Market Bosworth

Market Bosworth's hotel and B&B scene is small but characterful, reflecting the size of the town itself. Expect period buildings around the Georgian market square — think exposed beams, listed facades and a handful of rooms rather than large-scale hotels — alongside country inns and farmhouse B&Bs scattered through the surrounding villages. Softleys, housed in a listed eighteenth-century building right on the square, is one of the better-known options, combining a restaurant with a small number of rooms, while other local inns and guesthouses offer a similarly traditional, home-from-home style of stay.

Staying in Market Bosworth itself puts you within easy walking distance of the market square, St Peter's Church and the Country Park, and it is a short drive to the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and the Battlefield Line Railway. For those wanting a more rural base, farmhouse accommodation and country inns in the villages around Sutton Cheney, Shenton and along the Ashby Canal offer a quieter alternative, generally within ten or fifteen minutes' drive of the town.

Given the modest number of rooms on offer locally, it is worth booking ahead for weekends, especially around the August anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth and during the summer months when the railway and Country Park are at their busiest. Larger hotel chains can be found a short drive away in Hinckley, Nuneaton and Leicester for travellers who prefer more conventional facilities, with Market Bosworth itself best suited to those after a smaller, more personal stay.

Market Bosworth's biggest draw is the battlefield itself, but the town and its surrounds offer plenty more for a short break.

• Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre & Country Park — Around three miles south of town near Sutton Cheney, this is where Richard III was killed in battle on 22 August 1485, ending the Wars of the Roses and bringing the Tudors to power. The centre has interactive exhibitions on medieval warfare and the discovery of the battle site, a free family-friendly Discovery Zone, a cafe and shop, plus way-marked trails across the surrounding farmland where the fighting is thought to have taken place.
• Market Bosworth Country Park — A 35-hectare park on the edge of town, once part of the deer parkland belonging to Bosworth Hall. It has a lake, an arboretum planted with a range of unusual trees, a wildflower meadow, community woodland and picnic areas, making it a pleasant, low-key spot for a walk regardless of the weather.
• Battlefield Line Railway — A heritage steam railway running from its base at Shackerstone through Market Bosworth station to Shenton, close to the battlefield site itself. It is one of the few ways to combine a nostalgic steam trip with a visit to the battlefield, and operates regular services and special events throughout the year.
• Market Bosworth's Georgian market square — The heart of the town, lined with well-preserved eighteenth and nineteenth-century buildings now home to independent shops, tearooms and pubs. It is worth simply wandering the square and the streets that lead off it.
• St Peter's Church — The parish church, largely rebuilt in the seventeenth century but retaining fourteenth and fifteenth-century features, standing near the square and worth a quiet look for its architecture and history.
• Ashby Canal towpath — The canal passes within easy reach of the area and offers flat, peaceful walking and cycling routes out into the surrounding countryside, popular with narrowboat traffic in the warmer months.
• Twycross Zoo — A short drive away, this well-known zoo is home to gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, elephants and giraffes among many other species, and makes a good family day out to pair with a stay in Market Bosworth.

The market square is home to a handful of well-regarded places to eat. Softleys, in a Grade II listed building dating from 1794, offers a la carte dining and rooms in the heart of town, while the Black Horse serves restaurant dining just off the square. Traditional pubs around the town centre and in nearby villages serve classic pub food, and the Country Park and railway station both have cafes for a simpler stop, making it easy to combine a walk or a steam train ride with something to eat.

Camping around Market Bosworth means gentle Leicestershire and Warwickshire farmland rather than dramatic scenery, and that is very much the appeal: quiet fields, hedgerowed lanes, canal towpaths and easy walking straight from the tent flap. As with anywhere in England, wild camping is not permitted without the landowner's explicit permission, so plan on a licensed campsite or a farm pitch that has agreed to take campers, of which this part of the Midlands has a reasonable spread within a short drive of the town.

The terrain here is flat to gently rolling, with few steep climbs to worry about, which makes it a good choice for family camping, first-time campers or anyone touring by bike. Many sites sit within reach of the Ashby Canal, useful for towpath walks and birdwatching, or close to the Bosworth Battlefield trails, so you can pitch up and be exploring history within minutes rather than driving somewhere else for the day. Ground tends to be well-drained farmland rather than boggy moor, though as with any English campsite it is worth checking conditions after heavy rain.

Late spring through to early autumn, roughly May to September, is the most reliable camping season, when evenings are light and long enough for a walk around the Country Park lake or a stroll into town for dinner, and the Battlefield Line Railway is running its fuller timetable for a family day out. Midsummer can get busy at the more established sites, particularly around the battle anniversary events in August, so booking ahead is sensible in peak weeks. Spring and early autumn tend to be quieter and still pleasant for walking, with the countryside at its greenest or turning gold.

For those who would rather skip the tent-pitching altogether, glamping options in the area — shepherd's huts, pods and small static setups on working farms — offer a more comfortable way to enjoy the same countryside, usually with proper beds and a stove or fire pit, while still being close to the market square, the battlefield and the canal.