Bardon Hill- Beacon Hill- Bradgate Park

Linking the three highest points in Leicester.

Markfield to Bardon Hill

 We parked in Markfield and walked past the Queen Elizabeth pub, west, towards the M1-junction 22.  The route is the old main road, now empty because of the Markfield by-pass roaring below you.  The view across the Charnwood Hills is wonderful. The noise is incongruous because you can not see the traffic,  I thought of it as a peacock.  The route passes by 'Altar Stones', which are one of the many protrusion of Charnwood rock which can be seen on this walk.  You can detour through the rocks, and back onto the road in time to meet the M1- junction 22 interchange,  Walk anti clockwise round the junction on the pavement.  On the other side of the north entry slip road to the M1 is a tarmaced footpath up to a horse field.  The footpath follows the fence up the field, past a garden bench, and memorial stone, and cuts in front of a farmhouse   The route is well marked, but be careful with the path as the path levels off in a field of heathland and brambles.  The path turns sharply left and pass through some high holly bushes,

High Rocks to \Bardon, and then on to Charley Mill Farm

 At High Rocks there is more exposed Charwood Rock.

Bardon Hill with its telecom tower is very visible.  The path is clearly marked and goes right to the top where you get a great view over into the Bartdon quarry.  At 1.45 pm a siren goes, and you feel a mini earthquake as the end of shift explosions go off.  Follow the road down the hill and join the main avenue though the estate,  By the farm buildings on the left, the path crosses some fields, passed a circular tumulus on the right, up past a willow wood to the main road. The path traces the road to the left in a protective manner, all the way to the crossing point over to the Charley Mill farm driveway.

 At Charley Mill Farm, the route continues straight on through a beautiful wood, though to a road leading to a route under the M1.

 At Beacon Hill continue to walk over the brow of the hill and down to the crossing point over to Broom Briggs farm.  Here there is a footpath that skirts the field over to Woodhouse Eaves.  When you hit the road through the village, turn right and walk up the road for a short distance to Maplewell Hall farm.  The footpath continue on the other side of the road and continues into the golf course.

Woodhouse Eaves to Bradgate Park

The route through the golf course is clearly marked and crosses one main road,  It then goes through some young woodland up to the crest of the hill.  Cross the road and walk though more even younger trees left adjacent to the road, up towards Bradgate Park upper car park.

Enter the park and walk along the perimeter footpath to the right of Old John all the way to Newtown Linford,  The route is now picked up on the first map.  The footpath leaves Newtown Linford through a field by the junction with the Markfield road.  The route goes across two fields and into the John Lee woods, next to a Scout Centre.  The route the goes through a farm with loud dogs, through a number of horse fields, crosses over into another young wood, and up to the historic Cloud Cover Wood. Here the path cuts down to a bridge, up steeply through another young wood, follows through trees next to the dual carriageway, and meets an underpass through to Markfield.  This took us seven hours.