Moira can be explored through a range of different highlights: Moira Furnace focuses on iron smelting and its museum; the Heart of the Forest Trail offers a named route, while CONKERS includes rides and a high ropes course. For your stay, you can decide whether industrial history, a walk or individual activities are the main draw. The cycle route linking Moira Furnace, CONKERS and Hicks Lodge is another specifically named option.
Industrial history at Moira Furnace
Moira Furnace is a 19th-century iron-smelting furnace on the banks of the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal. At the Moira Furnace Museum, the Bridge Loft explains how three materials extracted from the ground were combined to make iron. The focus is therefore not only on the furnace, but also on the materials and their role in the production process.
The museum also includes reconstructions of small industries that once operated on the site and in its buildings. These add other former trades to the explanation of ironmaking. If you are interested in technological and industrial history, you will find a clear focus here on the structure, the production process and the reconstructed work areas.
Walking trail and cycle route
The Heart of the Forest Trail runs from Moira Furnace via Moira Junction South, Albert Village Lake and Bath Yard Basin, and back to the Furnace. The named stops make the route easy to follow: it is a loop that starts and ends at the Furnace. The route includes pavements, surfaced paths and trails. The trails can get muddy after rain—a practical consideration when deciding whether the route suits your plans.
The cycle route is a separate option: a cycle path links Moira Furnace with CONKERS and Hicks Lodge. While the Heart of the Forest Trail describes a specific walking route, the cycle path links these three named destinations. These are two different options to keep in mind when planning your visit.
Rides and activities
The Joseph Wilkes offers 15-minute trips along a section of the restored Ashby Canal. At CONKERS, the CONKERCHOO Train runs regular family trips between the Discovery Centre and the Waterside Centre. On the largest lake at the Discovery site, four people can ride across the water together. CONKERS’ high ropes course has 15 sections featuring climbing nets and high ropes bridges.
The activities differ in their type of ride and focus: the Joseph Wilkes offers a clearly timed canal trip, while two stops are named for the CONKERCHOO Train. The lake ride is for four people, while the course combines climbing nets and high ropes bridges. This makes it easy to choose between a boat trip, a ride between two centres or an activity at height.
For a culture-focused stay, the furnace, the museum’s explanation of ironmaking and the reconstructions of former small industries take centre stage. If you would rather spend time on trails, you can take into account the Heart of the Forest Trail’s route and the fact that it may be muddy after rain. CONKERS adds several different activities to these options.
Discover more destinations: Buckminster, Sapcote, Appleby Magna, Stathern, Hinckley, Sibson, Castle Donington, Ibstock.
For the wider travel guide: Leicestershire.
