Sound Ride Around Rutland Water

38 ECHOES

Location: Oakham, Rutland, England, United Kingdom

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The small county of Rutland uses the Latin motto “Multum in Parvo” which means “Much in little”. This reflects the fact that Rutland is the smallest county in England by area, but it has a lot to offer in terms of natural beauty, history, and culture.

This sound ride has been created so that people who are cycling around Rutland Water, can learn about the history of various points of interest around it. If you'd like to walk it, it'll still work, but you'll have long gaps between the various echoes. There's no specific start or finish point, so you can start your ride (or walk) at any point on the loop. Also, this has been created to support the Leicestershire and Rutland charity, Hope Against Cancer. If you enjoy it, please do consider making a donation to the charity by visiting www.justgiving.com/hopefoundationcancerresearch and clicking the Donate button.

If you like this, please let your Twitter / X followers know about it: vtsw.uk/sw/rw/x

Intro
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Oakham

Oakham is a classic English market town. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. It has a castle, market place, butter cross with stocks, a famous old school; all in close association with a magnificent parish church and arranged in a rectangular shape around which the town has grown.

1 sound

The Ichthyosaur

In early 2021, Joe Davis, the nature reserve manager, discovered an ichthyosaur fossil during the routine draining of a lagoon at the reservoir. This centre of this echo is at the location of the ichthyosaur.

1 sound

The Vale of Catmose

The Vale of Catmose is an area of relatively low-lying land in western Rutland, England.

1 sound

Egleton

Egleton’s name means 'farm/settlement of Ecgwulf’. Eggwulf died between 766 and 772) was a medieval Bishop of London. He was consecrated in 745,

1 sound

The Anglian Water Bird Watching Centre

The Anglian Water Bird Watching Centre is a visitor centre and the gateway to the Egleton Nature Reserve, which is part of the Rutland Water Nature Reserve.

1 sound

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust

Large areas of wetland (as well as several small woods) at the western end of the lake form a nature reserve, managed by Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. The area is designated a Special Protection Area of international importance for its wintering populations of gadwall (some 4% of this species’ European population) and shoveler.

1 sound

Gunthorpe

Gunthorpe village's name means 'outlying farm/settlement of Gunni'. The population of Gunthorpe grew to several hundred before being devastated by the plague which ravaged Great Britain and much of Europe from 1347 to 1351.

1 sound

Manton Sounding Bridge

Manton Sounding Bridge was the original railway bridge that crossed the A6003 road between Oakham and Uppingham in Rutland, England. The bridge was built in 1879 by the Midland Railway Company, as part of the extension of the railway from Oakham to Kettering.

1 sound

Martinsthorpe

Martinsthorpe is a civil parish and a deserted medieval village in Rutland, England. It is located near the village of Manton, about 4 miles south of Oakham. It has no population and only one building, the Old Hall Farmhouse, which was part of the former Martinsthorpe Hall

1 sound

Manton

The name of the village probably means “farm/settlement of Manna” or "communal farm/settlement". Manton does not appear in the 1086 Domesday Book, but may have been one of seven outlying estates of the king’s manor of "Hameldune Cherchesoch".

1 sound

Rutland and Surrounding Area

Apparently, not many people have heard of Rutland, not even those who live in the UK.

1 sound

Lyndon

Lyndon has a history that goes back to the Anglo-Saxon period. The name Lyndon means ‘hill of flax’ or ‘hill of lime trees’.

1 sound

Adam Croft

The 'Rutland Crime Series' is a five-book series by Adam Croft, If you've read the books, you might recognise various place around Rutland Water where various events in the books took place...

If you'd like to buy the books, check out www.adamcroft.net

1 sound

Edith Weston

The village is named after Edith of Wessex (1029-1075), who was the queen of Edward the Confessor and sister of Harold Godwinson. She was born into the royal House of Wessex but was sent to Germany as a child to be raised by her aunt.

1 sound

Roman Remains

A lavish Roman mosaic found beneath a farmer's field in Rutland has been described as the find of the century - but what does it tells us about the people who made it? This centre of this echo is at the location of Roman remains,

1 sound

Normanton Church

Normanton Church is a de-consecrated church that is now a popular wedding venue and a museum. It has a fascinating history and a stunning architecture that makes it a unique landmark in Rutland.

