From the New Forest and the Lake District to Hyde Park and Cannock Chase, the UK boasts many outdoor spaces, big and small, perfect to get lost in.
One such spot, nestled in the middle of the UK, boasts some impressive credentials.
It’s home to some of the oldest fossils in England – dating back to over a half a billion years ago – it was the birthplace of a Tudor Queen, and is now the home of more than 500 roaming deer.
We’re talking about Leicestershire’s Bradgate Park, and we bet many of you have never heard of it.
If you grew up in the area, or live there now, you’ll no doubt have spent a sunny afternoon walking through the park, tip-toeing past the deer and maybe even paddling in the brook.
But the stunning park isn’t quite as well-known across the country.
‘I had not realised that such dramatic and beautiful scenery existed in Leicestershire,’ wrote one stunned reviewer on TripAdvisor.
‘This is the hidden gem of the Midlands,’ said another.
While a third wrote: ‘I had not heard of the park until I looked online. I wish I knew about it before… there are so many good things to say about it that it’s difficult to know where to start.’
Although one Leicestershire resident did add that among locals it’s the ‘worst kept secret’.
‘Everyone knows Bradgate, everyone loves Bradgate,’ the reviewer wrote. ‘The very best of Bradgate is in autumn, when the bracken and ferns are at their highest and most glorious.’
So what is there to love about this park, just seven miles away from Leicester’s city centre?
First and foremost, it’s beautiful. Whether you stick to the path of the main park, or explore further, up to Old John (a ruined folly from the 1700s) or the nearby Swithland Woods, there’s some breathtaking sites to behold.
If you’re lucky, you’ll spot deer roaming around the park, as well as many species of wildfowl that head to the reservoir.
Naturalists can also find Deadly Nightshade, which is allowed to grow in the ruins of Bradgate House.
Speaking of which, the ruins of the house, which was built around 1490, are worth wandering around.
Home to the Grey family, Lady Jane Grey was born here in 1537 – she was the great-niece of Henry VII and cousin of Elizabeth I.
Famously, Lady Jane Grey became Queen, aged around 16 or 17, but she didn’t last long. Her claim to the crown was disputed by Mary I (also her cousin), and Lady Jane Grey was eventually executed at the Tower of London – after being Queen for just nine days.
It’s said that Bradgate House is haunted by her ghost…
But the history of the park goes back much further than the Tudors. And we mean, way, way, back, to around half a billion years ago and the Precambrian Period (that’s the earliest part of the Earth’s history that starts with the formation of the Solar System).
The fossils discovered at Bradgate Park and the surrounding woods offer rare evidence of early marine lifeforms.
Bradgate Park is the only National Nature Reserve where you can find fossils of this age.
Leicester was recently shortlisted as one of the UK’s best destinations in the Group Leisure & Travel Awards 2024.
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So, if you’re heading to the East Midlands spot – one of the oldest cities in the UK – be sure to add Bradgate Park to your list.
Need to know
- Bradgate Park is free to enter, and is open 365 days a year, from 8am until sunset (no later than 8.30pm in the summer).
- There are various entrances around the park, each with different car parks and charges, for more information check the Bradgate Park website.
- Hungry after a stroll? Jade Tea Rooms – just opposite the Newtown Linford entrance to the park – is a popular favourite, serving up paninis, jacket potatoes and cakes. The Deer Barn Café, within the park, is open every day from 10am until 5pm, where you can also grab a drink and a bite to eat.
- The Visitor Centre and shop is open on weekends between 11am and 4pm.
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