Grounds Café
Tuesday: 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday: 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday: 09:00 - 21:00
Friday: 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday: 09:00 - 17:00
Sunday: 09:00 - 17:00
About Grounds Café
Hicks Lodge is a fantastic day out for the whole family - from budding cyclists to the more confident. Set in beautiful young woodland at the heart of The National Forest, it has been designed with the whole family in mind.
Grounds Café Description
Hicks Lodge is a fantastic day out for the whole family - from budding cyclists to the more confident. Set in beautiful young woodland at the heart of The National Forest, it has been designed with the whole family in mind with a variety of trails to explore.
The trails are graded according to their difficulty - so you can choose flat and easy paths or the more difficult twists and turns of the singletrack trails.
The Hicks Lodge Trail, a flat and wide 2km path around the lake, is great for walkers, cyclists and even horses.
The Family Forest Trail (2km short loop and 4. 5km long loop) takes you on an exploration across the whole site, there are some hilly bits but it’s still suitable for bikes, trikes, tagalongs, wheelchairs and pushchairs.
The Wood Farm Trail (2. 5km) introduces cyclists to easy singletrack and the Shell Brook Trail (7km) brings on more technical features on a moderate graded singletrack which is suitable only for mountain bikes.
If you’re making a day of it you can stop halfway round the Family Forest Trail at the fantastic viewpoint for a picnic.
Warm up afterwards in the stunning eco-friendly visitor centre with café, bike hire and repair shop, showers and a wood-burning stove for chilly days.
Download the cycle centre leaflet in the links to the right for more information including a map of how to get here.
Although designed for families, watch some top cyclists in action at Hicks Lodge in the 2012 Midlands XC Series which took place on 19th February 2012. http://vimeo.com/37253636
The trails are free to use. There is a small car parking charge: £1 per hour up to a maximum of £3 for the day.
The centre has been developed through a partnership of the Forestry Commission and the National Forest Company, and is particularly suitable for families and novice cyclists.
The area of Hicks Lodge was part of the larger site known by the coal industry locally as the Moira Crossroads site, bounded by Ashby Road (Donisthorpe) to the South, Moira Road /Measham Road to the West, Ashby Road (Moira) to the North, and Willesley Lane to the East.
During the 1930’s there was a driveway in approximately the same place as today’s cycle centre entrance. This bore slightly to the left for about 100yds, and led to Lodge Farm, which was owned by a Mr Hicks, which over time became known locally as “Hick’s Lodge Farm”.
In the late 1930’s there was a pine wood some 200 yds deep, separating Bramborough Farm, (accessed from Measham Road), Hicks Lodge Farm, and Newfields Colliery which is the mature woodland at the far right looking from the café. During the early 1940’s this wood was clear felled as part of the war effort, although significant deciduous woodland around to the left of Hicks Lodge Farm remained largely untouched. Apart from Fox Covert, this was all cleared during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s by the Willesley Clay Company, who worked the site for clay, to be used in the manufacture of salt glazed pipes and chimney pots at the potteries of Stoke on Trent . The Hicks Lodge Farm buildings were used as the site offices.
During the 1960’s and 70’s more clay and coal extraction took place, and the woodland on the opposite side of Willesley Lane was, sadly, lost. This was ancient woodland, and it is said that many people used to visit Moira to hear the song of the nightingales.
This has now been reinstated, and those trees were amongst the first to be planted in the early 1990’s, at the inaugural site of then newly created National Forest.
During all of the foregoing mineral extraction there were very few conditions laid down regarding reinstatement of the land, and during the 1980’s all there was to see of Hicks Lodge was a derelict depression, with what soil and rubble that remained being pushed to the boundaries. In 1987, plans were unveiled by A F Budge for further large scale extraction of coal and clay, and backfilling with three million tons of waste. There was a great deal of local opposition and these plans were defeated, although a later application purely for the mineral extraction was passed. However, by that time there was a new, more environmental awareness in the country, and all mineral extraction had to be reinstated in very specific ways.
Hicks Lodge was worked in the light of new planning conditions, by UK Coal, and what we see now was largely a result of that restoration. Woodland planting has since been undertaken by the National Forest and The Forestry Commission, although a large part of the site is now in private ownership. Local comment is that it is now as good as it was before the first mineral extraction, and each year as the site matures, it gets better.
Through the creation of the National Forest Cycle Centre we have now moved to a new era, and we have visitors from far and wide, engaged in a whole variety of activities including bird watching and butterfly conservation. You may also hear the Sled Dogs training here. Hicks Lodge now boasts a wide range of facilities, including waymarked walking and cycling trails, a cycle hire centre, play area and café selling lunches, homemade cakes as well as coffee /teas where you will always have a friendly welcome.
