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LEI Country

Willesley Woodlands

Includes Shellbrook and Dilworth Clumps


Location Plans


Willesley

This is an expanding area and has been used for orienteering for many years now. The core area is owned by the Woodland Trust who recently acquired more land to enlarge it.


When opencast mining finished on the Willesley site in the early 1950s it was returned to mixed agricultural use for almost 40 years. The soil is poor with a predominance of clay and shale above the shallow coal measures; mining spoil has been levelled in some areas giving particularly poor growing conditions and variable growth speeds. The lake was formed by mining subsidence in the early 1980's and partially excavated to form a fishing lake.


As an interesting aside the woods are also known as Thortit Woods; the pit heads were so well hidden in the woods that the local volunteer group for these woodlands have taken their name from the local comment (who'd a thought it) and are known as 'The Friends of Thortit'


There are many wetland areas in the bottoms. There has been some continuity of woodland cover on the Willesley site for at least 200 years and possibly longer but it cannot be classed as ancient woodland and in any event most of the area is made up of new plantings.


Birds, butterflies and moths are taking up home and wild flowers coming into their own. This now very diverse terrain hosts nearly 100 different bird species including the fairly rare reed bunting.


Amongst the established trees in the copses black poplars have been found and this is the largest group of these rare trees anywhere in Leicestershire. Common spotted and pyramid orchids now abound and any course planning must give consideration to any sensitive areas if we are not to lose the goodwill of the landowners and other users.


The guelder roses and field maples turn these new woodlands into a blaze of colour at times of the year and are well worth a special visit.


To the east of the site is Willesley Lake (man-made in the eighteenth century) and parkland, which was formerly part of the Willesley Hall Estate. Although the hall has long since been demolished the parkland at the eastern end of the Woodland Trust site is a remnant of the former estate lands which stretch to the edge of Ashby, in avenues of lime trees. A large part of the old estate is now Willesley Park Golf Course. Willesley Lake itself is of serpentine design and was created to control water levels for power generation for the old hall. The small church was once the family church and the graveyard evidences mediaeval settlement.


This area includes a number of smaller ownerships including the Oakthorpe Picnic Site with 3 hectares and affording some parking which can be used for the larger area when holding small events. Olivia's Wood adds 20 hectares and we have some use of Willesley Lakeside to bridge the Woodland Trust areas to new Forestry Commission planting at Shellbrook. There are some semi detached plantings across the footpath over the M42.


The area is currently being mapped with Shellbrook and Dilworth Clumps to make one fairly enormous area.


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Shellbrok and Dilworth Clumps

Shellbrook Wood is Forestry Commission and doubles the size of our area by adding to the adjoining Willesley. The links between the two are not good and parking is a problem. In addition the same amount of land again is available north of Shellbrook and known as Dilworth Clumps which is big enough for events from Moira where the Community Centre has adequate parking and is only a few hundred yards from the area. Shellbrook could be used in conjunction with this area to make it big enough for a C4. The Forestry Commission has just acquired further land to the west of Shellbrook which will be added and will provide a car park. To the south of the site is Willesley Lake (man-made in the eighteenth century) and parkland, which was formerly, part of the Willesley Hall estate and this provides links to the Willesley, Woodland Trust area.


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