My Rutland

Gardens in Rutland open under National Garden Scheme 2017

I am indebted to our County organiser Rose deJardin for allowing me to share this information with you. For fuller details, especially regarding directions and disabled access, please refer to ngs.org.uk Gunthorpe Hall, near Oakham. Sat Nav LE15 8BE WHEN? Sunday 26 March 2017 2-5pm. Admission £4. Light refreshments. Owner Tim Haywood inherited a large country house garden with extensive views over Rutland. It opens in spring when the naturalised daffodils in the old... Continue reading
Rutland High Sheriff reaches out to her opposite number in Vermont

Surely this is the start of a beautiful friendship? The High Sheriff of Rutland, Dr Sarah Furness, had the wonderful idea of inviting her opposite number from Rutland County in Vermont state in the USA to come over and discover Rutland for himself. And while Oakham is officially twinned with Barmstedt in Germany and Dodgeville in Wisconsin, I know that the High Sheriff of Rutland hopes that the two counties of Rutland can forge a... Continue reading
New Geoff Hamilton Winter Border at Barnsdale Gardens

I love Barnsdale Gardens and visit several times a year. But in truth, rarely in the depths of winter, when gardens go to sleep – well, my garden certainly does! But when I bumped into Nick Hamilton at the Discover Rutland Tourism Forum, he enthused about the 9,000 snowdrops in the new Geoff Hamilton Winter Border, each one planted individually, which would be making their presence felt by February. So it was that on Friday,... Continue reading

About Rutland

Rutland is England’s smallest county and despite our tiny size (about 17 miles by 18 miles at its furthest compass points), Rutland tops national surveys as the best place to live in rural Britain, the happiest place (second only to the Orkney Islands), and the location of some of the prettiest villages in England. And of course the blue jewel in the green crown of our little county is Rutland Water: England’s largest reservoir (by... Continue reading
Where is Rutland?

Rutland is tucked away in the the East Midlands, bounded by rural Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. Driving to Rutland is easy: the A1 nicks the eastern edge of the county, and the M1 through Northants is another route. East-West routes through Rutland are the A47 and A606. Although Oakham is the only railway station officially in Rutland, there’s also a railway station in Stamford, and fast London trains (from St Pancras or Kings Cross) arrive... Continue reading
About Me

My-Rutland.com is a labour of love by Jane Williams. Rutland is my adopted county: I moved here in 2006 and love everything about living in England’s smallest county. My favourite things to do in Rutland include walking the dog around Rutland Water or along Rutland footpaths; our beautiful stone villages and historic towns; the weekly markets and our independent shops; cultural events in Uppingham, Oakham and Stamford; good food and dog-friendly pubs. Having spent 20... Continue reading

Oakham

Oakham is the county town of Rutland, just a mile and a half from Rutland Water. Oakham is a proper market town on Wednesdays and Saturdays, while the monthly farmers market on the 3rd Saturday of each month is a celebration of local food producers. There are plenty of independent shops and restaurants in Oakham, as well as ‘high street’ brands. Rutland is famously McDonalds and KFC-free, although we now have one tax-dodging global brand... Continue reading
Uppingham

Uppingham is a pocket-sized market town, humming on a Friday (market day) and offering a surprisingly good mix of independent shops, from butchers to hardware stores, antique shops and art galleries to boutiques and lifestyle stores. Even the charity shops are a cut above! The town is perhaps most famous as the home of Uppingham School, founded in 1584 and now educating around 790 pupils. The school buildings are many and various (and not open... Continue reading
Stamford

My first admission: Stamford is not in Rutland. Officially, it is in Lincolnshire, but the boundary with Rutland is just a stone’s throw from Sheep Market, so we are happy to adopt Stamford as our own! Stamford is famous for its unspoiled Georgian streets, so that the town has been a film location for many period dramas including 2005’s Pride & Prejudice, along with magnificent Burghley House on the edge of town. Enjoy a stroll... Continue reading
Villages in Rutland

Few English counties boast such a high proportion of postcard-pretty villages of golden stone cottages clustering around a church, a ‘big house’ and a pub. When I first came to Rutland I was reminded of the Cotswolds, and no wonder, for Rutland sits on the same swathe of jurassic limestone. Every Rutland village has its own charm: here are my current favourites: Barrowden – highlighted by the Telegraph’s property pages in 2015 as one of... Continue reading