A Good Day Out

For the last year "The Quorndon" has been suggesting places for a good day out. We had hoped to receive your suggestions and recommendations for places to go around the area - but unfortunately this has not been forthcoming, so this will be the last "A Good Day Out", although we still welcome your ideas.

As summer is fading away fast, we bring you suggestions for a Day Out at Rutland Water. Only 45 minutes drive away, and with attractions for everyone, Rutland Water is the largest man-made lake in Europe. Hidden below the water's surface is the ancient village of Nether Hambleton which hasn't been seen since 1976 when the 3,100 acre reservoir was made.

So what can you do at Rutland Water? Let's start with the relaxing bits. A trip around Rutland Water on the Rutland Belle gives you some of the best views of the lake. It also takes you to the Normanton Church Museum on the south side of the water (saving a longish drive). The original site of Normanton Church would have placed it below the proposed water line but a project raised the level of the church and placed it above the water level on a pier of stones.

The Church now houses an exhibition on the building of the reservoir, as well as being an impressive site from the water.

The Rutland Belle leaves Whitwell Harbour at regular intervals - look for the boards displaying times around the car park and visitors' area. Sailings are daily from May to September weekends in October.

Visited by Quorn Gardening Club, the gardens at Barnsdale offer inspiration and encouragement for all gardeners. Designed by the late Geoff Hamilton for the BBC Gardeners World programme, and now with refurbishment by Nick Hamilton, his son, there are over 20 gardens on the site to enjoy. From a First Time Garden to the Reclaim Garden, from the Stream and Bog Garden to the Town Garden - go to admire and despair! The Plant Centre is also worth a visit, and plants do survive the 45 minute drive back to Quorn as we have proved!
Getting more active, and possibly of more interest for younger family members, there is a Butterfly and Aquatic display and the Birdwatching Centre. The British Birdwatching Fair, biggest fair of its type in the world, is held every August at the Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre, Egleton Nature Reserve. During the rest of the year, it is devoted to its band of twitchers. One of the most exciting current projects has to be the Osprey re-location project, where chicks from Scotland have been reared, released and have now returned from their African migrations.You can see them flying most days between May and September.

As well as these organised activities, there are two children's play areas and every car park has ice creams on sale. Just look for the signs.

One of the most popular attraction, judging by the number of bikes you see some days, is the cycle track around Rutland Water. It's 23 miles all the way round, but there are enjoyable sections taking an hour or so, or an afternoon. Cycles are available from the Rutland Water Cycling centres at Whitwell or Normanton. The best map for the area is the Ordnance Survey's Explorer 15 "Rutland Water and Stamford", which cover the area and around the lake, and also the adjacent countryside if you want to go further afield on your bike.

If that's not enough, then you can try your hand at dinghy sailing, canoeing and rock climbing. Check the websites at the end for full details of these activities.

Don't worry that you might go hungry at Rutland Water. Apart from the cafes and restaurants at the Visitors' Areas, there are plenty of picnic spots, as well as some excellent pubs, including The Wheatsheaf at Edith Weston, The Finch's Arm's in Hambleton village, the Noel Arms at Whitwell, and (one of my favourites), the White Horse at Empingham.

In such a large area, with so much to do, it's impossible to give the usual "The Quorndon" ratings. But in general Rutland Water is well organised, with good facilities, though a day out for a family going to several attractions can be expensive. On the other hand, a picnic and bird watching walk will not cost a lot.

For more details of opening times, and links to the attractions' own websites go to www.rutnet.co.uk (an excellent local website in its own right), and to www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk for opening times of Barnsdale Gardens, with full descriptions of the gardens in order to plan your visit.