Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
53 New Walk, Leicester.
&
0116/22-54900.
www.leicester.gov.uk. Free admission. Mon-Sat 10am-
5pm, Sun 11am-5pm.
RUTLAND
Due south of Belvoir lies the U.K.'s smallest historic county (briefly absorbed by
Leicestershire from 1974 to 1994). Home to just two towns, the county town of
Oakham and market town of Uppingham, it finds its focus at
Rutland Water
(
&
01780/686800;
www.anglianwater.co.uk/leisure), western Europe's largest
man-made reservoir and a prime spot for watersports and cruising, biking (rentals
available), walking, climbing, fishing, outdoor adventure (wall-climbing and high
ropes), and getting up close and personal with wildlife on the nature reserve. The
museum within the half-submerged
Normanton Church
(
&
01780/686800
), on
the edge of the water, has prehistoric remains and a female skeleton as well as an
exhibition on the development of the reservoir. Most attractions and activities are
available Easter to October; there are four main parking lots, charging £4/day.
Affluent Oakham is home to a fair few antiques shops plus the
Rutland Country
Museum & Visitor Centre
(www.rutland.gov.uk/museum), with displays on local
history, archeology, and rural life, plus a new Dinosaur Discovery Activity area for
kids. It's free to enter (Tues-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm).
Oakham Castle
(
&
01572/722577;
www.rutland.gov.uk) survives solely in the form of its great hall
of 1180-90, which contains a collection of ceremonial horseshoes, some of them
outsize, that had to be left as forfeits, according to an old custom, by royalty and peers
passing through. They're hung upside-down—in Rutland, this is said to stop the devil
from sitting in the shoe's hollow (the motif also appears in the local coat of arms). The
castle is free and has the same hours as the museum.
Just east, stake out a corner of unspoiled nature at the
Rutland Falconry & Owl
Centre
(
&
07778/152814;
www.rutland-falconry.com), open daily in summer
10am to late, in winter 10am to 4pm. Witness birds of prey in flight, photograph
them, or bring binoculars to catch a glimpse of fallow deer, muntjac, foxes, badgers,
and other mammals. Entry is £5, £3.50 children 5 to 16.
Where to Eat
VERY EXPENSIVE
For Stapleford Park and Hambleton Hall, see below, under “Where to Stay.”
The Grey Lady
MODERN EUROPEAN Not everyone is won over by the
modern decor at this restaurant in a beautiful setting close by Charnwood Forest, and
with great views. Prices can be eye-opening, too, though lunch is a good deal (£13 for
two courses, £17 for three courses), and might include pork, apricot, and pistachio
terrine, or salmon with courgette fritters and sauté potatoes. You can also get nibbles
and finger-food, and olive-wood platters including a Ploughman's with local Stilton,
vintage Red Leicester, hand-raised pork pie, and homemade chutney. Dinner is a
little more elaborate. Sunday lunches (with kids' portions and pricing) are popular
with families enjoying the great outdoors nearby.
Sharpley Hill, Newtown Linford.
&
01530/243558.
www.the-grey-lady.co.uk. Reservations recom-
mended. Main courses £12-£24. DC, V. Daily noon-3pm (3:30pm Sun) and 5:30-10:30pm.
EXPENSIVE
Maiyango
INTERNATIONAL Leicester's only boutique hotel is best visited
for its restaurant, which will whisk you away with its exotic decor, soundtrack of world
beats, “gastronomic” cocktails, and dishes influenced by the chef 's travels (though
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