Leicestershire

Leicestershire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands and stretches across gentle hills, farmland, and patches of woodland crossed by several rivers. The county includes urban centers like Leicester and Loughborough as well as numerous villages and market towns scattered across the rural countryside.

The county boundaries were documented in the Domesday Book of 1086 and remained largely unchanged afterward. During the Middle Ages trade and craft developed, while the Industrial Revolution later brought textile factories and mining to different parts of the area.

The name comes from Old English meaning the land of the Ligore, a Celtic tribe living here before the Roman conquest. Today you see pubs and shops everywhere offering traditional dishes from the region, while local markets sell cheese and meat products from centuries-old craft traditions.

Towns and larger settlements are connected by buses and trains, making day trips and tours around the county possible. Many rural areas are best reached by car, as public connections are less frequent there.

The Charnwood woodland areas in the northwest contain some of the oldest rocks in England, over 600 million years old and formed before complex life emerged. Walkers also find Bardon Hill here, the highest natural point in the county at 278 meters (912 feet) above sea level.