Rutland Water Nature Reserve

The Midlands & the Marches


Near Oakham, the Rutland Water Nature Reserve has 31 hides throughout the reserve and a viewing section upstairs in the Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre, which has an exhibition on the area's abundant birdlife, including ospreys, long-tailed tits, lesser whitethroats, bullfinches, garden warblers and jays. Look out too for water voles, which thrive here. The reserve's Lyndon Visitor Centre, for which tickets are valid, opens during the warmer months.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Midlands & the Marches attractions

1. Lyndon Visitor Centre

1.36 MILES

On the southern shores of the Rutland Water Nature Reserve, this seasonal visitor centre has a self-guided trail leading to several birdwatching hides…

2. Normanton Church

3.36 MILES

Jutting into the lake, this quaint church is saved from inundation by a limestone barrier wall. Inside are displays on the history of the Rutland…

3. St Mary's Church

9.37 MILES

An endearingly wonky 13th-century broach spire tops the 12th-century St Mary's Church. Classical concerts are held here in summer; tickets (from £14) are…

4. Burghley House

10.54 MILES

Set in more than 810 hectares of grounds, landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, opulent Burghley House (bur-lee) was built by Queen Elizabeth's chief…

5. Woolsthorpe Manor

11.03 MILES

Sir Isaac Newton fans may feel the gravitational pull of the great man's birthplace, about 8 miles south of Grantham. The humble 17th-century house…

6. Belvoir Castle

16.91 MILES

The Duke and Duchess of Rutland's ancestral home, Belvoir (pronounced 'beaver') is a 19th-century baroque and Gothic fantasy built over the ruins of three…

7. New Walk Museum & Art Gallery

18.03 MILES

Highlights of this grand Victorian museum include the dinosaur galleries, the painting collection (with works by Turner and Degas), ceramics by Picasso,…

8. National Space Centre

18.11 MILES

Although British space missions usually launch from French Guiana or Kazakhstan, Leicester's space museum is a fascinating introduction to the mysteries…