The National Forest Landscape Zones

If you’re a regular visitor to the site you’ll probably be familiar with the term ‘landscape zones’ – but what are they?
If you look at the map of The National Forest area you’ll see that it’s divided into six key areas that are highlighted in red text.
These are individually unique, regional character areas which often form parts of wider landscapes occurring outside the Forest boundary.

Needwood & South Derbyshire Claylands is an historic, well-wooded landscape covering part of the Ancient Needwood Forest. This zone is characterised by many ancient woodlands, parklands, hedgerow trees and mixed farmland with a strong pastoral character and a pattern of hedged fields. Timber framed houses and red brick farmsteads are a common sight in this landscape with its wide, straight roads and narrow, twisting lanes that link a scattered settlement pattern of villages and hamlets.

The Trent Valley Washlands are marked by an extensive, flat floodplain with slow, meandering rivers. It has an overall fragmented appearance due, in no small part, to a history of strong urban and industrial influences which have left their legacy in the form of sand and gravel workings, Drakelow power station, built development and major road and rail routes. This zone is generally un-wooded but has areas of wet and scrub woodland with gappy, overgrown hedges and large, open-cropped fields with some remnant pastures and wet meadows.

The Mease and Sence Lowlands form a rolling, well managed landscape that is characterised by large cropped fields and intact hedgerow patterns. Scattered hedgerow trees, game coverts and feature trees are commonly linked to country estates, with prominent spire churches which pinpoint several small villages. Settlements are linked by rural lanes, often with wide grass verges. This is a zone with a strong rural character.

Leicestershire & South Derbyshire Coalfield (Midlands Coalfield) is deeply imprinted with a strong industrial character of coal and clay workings and with derelict land being recurring features. Urban influences are strongly evident; settlements are typified by straggling towns and villages with brick-built miner’s cottages and new housing a feature of recent years. The agricultural landscape is open and rolling and generally un-wooded with many gappy hedged fields. New woodlands are increasingly visible, particularly on former derelict spoil heaps.

The Melbourne Parklands zone is one of strong rural character with an undulating, upland feel, offering plateau-top views across the Trent Valley; parklands, wooded estates and two large reservoirs are features of the valleys. Mixed farmland surrounds the parks with a pattern of hedged fields and scattered hedgerow trees. The plateau-top has large arable fields in a fragmented field pattern and is sparsely wooded. Brick and sandstone vernacular buildings are a feature of the villages.

The Charnwood zone has a rugged, upland character with many exposed crags and rocky knolls with heathland being a feature of the open summits. Charnwood is a former Ancient Forest with many ancient woodlands, parklands and scattered hedgerow trees. Stone field walls are distinctive in the upland landscape, with hedged fields a feature of the lower slopes. Vernacular stone buildings give the area a unified building style. Stone quarries occur in the area but are generally well-screened by trees.