Swithland Wood and The Brand — Local services in Charnwood

My oh my what a beautiful place this is, just mesmerising and so tranquil we absolutely loved it. Google does take you to one of the car parks for the woodland. This is a pay and display parking and all proceedings go towards the maintenance of the place so it's all good. This woodland is massive and it's a mixture of different types of woodlands each with their own beauty. In the middle you'll also find a small spring which my doggies loved. It's not deep so they can cool off their paws in the water. The trails are wide and very well maintained and there's a bit for everyone, from the gentle stroller to the challenging fast walkers. Few of the areas can be very muddy so walking boots are a must. Please be mindful that horseriders are about so keep any adventurous and curious doggies...

To me, this is one of those ‘changed my life’ places. Me and my partners first date was at these very woods and they provided a beautiful romantic summers walk whilst we got to know each other.

With its stunning forest and the beautiful quarry centre it’s a walk for everyone. Some hilly sections and some flat sections complete with a river running through the middle.

What’s good:

Great scenery, can easily get lost and then find exactly where you are and it has a great variety of walks.

What’s bad:

Can get extremely muddy so watch the weather. Sunny weather doesn’t dry it out completely as it’s a forest. River can flood in periods of heavy rain.

Beware: there are now car park machines here instead of the old...

Great for dog walks and our dogs love it here. Different walks are colour coded with posts throughout to guide you (see pic) We normally just walk around the edge and takes approx 1hr (3-3.5km). Always busy on a Sunday morning and can be difficult to park but most other times parking is fine. There are two other car parks either end of the wood should one be full. Aswell as dog walkers there are often horse riders, runners and cyclists all using the woods. Parking can be paid by vash or there is an app that you can download to pay for parking, details can be found on the notice board in...