Visit England's Ambitious Woodland Restoration Project

Over the past 35 years, an ambitious environmental project has been doing something remarkable in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire
— transforming an industry-scarred patch of the landscape into a forest that covers some 200 square miles. Linking what remains of the ancient woodlands of Needwood and Charnwood, the area is home to 10 million trees, from stately hazels and hornbeams to the fast-growing silver birch. But saplings aren’t the only examples of regrowth here, with cafes, pubs and microbreweries popping up all over this now green and pleasant land.

What Are the Best Places to Explore, Indoor and Out?

Affectionately referred to as an ‘un-stately home’, 18th-century Calke Abbey in Derbyshire has been left largely as the National Trust found it. Rooms and corridors in various states of elegant decrepitude chart the slow decline of the Harpur Crewe family through the objects they left behind, including an unusual collection of taxidermy. Outside are 600 acres of historic parkland and wooded pasture to explore. Be sure to pay a visit to the Old Man of Calke. Thought to be around 1,200 years of age, he’s one of the UK’s oldest surviving oak trees.   

Just over a mile south, the former stables of another grand country estate, Staunton Harold, now house the Ferrers Centre for Arts and Crafts. Open studios offer the chance to see a blacksmith, candlemaker and ceramicist at work, but the highlight is the Victorian Model Workshop, which builds custom props for stage and screen. Admire the dazzling display of animatronic creatures and self-writing quills, or find your inner child by feeding coins into a tiny, mechanised shop that dispenses real sweets.

Where Will I Find the Best Food and Drink?

You’re spoilt for choice at the Ferrers, home to both the Stables — a cafe known for its toasties — and Staunton Deli, replete with local produce including artisan charcuterie and Welbeck Bakehouse viennoiserie. Craft breweries abound, including Mount St Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire, where monks produce the UK’s only Trappist beer. Visit its small shop, then stroll to the top of its namesake mount for a better view of the gothic revival-style monastery, designed by the same architect as the Palace of Westminster, Augustus Welby Pugin.  

For a fireside pint and a hearty meal, head to the Griffin Inn, seven miles east in the village of Swithland. It’s owned by former England cricketers Stuart Broad and Harry Gurney, and the menu includes dishes inspired by countries where the sport is also prized, such as Indian-style butter chicken.

How About Places to Stay?

The peaceful Georgian-era town of Melbourne in Derbyshire is a delightful base. Book into one of four bright, characterful doubles at microbrewery The Spirit Vaults, so you can fully partake in the cask ales. From £110.

For families, Horseshoe Cottage Farm has a self-catering, timber-beamed property on the fringes of Bradgate Park, once a medieval hunting ground. The cottage has its own hot tub, and host Linda Jee, an exceptional cook, supplies all her guests with homemade bread, cake and jams. Sleeps six from £350.

Otherwise, consider an adults-only stay at Staffordshire spa hotel Hoar Cross Hall. This redbrick, 19th-century manor has 104 spacious rooms and several opulent dining spaces; afternoon tea is served in the library, while the restaurant in the former ballroom is all ornate plasterwork and glittering chandeliers. From £420, full board.