish Council verges biodiversity trial. It was surveyed in June 2021 by NatureSpot volunteers but we would welcome additional wildlife records from the community, whether plants, animals or fungi.

The original embanked churchyard and burial ground surround the Grade 1 listed Church of St Mary Magdalene. A footpaths passes through the churchyard and link through to the cemetery (see below) and its extension to the south. The churchyard is an important visual stop along the main routes through the village. It is clearly a well-used and maintained space with good accessibility and visual relationship with the wider village as well as having value as setting to the listed asset.

This place is outside the village of Waltham on the southwest side of the Goadby Road. It is planted with young apple trees and mature hedges. It is owned by the Parish Council and is freely accessible to the public.

Moor Leas Lane is a farm track leading southwest from Waltham and forms part of Public Right of Way E95. It was part of the Duke of Rutland's estate until the 1920s when it was sold with the surrounding land as part of wider sales following the death of two dukes in quick succession (in 1906 and 1925, leading to significant death duties). The hedgerows on either side are predominantly hawthorn with some elder.  There is dog rose and even honeysuckle to be spotted at the right time of year.

The tiny village of Wardley is just off the A47 as you climb ‘Wardley Hill’, less than a mile east from Allexton and 3 miles west from Uppingham. St Botolph Church dates from the 12th century, and the churchyard is elevated from the road with a lovely view of the valley in places.

This large ancient woodland covers 66 hectares. It lies to the west of Uppingham in the parish of Wardley and lies on Upper Lias Clay and Glacial Boulder Clay covering 68 ha. It is a Local Wildlife Site. It was probably formerly an Ash-Maple wood before being planted with conifers and a few broadleaves in the 1960s. Some of the original coppiced trees have survived. The proposed management is to harvest the conifers and replant, increasing the proportion of broad-leaved native species.

The Wash Brook Nature Reserve is a large triangular Public Open Space (POS) (2.8 hectares approx) located within Knighton Ward and owned and managed by Leicester City Council. It is bisected by the Wash Brook. The Midland Mainline Railway forms the Western boundary.

Welland Park is the largest park in Market Harborough. The popular park offers visitors a range of facilities. The River Welland runs through part of the park and there are 35 tree species to be found.

Western Park was once part of the Leicester Forest (mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1089) and was an important game preserve where the Earls of Leicester and their descendants hunted. An Oak tree still remains from this period and is affectionately known as ‘Old Major’. At the beginning of the 19th Century, Leicester Corporation purchased the land for £30,000, to create a park for the people of the West End. The park is extensive and includes many different habitats: meadow grassland, exposed rock, ponds, new woodland and a stream.

The large Rutland village of Whissendine is adjacent to the Leicestershire border and is approximately 6 miles north-west of Oakham. The village is split into two by a brook and the older part of the village is sited around the church to the east. The church dates from the 13th century, and is dominated by a tall Barnock-stone tower. It also contains some interesting interior features which may be of interest. The churchyard is reasonably large and well-maintained.It has an excellent wildflower area that is very attractive and adds to the interest of this beautiful church.

Designated a Local Wildlife Site in 2004, Whitwell verge lies to the east of Whitwell village and is 230 metres in length, on only the north side of Whitwell Road (A606). The main habitat is mesotrophic grassland.

Willesley Wood was the first site within the National Forest to be planted with trees over 25 years ago. This beautiful wood is now contains a mosaic of maturing woodland, flower meadows and wetland. The neighbouring Oakthorpe Picnic Site contains a mixture of habitats including woodland, semi improved grassland and wildflower areas. Both sites are home to a wide range of increasingly interesting flora and fauna.

The Church of St Peter and St Paul lies near the centre of Wing village, just south of Rutland Water.

This is a small lozenge shape of embankment and stream between the Winstanley College and the Lubbesthorpe Way. It was originally part of the school grounds but was fenced off in 2006-7 for security reasons. The land has now reverted to scrubland with boggy edges to the stream.

The Church of St Peters is grade one listed and lies to the west of the village and the River Anker runs alongside. Areas of the churchyard are unmown and there are a number of specimen trees.

This large semi-improved grassland field borders the River Anker along the west and is the site of the former Witherley Mill. The remnant mill race bisects the centre of the site, providing a mainly marshy habitat with some areas of shallow standing water. A large pond lies to the north of the site. The field is used for grazing cattle and has a few scattered shrubs around the site, mainly Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and Holly Ilex ilicis. A few standard trees have been planted within fenced cages to prevent cattle access.