We planned to go to Ashby Castle today. The thing about going anywhere is, you have to have an idea where to find it. Having set off without maps or sat nav, we hoped to get somewhere near and then look for the little brown road signs that signify something touristy - there's a particular one for castles, so all was not lost.
But then it occurred to me that we had a castle much closer and so we agreed we'd try and find that one. So far so good. We actually found the little brown signs and these led us to the Kirby Muxloe Castle gate. Sadly it was locked and a notice said the shackles would not come off until May. That was a bit too long to sit and wait, so we hopped in the car and set off in search of other, more productive little brown signs. All idea of going to Ashby had been shelved. Finding that place from where we were was a bit beyond our guesswork.
So on the trail we were and a sign was duly spotted. Off we went, following the signs until we came to Thornton Reservoir. Lovely place. Lots of water birds and people in boats fishing. We sat and watched them as we ate our picnic. The boats were all strung out in a row, their occupants looking towards the far shore and flicking brightly coloured fishing lines to and fro to get them as far in front of their boats as they could. Behind them, fish were popping their heads out to enjoy the view. We didn't see a fish caught, but everyone seemed very happy. The visitor centre is run by the water company and is in the shape of the prow of a boat on end. Very fetching. Inside we learned all about water and sewage. Lovely! Outside someone had put up a wooden statue in the shape of a fish standing on its nose. No idea why, but there it was so I took a photo of the girls standing by it.
Picnic over and visitor centre visited, it was time to leave in search of new brown signs. This time we arrived at Bagworth Heath Wood (I think - but the title seemed a bit longer on the sign). It had been created on the site of an old colliery and was very peaceful with many trees (as one would expect), with plantations of what looked like two types of osier, one red, one green. It might have been something else, I'm no expert. The children loved running around and finding interesting insects to look at. When appetites had rebuilt, we finished off the picnic. Just as we were leaving son of mine (their dad) halted the car and hopped out, returning with a pair of small toads. He showed them to the girls and then put them safely in the grass.
We made one more stop, at Bosworth Battlefield. Had a little scout round and watched a hawker fly his bird in the saxon village. Finally we let the girls have a nature stop and then set off back home by a scenic route.
