Beacon Hill, Leicestershire
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| Beacon Hill | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Elevation | 248 m (815 ft) |
| Location | Charnwood Forest, England |
| Prominence | c. 57 m |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 129 |
| OS grid reference | SK509148 |
Beacon Hill, near Woodhouse Eaves in Leicestershire, England, is a popular country park. It is one of several beacon hills in the United Kingdom.
Consisting of over 40 hectares of heath and woodland, the site offers recreational walking, and some short climbs. With a maximum height of 248 m, it is the second highest point in Leicestershire after Bardon Hill.
An extinct volcano, the granite hill was the site of a bronze age hill fort. Today a toposcope indicates landmarks which can be seen from the summit.
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is aligned so that, seen from the summit, only two of its six cooling towers are visible.
It was featured on the 2005 TV programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the Midlands. There are some very interesting rocks on the summit.
Nearby are two small woods both accessible to the public.Jubilee Wood is 2 miles north-west of the lower Beacon hill car park on the Woodhouse Eaves to Nanpantan road and the Outwoods which is adjacent to Jubilee Wood.
[edit] Native Tree Collection
The park contains a collection of native trees, first planted in 1996. Many of the trees are labelled, and there are several boxes that provide audio commentary on the biology and historical interest of selected tree species at the push of a button.
[edit] Access
There is a pay and display car park accessible from Breakback road. For access by public transport, buses to Woodhouse Eaves run from Leicester and Loughborough. Services 121, 123, and some 54 buses run by Centrebus. Alight from your bus at the end of Main road. Walk up Beacon road until the first major T-junction, which is Breakback road. Walk up this road until the first crest in the hill, then walk into the car park. Walking paths and bridleways lead away from the car park in most directions.
[edit] External links
- Beacon Hill Country Park
- Computer generated summit panorama Beacon Hill index
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