Garendon

New for 2024: Garendon Park - Public Access

This page is dedicated to the newly opened Garendon Park development to the west of Loughborough. 

The Garendon estate was approved for development in the late 2010s by Charnwood Borough Council, the bulk of the estate land having already been sold to Persimmon Homes in 2015. A key condition of the S106 development planning authority approval was the opening up of the southern part of the estate to public access as a new amenity. 

For details of progress so far, a comprehensive guide to what public rights of way are already available to explore, and a pleasant walk to get you started, see the box below. You can also download a .pdf guide to take with you here when exploring the park.

I'll be providing regular updates as things develop, so watch this space......

You can also find out more about the development and get involved yourself via the Friends of Garendon Park website.

Garendon Park - Shepshed Circular Walk

This walk is designed to help users make use of newly-opened footpaths and metalled tracks on the Garendon Estate, which is located between Loughborough and Shepshed. The Estate contains several listed monuments of interest, dating from the Victorian era and earlier.  The old Garendon Hall which was the centre-piece of the estate before its destruction in 1964, dated back to the 16th Century and had a colourful history - you'll find more details in the guide. 

The estate is currently being developed to provide new housing by Persimmon Homes and William Davis. A condition of the S106 planning approval was that the southern part of the estate would be opened to the public, effectively forming a new country park area for recreational purposes.

Many of the footpaths were due to open in June 2023  according to Persimmon's original development plan (these dates are still listed on their website). Only two were open by that date, but more did become accessible during the course of the autumn of 2023. However, many of the planned footpaths and cycle routes are not yet available. It is still not possible to join NCR6 at the Bavarian Arch, although this was originally scheduled for the original June 2023 Phase 1 opening date.  This is because fo a privacy issue with the existing tenant of the arch, which is still owned by the DeLisle estate.

It is hoped that the 200 metre stretch of access road will be opened as soon as possible, to achieve compliance with S106 terms. (see updates below for more details.) To provide temporary access to NCR6 from the southern part of the estate while negotiations between the developer and the DeLisle estate progress,  a footpath is planned to the western side of the lake. 

The walk described in the guide, provides a circular route starting and finishing in Shepshed, almost all of it on off-road footpaths or existing  cycle routes.  (The start and finish points could easily be adjusted to allow a start in Loughborough, taking in the Obelisk monument on the Eastern edge of the estate as an additional historical attraction). 

Currently, the route shown would not be suitable for cyclists; when the remaining route via the Bavarian Arch opens, a circular cycle route including NCR6 and the old Coach Road back to Shepshed would make a pleasant round trip. A circular cycle route taking in the southern part of the estate is currently possible – see the guide for a suggested route returning via the Old Ashby Road estate and A512).

Update 20.12.23: A new footpath has now opened at southern end of the estate following the old Loughborough to Ashby railway track-bed - see guide for details. Connects with Old Ashby Road estate via Clowbridge and Pitsford Drives.

You can download or view the .pdf guide (Garendon Estate Walk.pdf) using the direct link above. Take it with you on your smartphone or tablet....

Update 8.2.24: It appears that there may be a further delay in  opening the link between NCR6 and A512 via the Bavarian Arch, as originally planned for June 2023. Ownership of the arch and immediate surrounding area was retained by the DeLisle family at the time of the land transfer and a route directly under the arch is not currently possible as the building is occupied by a sitting tenant. Two alternative routes avoiding the arch are possible - see the updated Guide for more details of this issue and other developments regarding Garendon public access. 

Update 3.6.24: Following forestry works by Persimmon, the footpath connecting Pitsford Drive with the eastern part of the estate is heavily rutted and very muddy following recent rains - waterproof footwear desirable ! Hopefully some dry weather will help remedy the problem. 

Update 26.7.24: As predicted in the February update, there is likely to be a further delay in provision of through pedestrian access from the southern part of the estate to NCR6, due to the continuing dispute regarding tenant privacy. The temporary route via woodland to the west of the lake bypassing the Bavarian Arch has not yet been agreed and looks unlikely to progress this year. 

Cyclists should also beware also that the surface condition of both Hathern Drive and Pear Tree Lane is now very poor due to recent utility laying by  Persimmon, and becomes virtually impassable after heavy rain. I would not recommend using either route North of the turnoff to Shepshed. NCR6 itself has also been badly churned up by construction traffic and farm vehicles of late, and I suspect this is unlikely to be remedied before building work starts in this area.