Enjoy your holiday break in beautiful – and sometimes unusual – Oakham and Rutland.

Market Towns

Oakham

Oakham is a pretty, traditional English market town, bustling with activity and just three miles away from Manton. Packed with heritage, there’s plenty to see and do in Oakham with library, museum, a wealth of independent shops, several well-established cafes, restaurants, tea rooms and pubs and an ancient castle, making it an ideal place to spend the day. Oakham’s ancient Public School with its stunning architecture is a major landmark in the town. Founded in 1584 it is still a highly regarded seat of learning and has seen its fair share of famous pupils.

Uppingham

Uppingham, like Oakham, is known for its public school. Uppingham is just three miles from Manton Lodge and is well worth a visit. Rutland’s smaller market town boasts a wealth of history and something for the all shoppers with a host of excellent shops, including a well-regarded antique centre.

Stamford

The wonderfully preserved and beautiful Georgian town of Stamford, a popular location for period films and TV shows, is just 10 miles away, sitting in the shadow of Burghley House, one of the finest Elizabethan mansions still in existence.

Local Attractions

Golf Club

The Golf Club is just 5 minutes away with stunning views over Rutland Water. 9 and 18 hole courses, pay as you play basis.

Burghley House:

One of the finest examples of 16th century architecture and situated beside the medieval coaching town of Stamford. The house has more than a hundred rooms, while outside there is a Capability Brown designed Deer Park and gardens. Other external features include the Garden of Surprises and Sculpture Gardens. Each September, Burghley plays host to the famous international horse trials, which sees top-class event riders and their horses arriving from all over the world to compete.

Rockingham Castle:

Steeped in history this castle provides educational tours, including an audio visual of the “Castle Under Siege”.

Tolethorpe Shakespeare Theatre

The Stamford Shakespeare Company present an annual season of plays in June, July and August at Rutland Open Air Theatre in the grounds of historic Tolethorpe Hall, at Little Casterton, just off the A1, two miles north of Stamford. The stage is set in an enchanting glade. Tolethorpe Hall has origins going back 800 years to the early 11th century!

Rutland County Museum:

The Museum is located in Oakham and houses a rich rural life collection from Rutland – historically England’s smallest county.

Manton Village.

The Horse & Jockey pub.

The Horse and Jockey, within a six minute walk from Manton Lodge, is an award winning free house. Offering all the charm and character of a traditional country inn, there are open fires, stone floors and low beams along with a wide choice of fine wines and real ales.

The Unusual

Little and Large.

Oakham is home to Tom Thumb’s house – where England’s smallest man, Sir Jeffrey Hudson, lived. Hudson had an exotic life variously as a duellist, soldier in the civil war, slave of pirates, and ‘ingredient’ in pies to surprise guests at the Queen’s banquets. In contrast, Stamford is the burial place of Daniel Lambert, England’s heaviest man, who grew up – and out – In nearby Leicester; it took 20 men half an hour to drag his coffin into the specially dug grave at St Martin’s Church. You see his vast chair at the Newarke Houses Museum in Leicester, or sink a pint of the eponymous ‘Daniel Lambert’ ale at Oakham’s Grainstore Brewery.

Bottle-kicking.

England is famous for its strange traditions and none more so than Hallaton’s annual ‘bottle-kicking contest between the villages of Medbourne and Hallaton on the border with Leicestershire. The event takes place each Easter Monday, although it is thought to date back to pagan times and begins with hare-pie tossing through the village streets. After this ‘scramble’ locals and onlookers then march out onto the fields and attempt to ‘kick’ three bottles – in fact small wooden kegs filled with beer – into their opponents village. There are only three rules – no eye-gouging, no strangling and no weapons!