LEI Country
Sence valley Country Park
Permanent Orienteering Course available soon
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This is a 60 hectare former open-cast coal site, which has been transformed with extensive tree planting and the creation of lakes interlinked with a series of paths. The Park is owned by the County Council but managed by the Forestry Commission who we are working with to create a permanent orienteering course with financial assistance from the National Forest.
After being planted with over 98,000 trees this site was opened to the public in September 1998 and contains woodland, lakes linking to the River Sence, grassland and a wildflower meadow. Thanks to the varied habitat 150 bird species have been recorded at the park. An artificial Sand Martin nesting wall has also been constructed alongside the Horseshoe Lake. Opportunities for recreation at the park include orienteering, fishing on one of the lakes, a bridleway, surfaced trails providing access for walkers, cyclists, and disabled visitors. There are numerous footpaths from the site linking to other small pockets of public access woodlands.
The park lies between Heather and Ravenstone. Ravenstone to the north of the park has seen a number of Roman finds. Suggestions are that a small Roman town (destroyed by open cast mining) was situated nearby beside the Roman road which ran from Leicester to Chester. Ravenstone is mentioned in the Domesday book and is listed as waste. However, there is reason to believe that there was much human activity before this time.
In more recent times (1147) there was a treaty by which the Earl of Leicester agreed to destroy the castle at Ravenstone. Its location is a mystery but it may have been near Snibston.
© 2008 Leicestershire Orienteering Club