Exploring Rutland County in England

Never heard of Rutland? You would not be alone, I had never heard of it until the day we drove up! Rutland is the smallest county in England (only 16 miles by 16 miles) and it’s claim to fame – it is home to the largest man-made lake in the United Kingdom, Rutland Water. We drove up for the day from London when we were able to travel any distance we wanted to exercise and a walk around the water on a warm Summer day sounded idyllic.

Doing some Googling in the car on the way up I saw that the Lake had a peninsula and routed our journey so that we could walk around the permitter. Sadly when we arrived there were dozens of signs and even a police roadblock that the path around the lake was closed as it would not be possible to maintain social distancing, sad-face. But not to be deterred we ended up walking around the interior of the peninsula into the adorable town of Hambleton. Their post office was quaint, the country homes had stunning gardens, and we even took a wander around Hamilton Hall – a country house from 1881 which is now a posh hotel. We had a lovely day in the country and stopped by the nearby town of Oakham on the way back for restrooms, snacks, and a stop by the castle (which is basically now a field). Take a look at our Rutland journey: