Small fortunes | Why Rutland is one of England's best cycling counties

Cycling around the luxurious blue expanse of the Rutland Water reservoir, dashing past nature reserves, rolling farmland and thatched cottages, and choosing which cosy old coaching inn to visit for lunch, I can see why tiny Rutland has the motto Multum in Parvo – much in little.

Bordering Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Rutland has an area of only 382km2, making it England’s smallest historic county.

However, its 41,000 inhabitants know good things come in small packages.

The Sunday Times recently crowned Rutland one of the ‘Best Places To Live in Britain’, praising its “unsullied villages” as a refreshing contrast to the Cotswolds.

And it may well be one of the best British places to cycle, too. Local cyclists certainly enjoy Rutland’s own version of la dolce vita.

With instant access to beautiful natural landscapes that stretch out beneath the expansive skies of the East Midlands, Rutlanders seem to have found the secret to longer life.

Rutland men live longer (83) than anywhere else in the UK outside of affluent central London.

And Rutland women also live longer (85.4) than the national average (83.1). Data from Sport England suggests Rutland is the sixth most active county in England and The Office for National Statistics rates it the “happiest county” on the UK mainland.

With an annual rainfall of 681mm against the national average of 879mm, even the local climate of this landlocked county smiles on cyclists.

Cycling secret

Of course, Rutland will already be on the radar of some savvy cyclists, thanks to the Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic, held in April.

This bumpy one-day race is inspired by Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders and is known as ‘Britain’s Belgian Classic’.

There’s also the familiar name of the Rutland Cycling bike brand, which has a flagship store in Whitwell, on the shores of Rutland Water.

And there is now a healthy sprinkling of Rutland sportives, too: the Rutland CiCLE Tour sportive, the Rutland Border Epique Sportive and 2 Days in Rutland: A Tour Sportive.

Road cycling in Rutland is fun and fast, with those quiet roads and rolling landscapes encouraging big distances and zippy speeds.

Don’t expect to find any hidden Alps – the highest point in Rutland is only 197m above sea level – although there are some surprisingly punchy slopes.

But cycling in Rutland warrants using a microscope, not a telescope: it’s an invitation to enjoy the small details, from the glorious birdsong of the forests and the glimpse of a shy rabbit or muntjac deer, to the rose gardens and ironstone cottages of those chocolate box villages.

Reservoirs and roses

My 100km loop begins on the sun-drenched shores of Rutland Water near the village of Empingham.

With a surface area of 10.86km2, this is the largest reservoir in England. It’s similar in size to Lake Windermere in the Lake District.

When full, it has enough water for three years of drought and it supplies much of the East Midlands.

Set in 13km2 of countryside, it’s also a popular hub for windsurfers, fishers, runners and cyclists, a haven for many bird species (including rare ospreys), and a home for water voles, woodland wildlife, sheep and cattle.

There’s a 37km track (a mix of paved surface and gravel) around the reservoir that you can cycle along, but today I just go for a short warm-up spin along the dam, which serves up wonderful views of the watery expanse.

Leaving the reservoir, I head north past neat hedgerows and quiet farmland to Exton, one of the prettiest villages in Rutland.

A tree-lined village square, bordered by thatched cottages and rose gardens, hides a beautiful pub called The Fox & Hounds, boasting a peaceful, bike-friendly beer garden.

On the way out of Exton, follow your nose: on the outskirts of the village lies Hambleton Bakery, whose ovens send glorious smells wafting across the road to entice hungry cyclists to the on-site café for mushroom pies, chocolate brownies and custard tarts.

Sheep and sausages

I continue north, around the forests of the Exton Park rural estate. Heading into a quintessential Rutland landscape of quiet country roads I'm surrounded by fields of wheat, barley, sheep and cows, endless hedgerows buzzing with insects, verges throbbing with colourful wildflowers, and ancient churchyards, stone bridges and inviting pubs: traditional rural British landscape at its best.

When I glide through the village of Market Overton, I glimpse the old wooden stocks still sitting in the village square. A community-owned market store sells local cakes, fruit drinks and chocolate.

I pass fields of freshly sheared sheep on my way south towards Oakham. Home to 12,000 people, it's the biggest settlement in Rutland.

It’s centred around a historic market square, marked by an octagonal 17th-century buttercross with a pyramidal roof.