1 sound

Normanton Park House

Normanton Park House was once a grand country house that belonged to the Heathcote family, the Earls of Ancaster, who owned a large estate in Rutland.

1 sound

Construction of the Reservoir

The reservoir's construction, by damming the Gwash valley near Empingham, was completed in 1975. During its construction it was known as Empingham Reservoir. It flooded six or seven square kilometres of the Gwash valley as well as the side valley.

1 sound

The Dam

The Rutland Water Dam is located at the eastern end of the reservoir, near the village of Empingham. It is a remarkable feat of engineering that was completed in 1975 and is the largest clay dam in the UK.

1 sound

Empingham Hall Close Moat

Empingham Hall Close Moat is a rectangular earthwork where the ancient manor house of Empingham once stood.

1 sound

Empingham Village

Empingham village was named by the Anglo-Saxons and has been occupied for many centuries.

1 sound

Rutland Beach

The shore near here is known as Rutland Beach. It is 140 metres of sandy shoreline and a 2,800m2 area for people to paddle and swim in. The beach is seasonal and is only operational in the summer months.

1 sound

The Sculpture

Alexander’s sculpture at Rutland Water is a remarkable piece of art that stands on the shore of the reservoir near Sykes Lane.

1 sound

Sundew

The Sundew Dragline excavator was used in Rutland and Northamptonshire. It was a large electrically powered dragline excavator used in mining operations in Rutland and, latterly at Corby Steelworks, prior to being scrapped.

1 sound

Hambleton Peninsula Moat

At the end of the Hambleton Peninsula there is an ancient earthwork on a smaller peninsula. It used to be a moat and is thought to have been a medieval fishpond that was part of the manor of Nether Hambleton.

1 sound

The Rutland Belle

The Rutland Belle boat operates from April to October each year and is run by Rutland Water Cruises, a family-run business that has been operating boat trips here since 1986. The boat plies from Whitwell on the North Shore and calls in at Normanton on the South Shore. Visitors can enjoy the scenery from the water, amidst the sailors, anglers and waterbirds, whilst listening to a commentary highlighting various points of interest.

1 sound

Aqua Park Rutland

Aqua Park Rutland is the biggest Aqua glide inflatable wipe-out water park in the UK.

1 sound

Exton

Exton has a long and rich history that dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period. The name Exton means ‘the farm by the river Exe’ or ‘the farm of the East Saxons’. The river Exe is now called the River Gwash, which flows through the parish. Exton was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086.

1 sound

Whitwell

Whitwell claims to be twinned with Paris, France.

1 sound

The Viking Way

The Viking Way is a long-distance walking route that is named after an area that was occupied by Norse invaders in the 9th century.

1 sound

The Hereward Way

The Hereward Way is a long-distance walking route that runs for 110 miles from Oakham in Rutland to Harling Road near Thetford in Norfolk.

1 sound

The Barnsdale Community Orchard

In 2014, the Stamford Community Orchard Group helped Anglian Water create a new community orchard on the banks of Rutland Water near the Barnsdale car park

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The Hambleton Villages

Upper Hambleton and the remnant of Middle Hambleton, including the Old Hall, are together now known simply as Hambleton and are to be found on a long peninsula in the middle of the lake, land that was formerly a ridge between the two valleys in which the lake now lies. The few houses of Normanton avoided flooding although its church did not.

1 sound

Barnsdale / Rutland Hall Hotel

Barnsdale Hall Hotel was originally built in 1890 as a hunting lodge for Earl Fitzwilliam. It was later owned by various noble families, such as the Noels and the Coopers. It opened as a hotel in the 1990s and was renamed Rutland Hall Hotel in 2021.

1 sound

Under Rutland Water

What lies underneath the water? Here are some things that you might not know about what is hidden beneath the surface of Rutland Water.

1 sound

Eight Riding Tree

Eight Riding Tree is a place in Rutland, England, that is located in the dense woodland of Burley Wood, near the village of Burley on the Hill.

1 sound

Some Facts about Rutland Water

Rutland Water is the largest man-made lake in the UK and one of the largest artificial lakes in Europe. It covers 10.86 square kilometres (4.19 sq. mi) of land and has a capacity of 124 million cubic metres of water.

1 sound

Hambleton

Hambleton has a long and rich history that dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period. The name Hambleton means ‘the farm by the river Hamel’, which is now called the River Gwash.

1 sound

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