Blackfordby is 2 miles northwest of Ashby De La Zouch and is situated in the corner of Leicestershire bordering Derbyshire. It has a popular village pub, primary school, village hall and the Church of St. Margaret of Antioch which was erected in the mid-18th Century.

Breedon On The Hill is notable for its carboniferous limestone hill that rises 122 metres (400 ft) above sea level in a generally low-lying landscape and affords distant views across several counties.

On top of the hill is the Bulwarks iron age hill fort, within which is Breedon’s historic Church of England parish church. Breedon has two pubs, The Holly Bush and Three Horseshoes, along with a small primary school and post office/store.

Lying about 2 miles east of Ashby is the village of Coleorton which includes the smaller hamlets of Newbold Coleorton, The Moorlands, Peggs Green and Griffydam. The village has the benefit of numerous pubs, plus a primary school and Post Office.

Most famous for the Grade II Listed Coleorton Hall, the former seat of Sir George Beaumont. Beaumont was an important patron of the arts, and a skilled amateur painter. Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey, Scott, Reynolds, Constable, Wilkie, Lawrence, Mrs Siddons, Byron, Farington and Price were among his friends and visitors to Coleorton. Scott began Ivanhoe here, and Constable drew in the grounds. The hall has now been converted to luxury apartments and stable mews houses and set within the former walled kitchen garden an exclusive development of luxury homes.

Set about 4 miles away from Ashby this former mining village is home to Donisthorpe Primary School and two pubs The Masons Arms and The Halfway House. The Colliery site has since become Donisthorpe Woodland Park planted with native oak, grey alder, Corsican pine and ash creating approximately around 74,000 trees. The Woodlands park connects to the Woulds Heritage Trail that runs through Spring Cottage and Measham and the canal footpath also links to Moira Furnace Museum.

Famous for its renowned annual Scarecrow Festival (locals create scarecrows and place them outside of their homes) and music festivals including ‘Strawberry Fields’ at nearby Cattows Farm. Cattows Farm hold many events including music festivals, food festivals, firework displays and has a café and farm shop. Heather has a primary school named Heather Primary School.

Lying southwest of Ashby, Ibstock has lots to offer. The village has many stores including a supermarket, plus a doctor’s surgery, hairdressers and children’s nursery. It is home to primary and secondary schools, St Denys Church of England School and Ibstock Community College.  On the fringe of the village lies the fabulous Sense Valley park, a former open cast mining site which has been landscaped to provide natural lakes surrounding by pleasant walks.

Measham is situated about 3 miles southwest of Ashby De La Zouch. Its name developed from the settlement of the River Mease suggests that it was founded in the Saxon period. The village has a wealth of local facilities including its own leisure centre with a gym and football grounds. There is a doctor’s surgery and library, three pubs and numerous shops on the high street including a local Co-Op and Tesco Express.

3 miles west of Ashby De La Zouch, this former mining village is at the heart of the National Forest and Conkers Discovery Park which has a range of outdoor activities and parks. It has several outdoor and indoor activities for children and hosts many events for adults during evenings and weekends. Moira’s second famous landmark is Moira Furnace Museum and Country Park which is also home to the Canal.

A lovely village located just 1 mile or so to the south of Ashby. As you approach from Ashby you are greeted by the notable Packington Roundhouse, an early 18th Century village lock-up used to lock up drunks and minor lawbreakers until they had cooled off! Carry on into the village and you will find some picturesque thatched cottages along Mill Street and Babelake Street. The village today boasts a very popular village shop, primary school and pub The Bull and Lion. Reputedly the only pub of that name in Britain, The Bull and Lion has been the heart of Packington since the 17th Century.

Smisby was settled in Saxon times, and the name is derived from the Old Norse name of ‘Smidesbie’, which translates into Smith’s Farm. It lies to the north of Ashby and includes the Hamlets of Boundary and Annswell. Smisby has a village hall and St. James Church which stands on a hill above the village and has been a place of Christian worship for more than 900 years. There are two public houses, The Smisby Arms and The Tap House which is situated in Annswell.

Ticknall, the former estate village for Calke Abbey, lies about 7 miles north of Ashby De La Zouch. An attractive village with some beautiful historic homes and former estate houses. The village is well catered for at a local level with three pubs, a village post office and shop, St George parish Church, a cricket ground, village hall and primary school, Dame Catherine Harpur School.