Explore The East Midlands
The prosperity of well-heeled OAKHAM, 23 miles east of Leicester, is bolstered by Oakham School, one of the region’s more exclusive private schools, and by its proximity to Rutland Water, a large reservoir whose assorted facilities attract cyclists, ramblers, sailors and birdwatchers by the hundred. Oakham’s stone terraces and Georgian villas are too often interrupted to assume much grace, but the town does have its architectural moments, particularly in the L-shaped Market Place, where a brace of sturdy awnings shelter the old water pump and town stocks, and where Oakham School is housed in a series of impressive ironstone buildings.
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Outdoors at Rutland Water
Outdoors at Rutland Water
The gentle waters and easy, green hills of Rutland Water have made it a major centre for outdoor pursuits. There’s sailing at Rutland Sailing Club; cycle hire with Rutland Water Cycling; and a Watersports Centre at Whitwell on the north shore. Rutland Water also attracts a wide range of waterfowl, which prompted the establishment of a nature reserve with no fewer than 27 hides and two visitor centres at its west end. The reserve is home to a successful Osprey breeding project.