Hicks Lodge is well and truly on the map, and for those who were involved in the struggle to protect it, it has been well worth the effort!
Thanks go to Angela Chamberlin and others who have championed and supported the site.
Caroline Hart
Reviews
A very exciting day for us today... our new cafe is opening in Salcey Forest, in Northampton!
Grounds Hicks Lodge are now very happy to be serving Flat Whites! A rich, strong coffee with velvety textured milk! ☕
#coffee #flatwhite #latteart #cafe #grounds #groundshickslodge
Nice doesn't always have to mean naughty!! 🍓🍍🍌🍏🥦🍎 ... this summer why not cool off with our reshreshingly fruity smoothie range!! ☀️🌡
#lovesmoothies #lovetaste #lovefruit #summer #grounds #groundshickslodge #fiveaday #heatwave
Introducing New North Nitro Coffee! -A smooth textured, delicious cold-brew coffee.
Smooth, satisfying, creamy and refreshing AND contains no dairy and no sugar!
Find it in our chilled drinks fridge!
... #nitrocoldbrew #newnorth #newnorthcoffee #nitrocoffee #grounds #groundscafes #groundshickslodge #coffee #summer
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### Job Vacancy ### ### Full Time Cafe Team Member ###
We currently have a vacancy for a full time member of staff in our busy Cafe at Hicks Lodge. Things we are looking for-
... - Someone with experience working in a customer focused environment. - Experience in a catering environment would be an advantage. - Someone who is friendly and happy to talk to customers - A hardworking attitude is a must - Someone who is able to use their initiative and work well as part of a team - Should be willing to progress in this role with a view to supervising a team etc - Must be able to work at least one day at the weekend, including bank holidays, as well as regular shifts in the week.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a friendly, growing business with good rates of pay. Full training will be provided. If you think you could be the ideal person for the job please visit us at Hicks Lodge to bring in your CV and covering letter or send to beth@aecatering.co.uk.
## Please do not try to apply on Facebook ##
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Could the customer who reported to staff in the cafe a few days ago that she had taken footage and photos of a number of people in boats on the Hicks Lodge lake disturbing nesting birds and going on to the island please contact Wendy or Patrick at Hicks Lodge as a matter of urgency. Thank you.
Why not treat your dog to a lovely handmade jumper for Rememberance Day!! Julie is making these beautiful made to measure jumpers, and donating a % of what she makes to the poppy appeal! Prices vary depending on the size of your dog. As an example -a jumper for a dog Dougals size would cost £20 (and of this £5 will be donated to charity!) Get your orders in soon to guarantee they will be ready in time! For more details text Julie on 07731775285 🐶🐕
Happy Bank Holiday! We are open until 5pm today! 🍦🌞
#grounds #groundshickslodge #gelato #homemade #bankholiday
The Blue Trail is now Officially Open!
### Job Vacancy ### ### Full Time Cafe Team Member ###
We currently have a vacancy for a full time member of staff in our busy Cafe at Hicks Lodge. Things we are looking for-
... - Someone with experience working in a customer focused environment. - Experience in a catering environment would be an advantage. - Someone who is friendly and happy to talk to customers - A hardworking attitude is a must - Someone who is able to use their initiative and work well as part of a team - Should be willing to progress in this role with a view to supervising a team etc - Must be able to work at least one day at the weekend, including bank holidays, as well as regular shifts in the week.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a friendly, growing business with good rates of pay. Full training will be provided. If you think you could be the ideal person for the job please visit us at Hicks Lodge to bring in your CV and covering letter or send to beth@aecatering.co.uk.
## Please do not try to apply on Facebook ##
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Starring in our gluten free range of traybakes we have; Lemon and Pistachio Polenta slice, Peanut Butter Flapjack and Beetroot and Prune Brownie! Who said gluten free had to be boring!! 👌🍰
#homemade #groundshickslodge #hickslodge #traybakes #glutenfree
Dog owners are in for a treat if they visit us on Sunday, as Artist Victoria Wilcox, who runs Pictoria will be spending the day showing everyone her pet portraits and photography skills....
So yesterday evening we let the staff loose on the trails! ....
And we said a very fond farewell to Jane! We will miss her so much but wish her lots of luck and happiness!
#hicksteam #hickslodge #grounds #teambuilding
Just finished another one of our deluxe services - this time on this Specialized Stumpjumper for our customer Paul - giving the bike a full clean, detail and rebuild as part of the service, plus fitting a new cassette and chain.
