8 Outdoors- Other to Explore in Rutland

The Hills and Holes is one of Britain’s most important wildlife sites. Covering an area of just 50 acres, the grassy slopes are home to a profusion of wild flowers. This type of meadowland is now all too rare; half of the surviving limestone grassland in Cambridgeshire is found here. In 2002 it was designated as a Special Area of Conservation, to protect the orchid rich grassland as part of the Natura 2000 network of sites throughout the European Union.

Bourne Wood offers impressive views over the surrounding pine forests.Much of the wood was formerly heathland at the western end of the Greensand Ridge that was developed privately during the 20th century as commercial conifer plantations. It is also strategically important to the UK film industry as a filming location. Since 1999 numerous films, commercials, television programmes and music videos have been filmed here.

Bowthorpe Oak in Manthorpe near Bourne, Lincolnshire, England is perhaps England's oldest oak tree with an estimated age of over 1,000 years. The tree has a girth of 12.30 metres. The hollow interior had been fitted with seats and has apparently been used as a dining room for 20 people in the past. It was selected as one of 50 Great British Trees selected by The Tree Council in 2002 to spotlight trees in Great Britain in honour of the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

The Eye Brook is a watercourse in the East Midlands of England and a tributary of the River Welland. It is around 18 miles long. Much of the land surrounding the area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a report by English Nature considered the river to be one of the most "natural" in the county having experienced very little human intervention.

The Hambleton Peninsula lies within the reservoir Rutland Water, in Rutland, England. When the Gwash Valley was dammed in 1975, the area surrounding what was then a ridge were submerged, including a small number of properties in the hamlets of Nether Hambleton and Middle Hambleton. The village of Upper Hambleton survived, and now sits on the peninsula, which is some 3500 metres in length and 1000 metres in width.

Rutland Farm Park is a small 18-acre working farm in the market town of Oakham. The Farm park is set in 19 acres of parkland which was part of the Neol estate. You can meet lambs, goats and sheep and play with our fluffy rabbits and guinea pigs in Amy’s Farm Corner. The farm buildings are their original Victorian farm buildings. The park land is the only remaining part of the Noel estate still used in the original way.

Rutland Water is one of the best places to enjoy birds and wildlife in the UK. Search for rare spring migrants, admire fishing ospreys in the summer, enjoy the autumn wader passage and marvel at huge flocks of winter wildfowl. With events year round, walking trails and two visitor centres, you'll be sure of an immersive wildlife experience for the whole family.

Yew Tree Avenue is a unique collection of 150 yew trees, most over 200 years old. The Avenue was once the carriage drive to Clipsham Hall, the centre of the Clipsham Estate. The trees are managed by the Forestry Commission, and thanks to the work of Clipsham Yew Tree Avenue Trust, are currently undergoing renovation after years of little maintenance.