Rutland is England's smallest county and home to the main towns of Oakham and Uppingham along with some 54 delightful villages. The names for these villages could only be found on an English map - Barleythorpe, Burley On The Hill, Edith Western and Thorpe By Water. The village of Wing has one of the last remaining turf mazes. There's also North Luffenham and South Luffenham, which is also a curious English thing. What happened to the Luffenham in the middle?

Rutland is just 16 square miles and, well, lets say it's a charming place for dawdling through on your way to somewhere rather than a destination. The British Bird watching Fair is held every August (Egleton Nature Reserve) and Eyebrook Reservoir (in the south) is popular with birdwatchers and anglers.

Uppingham is a traditional country town with the town centre and market place dating back to 1281. Markets are still held on Fridays.

Oakham is Rutland's bustling County town, an hour's drive from Nottingham, 20 miles from Leicester and 100 miles north of London. The town is rich in history and character. The Rutland County Museum has a rich collection illustrating local rural life and the Great Hall in Oakham Castle is one of the finest examples of 12th century domestic architecture.

Local stones would have been used to create the magnificent figure sculptures and the masons would have also worked on Canterbury Cathedral. Over 200 horseshoes hang on the castle walls. This quaint custom probably began around 1066 when it was decreed that every peer or the realm on his first visit to Oakham must forfeit a horseshoe to the lord of the manor. The most recent was given by HRH The Princess Royal in 1999.