If you've got a big summer of riding ahead of you, why not book your bike in now - our deluxe service is just £70 plus any parts needed
What a fantastic place!
Great for biking, great for walking in the middle of The National Forest.
We went on a whim as found this place on the Internet. Our eldest loves biking and wanted a trail to go on. We could only fit 2 bikes in the car for our son and daughter. What a lovely place it is. We were very happy with what we found. We got there quite late in the afternoon ad took our daughter round the yellow trail with our other son and us walking and our older son went on the blue trail. Both loved it. The only dissapointment was we wished we'd taken all of our bikes. We are hoping to come back next Sunday with all the bikes to do the gruffalo trail and more trails.. hoping to enjoy it just as much next time. It was definitely worth our whim . £3 parking all day seemed good to us . Plus had a lovely cuppa from the cafe even if we were a bit close to closing . The staff were lovely and never rushed us.
We love going around here with our bikes and dog. The only thing I think it needs more of is poo bins, this would eliminate people leaving full bags and poo around the tracks.
Took my 5yr old and little westie for a walk around today absolutely beautiful place will be bringing our bikes next time. The cafe was lovley with lovley staff.. Only down fall i would say is there are no dog poo bins. And not enough benches. But will definitelybe back with our bikes
Lovely walk but a little disappointed with the lack of waste bins around the paths
Lovely place to bike with the kids or walk with the dog. Great play area and also great dog friendly cafe. Also has a Gruffalo trail for the kids. Would recommend
Lovely day following the gruffalo trail. The activity pack for £3 was a bit dear for whats in it though, maybe £1.50 especially if you have more than 1 child. Other than that great day out.
It was my first time there this weekend, I took my 10 year old daughter and we had a great time. We enjoyed it that much we’re going again next weekend.
Found this when I google searched things to do with the kids.... and it ended up being a perfect day out... the staff were so welcoming and helpful and the trails were great... we rented bikes and thought the price was excellent, we had a slice of Victoria sponge at the end of the day and it was amazing! I aim to go here with my son atleast once a week!
First time at Hicks lodge, went with my husband and two children. We did the blue bike trail and had so much fun. Great idea, we also used the cafe and had a nice coffee and cake. Yes agree with others that car park is small and thought bike hire charge was a bit expensive. But overall would definitely go back again.
Cafe has amazing food with a great selection of home made cakes and many flavors of ice cream. Plus you can hire a bike for the day as well as buying some Cycle clothing and other accessories you may need while out riding.
Great staff and very friendly atmosphere. Highly recommend to all for a great day out
Beautiful place, great to take the bikes to. Good facilities too,
Amazing place, very much recommend it as a great family day out. Cafe prices slightly high, but lovely food, great parking, one of our fav places to go with the bikes and horses!
So glad they decided to open today. Needed a good cuppa and some warm food. Nice little spot for a brew and cake.
Lovely afternoon with Hubby and Daughter doing the trails and me waking the dog.
Only criticism is people leaving dog dirt on the path of the waking route orcduscarding poo bags as they don’t want to carry it round!! Poo bins at the start and halfway round may cure this!!
I wanted something fun to do when looking after a friends kids. We decided on the gruffalo hunt which was a great walk and they loved following the clues. The only thing that I would say is it needed bins along the way. We had a scoop of ice cream in a tub from your cafe but no where to put the rubbish.
Great place for biking my lad enjoyed the blue trail on his mountain bike. Disappointed with the hot chocolate from the cafe!! �... charged £4 for 2 and you litterally get a mouthful! .. great place in the summer I'm sure...hopefully they won't sell half an icelolly!
We went for an afternoon walk on mothers day to explore the new gruffalo spotter attraction, we have never been before and we're pleasantly surprised at how well set out it was. It was busy but it was mothers day so it was to be expected. We tried to purchase an activity pack from the cafe/cycle centre but couldn't get through the doors because of the queue for what we presumed was food so we did without. The car park was busy but we managed to find a space easily we just kept our eyes peeled! The only complaint was that we recognised it was a dog friendly site from the get go but we did not spot a dog poo bin anywhere on the mile long route we took which lead to us seeing an awful lot of full poo bags slung into trees or next to benches (even around eating areas)!
I took our two year old today to do the gruffallo walk which took a long time.. and by time we got to the gruffalo my battery went on my phone.. No members of staff were helpful in explaning how the app works the place is full of cyclists and i had to constantly watch my little girl and they were rude all stood wih bikes in front of toilets i couldnt get round the play area was not that suitable it is always aimed at older kids but she enjoyed the walk.. A little disapointed though..
What a fantastic place!
