New forestry in the heart of England
518 sq km/200 sq miles
East Midlands | West Midlands
A large area of the English Midlands, extending in a band from around Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire, across Derbyshire and into Leicestershire, is now being managed as a major sustainable development project to enhance biodiversity, increase tree cover, and to provide new opportunities for tourism, recreation and education as well as farming and forestry.
The project was launched in 1990 and is managed by the National Forest Company, a not for profit company backed by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), working in partnership with local authorities, public bodies, voluntary organisations, landowners and the community. By 2002 5million trees had been planted, doubling the tree cover in the Forest. Originally the area was one of Britain's least wooded regions, with only 6% woodland cover: the target to increase this to 33% should be reached around 2020.
Extensive information on sites of interest, walks and visitor attractions is on the National Forest website below.
Principle sites in Staffordshire include:
- Branston Water Park (tel 01283 508573) southwest of Burton, with a 16ha/40-acre lake and trails leading off into surrounding woodland
- Jackson’s Bank (tel 01283 820275) at Hoar Cross west of Burton, a 32.5ha/80-acre mixed woodland with walkers’ trails that is part of historic Needwood Forest.
Accessibility
Some accessible paths and sites, including Branston Water Park, Rosliston Forestry Centre, Sarah's Wood, Sence Valley Forest Park and Thornton Reservoir. More details under Planning your visit on the the National Forest website, or contact their office for more information (see below).
Public transport
Good public transport routes serve the area, with rail services at Burton, Willington and Leicester. Buses serve many other points, and the independent Great Central Railway runs through the eastern end of the Forest between Leicester and Loughborough (see Public transport: East Midlands). For more information contact local information centres.
Maps
Publications
- National Forest: Forest Walks. Ring binder, £5 from the National Forest Company or local information centres (below).
Paths and routes
Contacts
- National Forest Company Enterprise Glade, Bath Lane, Moira, Swadlincote DE12 6BD, tel 01283 551211
www.nationalforest.org - Conkers Discovery Centre Rawdon Road, Moira, Ashby-de-la-Zouch DE12 6GA, tel 01283 216633
www.visitconkers.com
Regions
Local authorities
Visitor Information
Accommodation
