The county of Leicestershire is mainly flat with few hills. From Leicester (in the centre of the country) the land rises to the east and in the west towards the craggy and untamed Charnwood Forest. The countryside is dotted with small wooded areas, strategically planted as fox coverts, once providing Leicestershire with the finest fox-hunting country in the land.
The Jewry Wall - Leicester © Travel About Britain
'Beneath yon eastem ridge, the craggy bound, Rugged and high, of Chamwood's forest ground, Stand yet, but, stranger! hidden from thy view, The ivied Ruins of forlom Grace Dieu.'
County Town: | Leicester - distance from London: 103 miles (165 km) |
Nearby Counties: | Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, Warwickshire |
Train Operators: | East Midland Trains / London Midland |
Nearest Airport: | East Midlands |
Major Roads: | A47, M1, M69 |
Highest point: | Bardon Hill, 912 feet |
Rivers: | Soar, Wreake |
County Flower: | Foxglove |
Local Delicacies: | Whetstone Cakes - biscuits, flavoured with caraway seeds and rose water. Pork pies - Melton Mowbray is world famous for its pork pies. |
The Meaning of Leicestershire
First recorded in 1087 as Laegreceastrescir. Leicester is an Old English corruption of the Latin meaning 'a fort on the river Leire'.
Map of Leicestershire
The Midlands
Towns and Villages in Leicestershire
Ashby-de-la-Zouch,
Coalville,
Hinckley,
Leicester,
Loughborough,
Market Bosworth,
Market Harborough,
Melton Mowbray,
Lutterworth