Great for biking, great for walking in the middle of The National Forest.
We went on a whim as found this place on the Internet. Our eldest loves biking and wanted a trail to go on. We could only fit 2 bikes in the car for our son and daughter. What a lovely place it is. We were very happy with what we found. We got there quite late in the afternoon ad took our daughter round the yellow trail with our other son and us walking and our older son went on the blue trail. Both loved it. The only dissapointment was we wished we'd taken all of our bikes. We are hoping to come back next Sunday with all the bikes to do the gruffalo trail and more trails.. hoping to enjoy it just as much next time. It was definitely worth our whim . £3 parking all day seemed good to us . Plus had a lovely cuppa from the cafe even if we were a bit close to closing . The staff were lovely and never rushed us.
We love going around here with our bikes and dog. The only thing I think it needs more of is poo bins, this would eliminate people leaving full bags and poo around the tracks.
Took my 5yr old and little westie for a walk around today absolutely beautiful place will be bringing our bikes next time. The cafe was lovley with lovley staff.. Only down fall i would say is there are no dog poo bins. And not enough benches. But will definitelybe back with our bikes
Lovely walk but a little disappointed with the lack of waste bins around the paths
Lovely place to bike with the kids or walk with the dog. Great play area and also great dog friendly cafe. Also has a Gruffalo trail for the kids. Would recommend
Lovely day following the gruffalo trail. The activity pack for £3 was a bit dear for whats in it though, maybe £1.50 especially if you have more than 1 child. Other than that great day out.
It was my first time there this weekend, I took my 10 year old daughter and we had a great time. We enjoyed it that much we’re going again next weekend.
Found this when I google searched things to do with the kids.... and it ended up being a perfect day out... the staff were so welcoming and helpful and the trails were great... we rented bikes and thought the price was excellent, we had a slice of Victoria sponge at the end of the day and it was amazing! I aim to go here with my son atleast once a week!
First time at Hicks lodge, went with my husband and two children. We did the blue bike trail and had so much fun. Great idea, we also used the cafe and had a nice coffee and cake. Yes agree with others that car park is small and thought bike hire charge was a bit expensive. But overall would definitely go back again.
Cafe has amazing food with a great selection of home made cakes and many flavors of ice cream. Plus you can hire a bike for the day as well as buying some Cycle clothing and other accessories you may need while out riding.
Great staff and very friendly atmosphere. Highly recommend to all for a great day out
Beautiful place, great to take the bikes to. Good facilities too,
Amazing place, very much recommend it as a great family day out. Cafe prices slightly high, but lovely food, great parking, one of our fav places to go with the bikes and horses!
So glad they decided to open today. Needed a good cuppa and some warm food. Nice little spot for a brew and cake.
Lovely afternoon with Hubby and Daughter doing the trails and me waking the dog.
Only criticism is people leaving dog dirt on the path of the waking route orcduscarding poo bags as they don’t want to carry it round!! Poo bins at the start and halfway round may cure this!!
I wanted something fun to do when looking after a friends kids. We decided on the gruffalo hunt which was a great walk and they loved following the clues. The only thing that I would say is it needed bins along the way. We had a scoop of ice cream in a tub from your cafe but no where to put the rubbish.
Great place for biking my lad enjoyed the blue trail on his mountain bike. Disappointed with the hot chocolate from the cafe!! �... charged £4 for 2 and you litterally get a mouthful! .. great place in the summer I'm sure...hopefully they won't sell half an icelolly!
We went for an afternoon walk on mothers day to explore the new gruffalo spotter attraction, we have never been before and we're pleasantly surprised at how well set out it was. It was busy but it was mothers day so it was to be expected. We tried to purchase an activity pack from the cafe/cycle centre but couldn't get through the doors because of the queue for what we presumed was food so we did without. The car park was busy but we managed to find a space easily we just kept our eyes peeled! The only complaint was that we recognised it was a dog friendly site from the get go but we did not spot a dog poo bin anywhere on the mile long route we took which lead to us seeing an awful lot of full poo bags slung into trees or next to benches (even around eating areas)!
I took our two year old today to do the gruffallo walk which took a long time.. and by time we got to the gruffalo my battery went on my phone.. No members of staff were helpful in explaning how the app works the place is full of cyclists and i had to constantly watch my little girl and they were rude all stood wih bikes in front of toilets i couldnt get round the play area was not that suitable it is always aimed at older kids but she enjoyed the walk.. A little disapointed though..
More about Grounds Café
Tuesday: 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday: 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday: 09:00 - 21:00
Friday: 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday: 09:00 - 17:00
Sunday: 09:00 - 17:00
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