Asfordby Hill

Asfordby Hill has no hotels of its own, being a small residential hilltop settlement rather than a visitor destination in its own right, but its location just off the A6006 makes it a convenient, quiet base for accommodation across the wider Melton Mowbray area. Melton Mowbray itself, around three miles east, offers a modest range of options including traditional coaching inns with rooms, small independent hotels and guest houses within walking distance of the town's market square, pork pie shops and St Mary's Church. Further afield, the countryside around Asfordby, Kirby Bellars, Frisby on the Wreake and the Wreake valley villages has a scattering of farmhouse bed and breakfasts and country inns, many set within working farms or converted stable blocks, appealing to visitors who want a rural base within easy reach of both Melton Mowbray and Leicester.

Families and groups after more independence may prefer self-catering cottages in the surrounding villages, several of which occupy converted barns or period stone buildings typical of this part of east Leicestershire. Whichever type of stay is chosen, the flat, quiet lanes around Asfordby Hill make it easy to reach shops, pubs and attractions in Melton Mowbray within a few minutes' drive, while Leicester's wider hotel choice, around 15 miles south-west, is a realistic option for visitors also planning to explore the city or use it as a transport hub. Booking ahead is worth doing around the town's food festival dates in summer, when demand for nearby rooms rises noticeably.

Asfordby Hill itself is a small residential settlement with limited visitor attractions, but it makes a convenient, peaceful base for exploring the food heritage and countryside of the Melton Mowbray area, a short drive to the east.

• Dickinson & Morris, Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe — the oldest surviving bakers of the traditional Melton Mowbray pork pie, on Nottingham Street in Melton Mowbray, with tastings and a museum area explaining how the hand-raised pie is made.
• Melton Carnegie Museum — a small local history museum in a former Carnegie library building, tracing Melton's story from Roman times through to the Victorian era, including displays on the origins of Stilton cheese and the pork pie trade.
• St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray — a large 13th-century Gothic parish church at the heart of the town, one of the finest in Leicestershire and well worth a look even for a brief visit.
• Melton Country Park — a set of three linked lakes and woodland walking trails built in 1989–90 as part of Melton's flood defences, with paths suitable for walking, cycling and birdwatching.
• The Melton Cheeseboard — a long-established specialist cheesemonger on Windsor Street stocking around 150 regional cheeses, with Stilton, made only within a defined area of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, as its speciality.
• River Wreake and the old Melton Mowbray Navigation — the towpath and river banks around Asfordby, Kirby Bellars and Frisby on the Wreake follow the route of a canal that operated from 1797 to 1877; the old cuts and lock sites are still visible for anyone interested in a gentle riverside walk.
• Great Central Railway — Britain's only double-track main line heritage railway runs steam and diesel services between Loughborough, Quorn and Leicester, a scenic drive of around 30–40 minutes from Asfordby Hill.

This corner of Leicestershire takes its food seriously. Melton Mowbray is the historic home of the genuine Melton Mowbray pork pie, protected by EU/UK Protected Geographical Indication status, and Dickinson & Morris on Nottingham Street still bakes them using traditional methods. The town also sits within the small defined area permitted to produce true Stilton cheese, and shops such as the Melton Cheeseboard sell a wide range of local and regional cheeses alongside it. Beyond the specialist food shops, Melton Mowbray's market town centre has a good spread of independent cafes, traditional pubs and restaurants, while villages around Asfordby, including Asfordby itself, have their own local pubs serving classic countryside menus.

There are no formal campsites in Asfordby Hill itself, but the surrounding Wreake valley countryside, threading between Melton Mowbray and villages such as Frisby on the Wreake, Kirby Bellars and Brooksby, has a reasonable spread of caravan and camping parks within a short drive, many geared towards touring caravans, motorhomes and tents, and several offering coarse fishing on site alongside the pitches. As with anywhere in England, wild camping on private land here is not permitted without the landowner's explicit permission, so it is worth booking an established site or seeking permission directly from a farm or landowner rather than assuming open fields are fair game.

The terrain around Asfordby Hill is gentle rolling farmland rather than rugged upland, with well-maintained country lanes and footpaths making it easy going for families and less experienced campers, while still offering proper countryside quiet once you are away from the A6006. The River Wreake and its old canal course provide level, scenic walking and cycling routes straight from many of the local sites, and Melton Country Park's lakes and woodland trails are a short drive away for a day out without needing to move the car far.

Late spring through early autumn, broadly May to September, is the most comfortable window for camping here, with the driest ground conditions and the best chance of long, warm evenings around the pitch. July is a particularly good time to combine a stay with Melton Mowbray's food festival events, including its well-known Piefest celebrating the town's pork pie heritage. Outside these months the ground can turn heavy after rain, and days are shorter, so it suits hardier campers or those in a well-equipped caravan more than a first tent trip.

For anyone who would rather skip the tent altogether, a handful of sites in the wider area offer glamping options such as static caravans, pods or safari tents, giving a taste of the Wreake valley countryside with rather more comfort, and these tend to be booked up well ahead of the summer food festival season.