The Charnwood Forest of Leicestershire, England, is an uplands forest area characterized by some of the most ancient volcanic rocks in the country, rolling landscapes, charming villages, and country parks such as Beacon Hill and Bradgate Park. Cloudcroft, however, is a fictional village loosely based on real villages around which I’ve spent most of my life. Likewise, Ashvale can be seen as a geographically-shifted tribute to that market town of noble fame, Ashby de la Zouch.