Did you know that the Heritage Centre is just 50m from the “Leicestershire Round” a circular walk that explores the countryside, villages, canals, rivers and reservoirs of Leicestershire? If the 100 mile Leicestershire Round isn’t for you then there are a variety of shorter walks which take in the local villages.
Old John Tower in the distance
Below we have provided links to some of these local walks, however many follow nearby Kinchley Lane down to Swithland Reservoir which, in itself, is a very pleasant walk. The walk to Swithland reservoir is approximately 2 km or 1¼ miles to the dam and will take about 30 minutes. The first half of this walk is fairly open with views over to Old John tower. This section of the route is tarmac and you may be passed by the occasional car making its way to, or from, the dam (the road beyond the dam is not suitable for vehicles).
Swithland Reservoir Train on the viaduct
Just 400 m from the far end of the dam, down Rushley Lane, the road crosses the main Great Central Railway line (Rabbits Bridge). From the bridge the view to the South of the line is rather obscured by a water pipe crossing the line, however the view North is completely clear. Just before the railway bridge (on the right as you approach from the reservoir) you will see a footpath signposted for Quorn, 1½ miles; the “Buddon Brook and Swithland Reservoir” walk. Whilst just after the bridge the path is signposted for Woodhouse; the “Woodhouse Eaves and Great Central Railway” walk. From the gate on this path you get excellent views of the GCR line as it curves away into the distance.
View of GCR line North from Rabbits Bridge
Approximately 100m beyond the railway bridge, on the left, the signposted path will take you across fields to Swithland village.
Local Walks
“Buddon Brook and Swithland Reservoir” walk, (9 km, 5.5 miles): Available at http://www.quorndon.com/walking/, this is a circular walk taking in Quorn, following Buddon Brook to Swithland Reservoir and then via Kinchley Lane, Bond Lane and Leicester Road back to Quorn. The Heritage Centre is just 50 m from Checkpoint 3 on the route, and is ideally situated for a brief rest and refreshments half way around the route.
“Woodhouse Eaves and Great Central Railway” (8 km, 5 miles): Walk 3 of a series published by the Leicestershire Footpath association available from https://leicestershirefootpaths.wordpress.com/leicestershire-round-short-walks-north/. This circular walk takes in the villages of Quorn, Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves.
“Swithland Reservoir” (13 km, 8 miles): The Barrow Upon Soar Heritage Group (BUSCA) have a slightly longer “Swithland Reservoir” walk which can be found at http://www.busca.org.uk/heritage/articles/swithland-reservoir.html. The western leg of this walk is similar to the Buddon Brook and Swithland Reservoir walk, whilst the eastern leg follows sections of the River Soar and Grand Union Canal. Again the Heritage Centre is just 50 m from the walk (checkpoint 4 on the BUSCA map, or F on their website).
U3A WTT Mountsorrel Circular (5.5 km, 3.5 miles): The local U3A (University of the Third Age) group have published a circular walk around Mountsorrel taking in the visitor centre and includes a walk through a working quarry. This can be downloaded from the U3A website at https://u3asites.org.uk/files/g/glenfield/docs/mountsorrel.pdf or from the ViewRanger website at http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/OTc0Nzk=
If you are interested in walking then here are a selection of websites you might find helpful:-
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