Rutland Water out of season

Distance: 21 miles
Walked: Thursday 21 March 2013
Total miles walked this year: 61

Not the finest day, but the finest this week. And it was very good to be back at the reservoir for the first time this year.

I've logged the distance as 21 miles. My website gives the official distance according to Anglian Water of 26, but I've measured this three different ways and believe it to be more like 21 including the peninsula.

There are a number of advantages to walking the route out of season. One is that it's so quiet. I saw very few other walkers and cyclists. They're abundant as soon as the holiday season starts. Another is that it's more comfortable walking in the cooler weather.

Rutland Water full circular route 2012

One of my favourite places to walk, Rutland Water. I've devised several circular walks close to the reservoir and I like to do the full circular walk once a year, which I did in July this year (2012)

You have the option of walking around the reservoir, officially 17m, or you can add the Hambleton Peninsula route, officially making 26m. However I've measured these routes and found them much shorter (I believe the full walk with the peninsula is more like 21).

Either way, it's difficult to lose your way - the paths are mostly surfaced and well-signed. The views are beautiful and the walking includes waterside, woodland, lanes and villages.

More photos from this walk in July 2012 are here

I've published more information about the full circular Rutland Water route here

This time I made a video while walking - take a turn around the reservoir with me!

Rutland Water Egleton Circular Walk

Walked: 15 August 2010

Distance: 5.5m

This is a very pretty walk, devised last year while trying to find high views over the reservoir. Today was reasonably sunny, but hazy in the distance, meaning that the long photos aren't quite as spectacular as they could be.

I saw lots of these minibeasts this morning, looking at first glance a bit like something an animal has left behind. I think they may have been looking around for something that an animal has left behind. Very shiny and black, with a little bit of irridescence, similar to the classic scarab beetle.

Rutland Water - with peninsula!

Distance: 21 miles
Walked 20 September 2008


The last time I walked around Anglia Water's 3100 acre reservoir (the largest man-made lake in western Europe, folks) I didn't have time to walk the optional loop around Hambleton Peninsula.

Today I did, and it was a fascinating experience. You'll see from the maps at the bottom of this post that the reservoir is a U shape. You can just walk a circle around the outside, or you can add the inner circle. I walked anti-clockwise around the outside, and had walked almost all of the outer circle before arriving at the peninsula, so while still keeping the water's edge on my left, I found myself changing direction and walking clockwise, and seeing all of the paths already trod, across a stretch of water.

Today we're in the middle of what might be an Indian summer; it really does feel as if Summer has returned (some might say 'arrived'). It was a perfect day for a saunter around one of England's beauty spots.

I started in Manton, and the first mile or so is along a road, with glimpses of the water. The first real views come as you descend towards Lynton nature reserve. Note the rosehips on the hedge. I noticed so many red rosehips and the red berries of the hawthorn. It's either been a very good year for them, or I've just never noticed them before.


This is Normanton Church Museum, which I've not stopped to investigate so far:


A long straight path takes you along the top of the dam at the eastern side of the reservoir. It looks like a huge dry-stone wall, and the village to the east is much lower than the water level.


The big surprise on arrival at the peninsula is the long busy road. For a couple of miles I was dodging surprisingly heavy traffic. It was well worthwhile, because once off that road, the views are excellent, and as I mentioned before, across the water I could see the paths I'd already walked.




This is Normanton Church viewed from the middle of the peninsula:


My car is somewhere in the distance across the water:


I don't know the story of the Old Hall, but I loved this view, and the old tree in the foreground.



At the bottom is my route created and measured using Meander (the extra loop is in green, and my start/finish point is at the extreme south-west) but I have to include Anglia Water's own map from their hand-out leaflet because it made me laugh out loud while I was walking. You'll see that the Rutland Belle is marked on the map. When I saw the pleasure boat, it was parked near Normanton museum, which demonstrates the folly of printing a moving object on a map!

Rutland Water

Walked: 31 May 2008
Distance: 14m

Walking the full circuit of Rutland Water was a bit of a whim. I knew that I would be in the area and had packed boots, water and coffee, but had only intended to walk a few miles and find out what opportunities there were for walking around the reservoir.

At the Lyndon Visitor Centre where I popped in to buy an OS map, I was told that the circular walk (minus the peninsular) was 17m. I was a bit unsure whether I'd get around before dark, but it was such a beautiful day, and once I'd started, turning back before the half-way point wasn't really an option!

I've now Meandered the route and find it to be 14m, which fits with the 5 hours I was walking.

The signposts at the peninsular claim that that loop is an extra 7m, so there's a potential 21 mile walk there for another day.

The shop didn't have the OS map, and I'd usually feel uncomfortable about walking anywhere without the 1:25000 to refer to, but the reservoir has a surfaced path all the way round, with so much signage it almost feels like a guided tour.





It did annoy me a little that there are so many health and safety signs around the place, but this one did make me laugh.


The flowers are just going off the horse-chestnut trees and these cute baby conkers have started to form:


This is the dam at the eastern end:


The village sign for Egleton reminds me of the Edvard Munch painting the Madonna with the sperms swimming around the edge. I'm not sure that these shapes are meant to be sperms but one does have a wiggly tail.


The route below was created using Google maps and Meander.