The free-roaming deer
Some 550 red and fallow deer wander unfenced, at their most dramatic during the October rut.
Around 550 red and fallow deer have grazed these hills, more or less undisturbed, since the Middle Ages, and nothing stands between you and them except your own good sense. That is the first truth about Bradgate: a medieval deer park of some 340 hectares (830 acres) on the rocky rim of Charnwood Forest, ten kilometres from the centre of Leicester and seemingly several centuries away. The ground is open and stony, thick with bracken and gnarled old oaks, with the little River Lin running beside the tarmac carriageway through the lower park. There are three histories here, not one. By the river stand the red-brick ruins of Bradgate House, completed around 1520 and among the earliest brick country houses in England, the childhood home and, by most accounts, the birthplace of Lady Jane Grey; she reigned for nine days in 1553 and was executed at the Tower of London before she turned seventeen. On the park's highest point (about 210 m) sits Old John, a folly of 1784 shaped like an old tankard with a handle, now the unofficial emblem of Leicestershire, with views that on a clear day stretch well beyond the city. The third story is older than both: the volcanic rock breaking through the turf is 560 million years old and holds some of the oldest complex fossils known anywhere, one of the reasons the park was declared a National Nature Reserve in 2024. Entry is free and the park opens every day from 8:00 until sunset; what you pay for is parking: £4 for up to three hours or £5 for a full day on weekdays, £5 or £6 at weekends and on bank holidays, with card payment at all three car parks. The tarmac path from Newtown Linford to the Deer Barn café and the ruins in the heart of the park, and on to Hallgates, is level and genuinely fine for pushchairs and wheelchairs; the climb to Old John is another matter, rocky and uneven, so bring proper shoes. The house ruins and the inside of the tower open only on set days from April to October (ruins Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; tower Thursday; 11:00-15:00), free of charge, though both can be seen from outside at any time. Our honest advice: come for the walk and the air, not for sights to tick off. With children it makes an excellent half day in summer, when the light lasts until 20:30; in winter it shuts at sunset, around 16:00, so do not arrive after lunch. Keep at least 50 metres from the deer, especially in October during the rut when the stags turn aggressive. There is no prayer room, and the two cafés serve simple fare (sandwiches, jacket potatoes, cakes), so a picnic is the better plan.
Some 550 red and fallow deer wander unfenced, at their most dramatic during the October rut.
A brick house completed around 1520 where the Nine Days Queen grew up, open inside on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from April to October.
A rocky climb to the park's highest point (about 210 m) rewards you with the widest view in Leicestershire.
Newtown Linford, Leicester LE6 0HB
Yes, if you stick to the tarmac path between the Newtown Linford car park, the Deer Barn café and the ruins: it is flat and easy. The climb to Old John is not pushchair territory, and in winter go in the morning, as the park closes at sunset, around 16:00.
Possible but awkward: bus 125 from Leicester stops near the Newtown Linford entrance on weekdays only, with infrequent departures, and the 29B runs on Sundays. With a family, a car or taxi (about 20-25 minutes) is far easier.