In May 2023 we opened ‘The View’, a new 100-seater restaurant with panoramic views across stunning Rutland Water to the hills beyond.
TV presenter Julia Bradbury, known for her work on BBC’s Countryfile and who has travelled across the UK and many parts of the world, is a big fan of the county and believes that we offer something for everyone here.
If you enjoy the great outdoors, then you’ll find lots of thing to enjoy in this rural retreat. Outdoor sports are extremely well catered for with plenty of walking and cycling routes available, plus fishing, golfing and the huge choice of watersports that take place on Rutland Water.
Rutland is a great place to pursue an interest in your surroundings, whether you have a passion for wildlife and nature, an enthusiasm for gardening or a keen interest in photography and landscape painting. There are two nature reserves around Rutland water, with many hides providing a great opportunity to spot a rare bird to two – or you can visit one of the many stunning gardens open to the public. Treat yourself to a trip to the beautiful Barnsdale Gardens – explore the gardens, take a gardening course and buy stunning plants to take home with you for a lovely reminder of happy memories in Rutland.
If you prefer to stay indoors there are plenty of places for you to explore too: theatres, art galleries and shopping in our two Market Towns that offer a huge variety of boutiques, farm shops and family run stores .
Rutland is very proud to offer visitors and locals an abundance of locally produced food and drink. There are numerous award winning pubs, restaurants and hotels in the county, with each able to inform you of the provenance of their menus.
Rutland is also a great base for you if you’re keen to explore the East Midlands. Many of the finest English stately homes are easy to reach from Rutland; museums, concerts, outdoor cinemas, sports facilities, family friendly attractions and things to do make our county a superb choice for you and your family.
Featured Listings
Otters Fine Foods brings a new dimension to the food shopping experience. We offer the most wonderful naturally smoked fish, meats and cheeses, all smoked using traditional methods with no artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives.
Offering a sailing adventure that captures the essence of estuary sailing—but without the challenges of tides—you can now get a taste of the thrill from wherever you are!
In and around Rutland, we have a fantastic variety of parks and gardens…
We have selected a few below that are really worth visiting…
🏞️Uppingham – The park in Uppingham has a new toddler play area that has recently opened! Check out this new green space with the little ones.
🍃Oakham’s Cutts Close Park (next to Oakham Castle which is free) has something for all ages, plus a skate park and many cafes just a hop away in the town
Whatever your age or ability, we’ve got just the bike for you from hybrid and mountain bikes, to the latest electric bikes, tandems, gel saddle covers, helmets and kids’ bikes, tag-a-longs, child seats and buggies – all current season models from Specialized, replaced every year.
Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue is a unique collection of 150 yew trees, most over 200 years old. The Avenue was once the carriage drive to Clipsham Hall, the centre of the Clipsham Estate.
Learners sessions, Daily Group walks, One-to-one personal training and private group sessions for visitors and local residents.
Two scenic circular walks starting at the village pubs in Braunston.
In the Springboard Arts studio in North Luffenham, you can enjoy making lovely things to take home at a craft workshop, and while you’re there, shop for handmade textiles and handprinted cards.
Bat and Bottle are Rutland’s only specialist importers of Italian wine. Truly multum in parvo, we wear Decanter’s Retailers Awards title for Best Italian Wine Merchant, and runner up Best Subscription Wine Club , as well as having been awarded the inaugural (2020) London Wine Fair Wine Buyers Award for: ‘Best Online Specialist Wine Buyer’. We have even represented UK small businesses at Downing Street…
Our small warehouse on Oakham Enterprise Park is packed with artisan italian wines – shoppers are welcome to drop in whenever we are open; we sell directly to the public and there is no minimum purchase.
If you want to make sure you tick off the key Rutland highlights, make sure you go through our top 5…
Rumble Live Action Gaming, the award-winning gaming experience offering outdoor laser tag with state-of-the-art equipment, is available at both Rutland Water and Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire.
Nestled just next to the picturesque village of Egleton, the Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre provides the ideal start point for your visit to Rutland Water Nature Reserve. Here you will find a well stocked gift shop, light refreshments, and friendly staff and volunteers on hand should you need assistance.
Our NHS services include: NHS prescription dispensing & delivery, NHS minor ailment prescription medicine services (for conditions such as earache, sore throat, urine infections, sinusitis, infected insect bites, shingles – NHS terms apply), NHS blood pressure checks, NHS contraception service, NHS Flu & COVID vaccines.
Rutland’s best kept secret!
In 2014, we celebrated 40 years in business as a wholesale plant nursery, so we decided to open our most ambitious project yet – the Garden Centre and Café. Focusing on a wide range of plants and core elements of gardening.
This beautiful market town is listed as one of the top 20 most desirable places to visit in the UK (The Times) and its high street has been voted one of the top five in Britain. Uppingham offers a rare glimpse of traditional English rural life that is abundant in culture, heritage and history.
