Whetstone Gorse

Whetstone Gorse is one of those proper Leicestershire landmarks that doesn't announce itself loudly, but once you're there, you understand why locals rate it. It's an open moorland site - gorse-covered hillside really - that gives you genuinely decent views across the surrounding countryside. On a clear day you can see for miles, which for the East Midlands is saying something.

Walkers get the most from it. The terrain is easy enough that families with younger kids won't struggle, though there's not much in the way of facilities or formal paths - it's more about striking out across open ground and soaking up the landscape. You're looking at an hour or so if you want a proper mooch around. It's free, naturally.

The thing is, Whetstone Gorse works best as part of a wider countryside loop rather than a destination in itself. You wouldn't drive an hour to see it alone. But if you're staying at one of the caravan parks nearby - Holly Farm Fishery is barely a mile away, or Green Acres if you want something slightly further out - it's exactly the sort of spot that makes a caravan holiday feel like proper time in the country rather than just sitting on a site.

Go when the gorse is flowering if you can manage it - late spring, early summer. The yellow blooms transform what's otherwise fairly ordinary moorland into something worth the walk.