Rutland Farm Park — Attraction in Oakham

My friends and I visited on the 16th August and we had an absolutely wonderful time! The animals were very friendly and happy to see you (especially the sheep and goats when they saw the feed bucket). The highlight for me were the horses and they were absolutely beautiful. I’ve seen comments regarding the welfare and condition of the animals but I didn’t see a single animal I was concerned about. The horses were in great condition and the CPL of one mare was being managed well and the sweet itch (which is very common) of a pony gelding was immediately picked up on. Similarly, the other animals such as the cattle were also kept in great condition and plenty of hay and clean water was in the paddocks. Even animals I don’t know much about such as the rabbits and guinea pigs all had fresh food, water and bedding alongside looking clean and healthy themselves.

The staff were very friendly and talkative and included us in a number of activities. One we particularly enjoyed was feeding the cows jam sandwiches! One of my friends also lost her favourite cardigan which they very kindly found for her and we were able to retrieve it.

As for the other facilities, I cannot complain at all and we enjoyed an ice cream outside at the end of our day. Thank you so much again for a...

The reservoir's construction, by damming the Gwash valley near Empingham, was completed in 1975. During its construction it was known as Empingham Reservoir. It flooded six or seven square kilometres of the Gwash valley as well as the side valley, at the head of which lies Oakham. Nether Hambleton and most of Middle Hambleton were demolished and their wells were plugged as part of the ground preparation. Their neighbouring village of Upper Hambleton survived, and now sits on the Hambleton Peninsula. The Gwash makes a net input to the lake but its flow downstream is maintained. Most of the stored water is extracted from the River Welland at grid reference TF017060, between Tinwell and Stamford, and from the River Nene upstream from Peterborough, a city which is a major user of the water.

Because much of the valley is clay, material for the dam was extracted from pits dug within the area that would be subsequently flooded. The clay dam is 115 feet (35 m) high, and around 1,300 yards (1,200 m) long. At its base, it is up to 890 yards (810 m) wide, and the finished structure has been landscaped to blend in with the environment, even when viewed from Empingham, the nearest village.

Rutland Water contains a limnological tower for study of the reservoir's...

Today was our second visit to Rutland Farm Park. We absolutely love it here. So many animals in lovely big enclosures, from ducks, geese and chickens, to sheep, goats, alpacas, pigs, donkeys and horses and more! Not forgetting the different breeds of cows, including highland cows! Plus a small animal barn with rabbits, guinea pigs and different breeds of chickens. My girls love having guinea pig cuddles, and feeding the sheep and goats. The staff were amazing today, and despite literally only having 1 team member in the cafe, they produced an amazing, pre-booked, afternoon tea for us. Delicious food, had by all, including a lovely gluten free afternoon tea. They are currently upgrading alot of the enclosures to make improvements across the farm, but they still had time for lots of interaction with the animals through feeding demonstrations and guinea pig cuddles and meet the snails. The kids love the play park too, which includes lots of different play equipment. There are also lots of places to sit with your picnic lunch, where the resident chickens or geese come over to say hello. An absolute gem of a place that really effects my girls, as my eldest always gets upset when we...