Melton Mowbray

Melton Mowbray sits where the River Eye and the River Wreake meet in the rolling farmland of north-east Leicestershire, roughly midway between Leicester and Nottingham. It grew up as a market town serving the surrounding Wolds, and that role has never really changed: its Tuesday and Saturday markets still fill the cobbled Market Place, and the town's Georgian and Victorian streets are built around the business of producing and selling good food. Officially crowned England's Rural Capital of Food, Melton is best known internationally for two things it makes better than anywhere else: the Melton Mowbray pork pie, which carries Protected Geographical Indication status alongside the likes of Champagne and Parma ham, and Stilton cheese, which by law can only be made in this corner of the country.

Beyond the food, Melton has a quieter charm as a handsome Midlands town wrapped in genuinely rural countryside. The Wolds rise gently around it in a patchwork of hedgerows, hunting country and small villages, and the town itself is compact enough to explore on foot, centred on the soaring 13th-century tower of St Mary's Church. It has long been associated with fox hunting and horses too, sitting at the heart of what was once dubbed the "Leicestershire Triangle" of hunting towns, and that heritage still shows in its ironstone buildings and old coaching inns. For visitors, it makes an easy, unhurried base for exploring the East Midlands, within striking distance of Rutland Water, Belvoir Castle and the wider Vale of Belvoir.

Top things to do in Melton Mowbray

Melton rewards a slow visit built around food, market days and gentle walking along the river. Highlights include:

• Dickinson & Morris, Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe — trading on Nottingham Street since 1851, this is the oldest and most famous maker of the original Melton Mowbray pork pie, with a shop and small pie-making history on site.
• Melton Mowbray Market — a street market on the historic Market Place every Tuesday and Saturday, plus a farmers' market on Scalford Road on Tuesdays and Fridays, selling local produce, meat, cheese and crafts.
• Melton Carnegie Museum — a free museum in the town's former Carnegie library, covering Melton's Roman origins, its pork pie and Stilton industries, and its hunting history.
• St Mary's Church — an impressive 13th-century parish church, one of the largest in Leicestershire, at the heart of the town centre.
• Melton Country Park — open parkland with lakes and walking trails on the edge of town, good for an easy afternoon outdoors.
• River Eye walks — footpaths follow the river through the town and out into the surrounding countryside, taking in Wilton Park and the old canal basin.
• Stilton cheese tastings — several local shops and delis sell and let you sample genuine Blue Stilton, made under Protected Designation of Origin rules within a small area around Melton.
• Rutland Water — England's largest reservoir by surface area lies a short drive south-east, with cycling, sailing, birdwatching and Normanton Church's striking lakeside setting.

Getting to Melton Mowbray

Melton Mowbray sits just off the A606 between Nottingham and Oakham, and close to the A607 towards Leicester and Grantham, making it straightforward to reach by car from across the East Midlands. The town has a railway station on the Birmingham to Stansted Airport line (via Leicester and Peterborough), operated by CrossCountry, with regular services connecting to Leicester, Nottingham and Peterborough for onward travel. East Midlands Airport is around 40 minutes away by car, and Leicester and Nottingham stations offer wider national rail connections for visitors arriving from further afield.

Best time to visit Melton Mowbray

Melton Mowbray is a year-round destination thanks to its indoor food shops, museum and market days, but late spring through early autumn suits its parks and riverside walks best. British Pie Week in early March is a natural highlight given the town's pie-making heritage, while Melton's food festival and the town's food-focused events through the summer showcase local producers at their best. Autumn brings a good excuse to combine a visit with Stilton season and the start of the hunting calendar, and Christmas markets add a festive lift to the town centre in December.

Where to stay in Melton Mowbray

Melton has a mix of independent hotels, coaching inns and B&Bs in and around the town centre, many in period buildings that reflect its history as a hunting town. For those wanting a countryside base, campsites and glamping sites in the surrounding Wolds and villages offer an easy alternative, putting the market town, Rutland Water and the Vale of Belvoir all within easy reach.

Food and drink in Melton Mowbray

Food is the reason most people visit, and Melton does not disappoint. Dickinson & Morris' Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe on Nottingham Street remains the essential stop for a genuine Melton Mowbray pork pie, baked to the original recipe. The Melton Cheeseboard and Rutland & Derbyshire's stalls at the market sell proper Blue Stilton alongside other local cheeses, and Nottingham Street's independent delis and butchers are well worth a browse. The Anne of Cleves pub, a genuinely medieval building, and a clutch of traditional coaching inns provide solid pub food and local ales, while the town's food festival and Piefest event each summer bring together the wider region's producers, brewers and bakers for tastings and demonstrations.