Rutland Water

Built between 1971 and 1975 by damming the Gwash valley, it holds around 124 million cubic metres and is one of the largest artificial lakes in Europe by surface area; the villages of Nether Hambleton and Middle Hambleton went under, and Normanton church was saved by raising the floor and building a stone embankment around it, so it now stands at the water's edge on its own island of rubble. From 1996 osprey chicks were translocated from Scotland, and in 2001 a pair bred, the first in central England for around a hundred and fifty years; the population has since seeded reintroductions elsewhere and birds are watched from hides at the Egleton reserve. A cycle track of about thirty-seven kilometres runs round the shore, and the Hambleton peninsula juts into the middle.

What you'll find

• Normanton church - saved from the flooding and now ringed by an embankment.
• The osprey hides - viewing at Egleton over nests occupied since 2001.
• The shore circuit - about thirty-seven kilometres of traffic-free cycle track.
• The Hambleton peninsula - the ridge left above water when the valley filled.

When to go

April to early September for ospreys, which arrive in late March and leave by September; the birds are on nests through summer. The cycle track is busiest on summer weekends and hire bikes sell out by mid-morning.

Good to know

The full circuit is long and includes road sections and hills that surprise people expecting a flat lakeside path. Osprey viewing needs a scope and patience, and reserve entry is charged separately. Normanton church is often booked for weddings and closed.

Nearby

Oakham and Uppingham are close; Stamford and Burghley lie east.

Key facts