BURROUGH (once known as Castle Borough)
This is one of the highest parts of Leicestershire. Wright's Directory of Leicestershire, printed in 1892 tells us: "On a lofty eminence near the village is a large area of table land, hemmed in by earth walls, which was once the site of a Roman entrenchment. It is also said to have been previously a great British stronghold, and was formerly called Cæsar's camp. It is irregular in shape, but nearly a square, 800 feet in width. It consists of a soft red sandstone rock, covered with shallow soil, in which fossils and shells of the cockle species have been found. There are remains of mounds 20 feet in height, showing the form of the gateway on the southern side."
There are pictures of Burrough Village available on the Internet from this hyperlink.
The photographs below were taken at the end of Summer 2000
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After leaving the convenient Car Park and following the metalled track for a few yards we come to this sign. And are now in the realms of the County Council. |
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We gently ascend the pass - that is how it felt to your webmaster in 1935 when he climbed this, his first "mountain" at the age of 5 - or, properly, the gateway as Wright describes it! | ||
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and glance to our right to see the triangulation column (NGR SK762119) at 210m standing on the earthworks which we can explore the meanwhile catching glimpses of a whole panorama of views not too different from those which the Romans saw - there is very little visible urban development impinging to disturb our imagination.... | ||
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...and passing the informative topograph with its correctly oriented brass table showing distant places of interest and mileages, we pause at the 'North face' to see Melton Mowbray below and the foothills of Nottinghamshire on the horizon. | ||
| We can then proceed by the Burrough Hill covert and follow the trail to Great Dalby for welcome refreshment, noticing Sir Francis Burdett's Fox covert to our right, and Little Dalby beyond for a possible detour on our return journey to the carpark. The Burrough Hill Country Park is blessed by the care of its County Council Ranger, Jim Maydwell, through whom one can sponsor bird boxes for placing in the Burrough Hill covert: (of especial interest at the moment are jackdaws and owls). For further details contact our Webmaster. |
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