Cold Pints, Hot Rutland Days
A new weekly roundup of Rutland life, from beer festivals and Rutland Water walks to local food spots and community news.
Hi everyone – and welcome to the very first edition of Love Rutland Weekly.
After years of blogging about Rutland, I wanted to try something a little different: a short weekly email with a handful of local things worth knowing about, places worth visiting, and ideas for the weekend ahead.
The format will evolve over time, but the aim is simple – helping people discover more of what makes Rutland such a great place to live and visit.
Here’s what’s happening this weekend and into next week.
This weekend in Rutland
🍺 Rutland CAMRA Beer Festival – Friday to Sunday
The 13th Rutland CAMRA Beer Festival returns to Rutland County Museum in Oakham this weekend. Expect more than 40 real ales, ciders and perries, alongside food vendors, live music and a gin bar across three days. A great excuse to spend an afternoon in town.
🎖️ Armed Forces Day – Saturday
Saturday marks Armed Forces Day, although most of Rutland’s activities to mark the occasion took place earlier in the week. Armed Forces Week is an opportunity for communities to recognise the contribution of serving personnel, veterans, reservists and military families.
🌊 Summer at Rutland Water
With warm weather currently gripping the county, Rutland Water is likely to be one of the region’s busiest spots this weekend. Whether it’s a lakeside walk, a cycle around the reservoir, watersports or simply a coffee with a view, it’s hard to beat at this time of year. Get there early though as the car parks will fill up – and no doubt close – and remember your sunscreen.
🛍️ Oakham Market
Always worth a wander if you’re in town on Saturday morning. From local produce and baked goods to plants and gifts, Oakham Market remains one of those simple Rutland traditions that never gets old.
One place worth visiting this week
I was reminded again recently how good the area around Rutland Water is at this time of year, particularly during early evening.
Everything has suddenly turned green, the evenings are longer, and even a quick walk near Normanton Church feels like a proper reset after a busy week.
If you fancy extending the trip, the coffee and lake views at Waterside Café are hard to beat on a sunny morning.
Local food & drink
A few Rutland favourites worth mentioning this week:
☕ The Larder, Oakham – consistently one of the best coffee stops in town.
🍽️ The Blue Ball, Braunston – ideal for a long Friday lunch or relaxed weekend dinner.
🍺 The Olive Branch – still one of the county’s standout pub experiences.
🌊 The Twisted Trout – a great option in Empingham and close to Rutland Water.
Nice local news
Over 2,000 people have signed a petition urging Rutland County Council to reconsider its decision to abandon plans to display the remains of a 180-million-year-old ichthyosaur. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops next.
That’s all for the first edition.
If you enjoyed this, feel free to forward it to someone else who loves Rutland.
See you next Friday.