Conker season. Golden woods. Pubs that take Sunday lunch seriously.

The weekend highlight to put straight in your diary is Road, Rail and Ale at Statfold on Saturday 12 September. This is a proper celebration bringing together the charm of vintage transport and the pleasure of a well-earned pint, set against the wonderful backdrop of Statfold's grounds. It is the kind of event that appeals across the generations, whether the little ones are there for the engines or the grown-ups are there for the ale. Book ahead and give yourself something to look forward to. Also on Saturday the 12th, head to Conkers in Moira for Always Westlife, a live tribute concert that captures the soaring harmonies and heartfelt emotion of one of pop's most beloved groups. Set within the beautiful National Forest landscape, this is an outdoor evening that promises warmth, singalongs, and that special feeling of a summer night stretched just a little further into September. Bring a blanket, find your spot, and let the music carry you. Earlier in the week, Wednesday the 9th serves up a double treat at The (New) Old Plough. The Lunchtime Jazz Band — cheekily billed as "The Very Secret" — takes the stage at lunchtime with food available alongside, making it a thoroughly civilised midweek escape. And if Celtic music stirs something in you, live Celtic sounds follow later that same evening. Over in Twycross on Thursday the 10th, Gruffalo Granny arrives at Twycross Zoo with a lovely offer: every granny gets in free to celebrate the brand-new Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book. Delightful for little ones and grandparents alike. For a breath of fresh air between events, Market Bosworth Country Park is a genuine treat, where towering redwoods and Japanese maples create an atmosphere that shifts beautifully with the season, and where foxes and woodpeckers make occasional, charming appearances. If ancient woodland is more your style, The Outwoods Country Park near Loughborough offers 110 acres of one of Charnwood's oldest surviving woodlands, sitting atop some of Britain's most ancient rocks and rare fossils. And if you are planning an overnight stay to make the most of it all, the Holiday Inn Leicester City puts you a leisurely five-minute stroll from Leicester Cathedral, the King Richard III Visitor Centre, and Highcross shopping. The weather this week is a gentle mix of overcast skies, a little drizzle mid-week, and pleasantly mild temperatures hovering between the mid-teens and low twenties. Pack a light layer and you will be perfectly comfortable at any of the outdoor events or parks. Sometimes the quieter skies make a visit feel all the more personal and unhurried. Whichever day suits you, Leicestershire is ready to welcome you — go ahead and plan that trip.