Market Bosworth is a tiny market town in west Leicestershire. It is close to the battlefield of 1485 where King Richard III lost his horse, his crown, his throne and his life. Just outside to the east is Bosworth Park containing a lake and an arboretum excellent for car parking and picnics.   Close too, on the west side is Bosworth Water Trust with lakes for fishing, sailing, canoeing, and acres of room for barbecues and playing games, camping & caravanning. Refreshments and toilets available.

Market Bosworth also contains the famous “Dixie Grammar” school the earliest record of the school is 1320, although it was in 1601 that it gained it’s present name under the will of an Elizabethan merchant and Lord Mayor of London Sir Wolston Dixie. The main building of today’s school was built in 1828.

Shackerstone Station is the home of the Battlefield railway line. During the season and at weekends trains and sometimes “Thomas” steam from here to Shenton battlefield, a nice return trip of about 10 miles. There are opportunities to see trains chuffing slowly through the countryside as you are walking.

Next to the station is the Ashby Canal, completed in 1804 to carry coal from Ashby to Nuneaton at its peak carrying 153,400 tons in 1870. It was bought by the Midland Railway in 1845 and owned by them until nationalisation in 1948. It did of course take all the trade from the canal.   Interestingly apart from the Battlefield Line the railway is gone but the canal remains! The station drive was lined by trees by Lord Howe in 1873.

England - Leicestershire - Canal Walk

View a road map to the starting point of this walk.