Nearby is Oakham Castle. The turrets and moat of the original 12th century fortification have long since disappeared, and today all that remains is the surviving Great Hall of the castle.

This is the oldest English court building in continuous use, with trials taking place here as early as 1229.

There are plenty of places to stop for a coffee or a snack in Oakham and I take a break with our photographer Joe to enjoy some pork pies and sausage rolls from Nelsons, a popular local butcher.

From Oakham, I head east to the Hambleton Peninsula, a 3.5km finger of land that pokes out into Rutland Water.

It’s a slight detour but worth it for the chance to see the historic St Andrew’s church and the elegant Hambleton Hall.

Climbing into Upper Hambleton, down to the water and back up again also gives you the chance to test your legs on two short, sharp climbs, which offer rewarding views of the reservoir.

In 2021, a 33ft ichthyosaur fossil – dubbed the ‘Rutland sea dragon’ – was discovered at Rutland Water, which 180 million years ago lay beneath a warm, tropical sea.

Holy hills

After heading back to Oakham, I dart south and climb to Braunston-in-Rutland, then continue into the peaceful rolling landscapes of Launde Abbey, which are dotted with free-roaming sheep and cattle.

The thin road here is very hilly, and you’ll hit the highest point of the day at 190m.

Soon you will see Launde Abbey itself – a Grade II listed Elizabethan manor house built on the site of the 12th century Augustinian Launde Priory.

The Abbey has a small café (with bike racks), which serves jacket potatoes, baguettes, omelettes, salads and cakes.

Just past Launde Abbey, I grind up a meaty climb with a gradient of 8 per cent. The silence here is overwhelming and I can hear my laboured breathing.

I continue over rolling farmland to Belton-in-Rutland, before passing through Allexton to Stockerston to reach the thin road on the northern shore of the dazzling Eyebrook Reservoir.

During the Second World War, in May 1943, this reservoir was used as a practice site for the famous Dambusters Raid, simulating Germany’s Möhne Reservoir.

Today, surrounded by farmland and forests, it’s a deeply relaxing place to ride.

Heading east, I pass through the gorgeous village of Lyddington, where many of the cottages are made from striking brown-orange ironstone.

It seems like a fine spot for lunch, so we spin to the Old White Hart pub and sit in the beer garden, where we eat ciabattas stuffed with Rutland sausages and onion. A small, friendly blackbird eats crumbs from my hand.

Chasing the storm

After lunch, I continue east to Seaton, where it’s hard to resist the cool shade of the yew trees in the churchyard and the welcoming wooden tables outside The George and Dragon pub.

But when I dart downhill, I glimpse the stunning arches of the 1.16km-long Harringworth Viaduct – the longest masonry viaduct in the UK.

Built from 1876-78 by a force of 400 men, it has 82 arches, each of which has a 40-60ft-high span.

Its immense size becomes clear when I ride directly beneath its huge, dripping arches.

I spin past fields of horses into the village of Harringworth, which marks the beginning of a tough 50m vertical ascent, with the arches of the viaduct receding slowly behind me.

I then dart back to Barrowden, past the village’s stone-lined duck pond, and ride along a lane back to Seaton, before heading north to begin my journey back to Rutland Water.

It is worth enjoying the brief descent here because the climb back to Glaston is surprisingly steep.

In autumn, you’ll find the hedgerows bursting with juicy blackberries, but today the only sight of purple comes from the ominous storm clouds gathering to the north.

Beneath the enormous vault of sky in Rutland, you can see the weather changing before it reaches you.

But with its flat terrain and quiet roads, Rutland is the ideal place to race a storm.

As the clouds throb closer, I pick up the pace and dash along the roads south of Rutland Water, up the short, leg-buckling climb from Glaston, and down to the village of Wing, whose neat grass maze dates to medieval times.

With the reservoir shining to my left, and glorious farmland stretching out to my right, I continue to race the storm clouds.

Soon I glimpse Normanton Church, an iconic Rutland landmark, on a small spit of land jutting into Rutland Water, which makes it look as if it’s floating.

From here, it’s only a few kilometres to the dam. I make it back just as the clouds arrive and the reservoir sizzles with heavy raindrops, before, moments later, the sun bursts through once more.