The legend of Boudica is said to be still laid under the ground somewhere near to Atherstone. Boudica led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman empire roughly in AD60 / 61. Boudica was Queen of the British Iceni Tribe and led a supposedly 100,000 strong army. They defeated the Romans in Londinium which is now St. Albans but eventually lost out to the Roman empire during the battle of Watling Street. The precise location of the battle remains a mystery amidst speculation that Mancetter next to Atherstone one of the likely battle grounds. The probability of this area being the battle ground is based on Roman principles of fighting, Watling Street being the main route from South to North and likely place to be met with the empirical forces coming in land from the Welsh borders.
I took a nice stroll along the possible routes Boudica and her army could have moved between British strongholds in the area. This led me along the canal from Hartshill to Atherstone. It is a lovely walk and here's some landscape documentary photographs covering the route.
