Campsites in Rutland

Rutland is a landlocked county in central England. The only towns are Oakham, the county town and Uppingham. Uppingham is a market town about 6 miles from Oakham. The county museum displays the story of this, the smallest county in the country. At the centre of the county is a large artificial reservoir known as Rutland Water. Rutland Water is a popular tourist attraction offering sailing and water sports. Rutland Water nature reserve covers 600 acres and is home to a successful project, where Osprey chicks were hatched in this country for the first time in 150 years. Oakham lies to the west of Rutland Water. Oakham castle doesn\'t represent the traditional image of a castle due to its small size. It is best known for its collection of horseshoes. Traditionally members of royalty and peers of the realm when visiting the town have to pay a forfeit in the form of a horseshoe. This unique custom was carried out for 500 years but now only happens on special occasions, when an outsized horseshoe, especially made and decorated is hung in the great hall of the castle. The horseshoes hang upside down which is usually found to be unlucky, but in Rutland it was thought to stop the devil sitting in the hollow. Cottesmore is a village and home to the RAF Harrier Force. The RAF Cottesmore airfield opened in 1938. It is now home to numerous units, it has 4 wings and also 4 Harrier squadrons. The Cottesmore Hunt is one of the oldest fox hunts. It can be traced back to the times of Charles 11. The hunt takes its name from the village, although the kennels are not in the parish. Rutland railway museum in Cottesmore, tells the story of railways in industry, especially local ironstone quarrying. The museum hosts a large collection of steam locomotives and artefacts.