Bardon Hill
Bardon Hill is a hill, and former volcano, in the civil parish of Bardon near Coalville, Leicestershire, England. It the highest point in Leicestershire and the National Forest, 912 feet (278 m) above sea level, and is visible for miles around. The hill has two distinct faces: The East is protected as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), the West is scarred, and partially removed, by the Bardon Hill Quarry. At its summit is a trigonometry point, and a radio mast. The second highest hill in Leicestershire is the nearby Beacon Hill.
"Bardon" or "Bardon Hill" was also the name of a village south-west of the actual hill. Most of the village has been demolished but the toponym "Bardon Hill" remains in use as the postal address of the remaining local properties.
The name Bardon is derived from "bear den"; it is said that the last bear in England was killed here.
Geology
The Hill is the remains of an extinct volcano. It sits directly upon an old fault-line known as the Thringstone Fault, which originates in Derbyshire and stretches to Germany, and which is responsible for a number of former volcanoes in the Leicestershire area.
