June 2017 | 95
The route begins at Oakham Railway Station , which is served hourly , in each direction , by Cross Country Trains on the Birmingham to Stansted Airport Line . This is a good place to begin as there is an excellent cycle shop , Oakham Cycle Centre , across the road from the platform serving Birmingham – bound trains . Any last-minute supplies and spares may be bought here and you can even hire a bike for a day or two !
So , leave the station and head east along the High Street . If this is the start of your day , you may want to buy a coffee , or even a full English breakfast at one of the many catering establishments on both sides of the road . The High Street leads on to a mini roundabout at which you carry straight on to a second mini roundabout , where you bear right towards Uppingham , passing the County offices on your left , descending to Swooning Bridge ( so named as those about to be hanged were transported across it shortly before their execution ). Heading south , the route then joins the main A6003 . This is a busy road , but drivers in Rutland are generally very cycle-aware and the route follows it for only a short distance . It offers a gentle , fast descent towards the railway bridge at Gunthorpe . Just before the bridge you will catch your first sight of the reservoir to your left , and may well see a bunch of ‘ twitchers ’ clustered on a bridge over a small brook .
At this point , leave the road and follow the path which leads under the railway bridge , through a small gate and on to a now – redundant stretch of road , which is also part of the off-road route round the water . There is now a short climb to the village of Manton , passing The Horse and Jockey , the only pub directly on the cycleway and an excellent stop ( although by this point you will have only been going for about four miles ).
Heading past the pub , continue up the hill to a T-junction , at which you turn left on the road leading through the
village , heading towards Edith Weston . Given a prevailing westerly wind , you are likely to cover the next stretch fairly swiftly , but don ’ t rush ; there are superb views across the reservoir to Burley on The Hill and its very grand 17 th -century manor house , once briefly owned by Asil Nadir , now divided into apartments .
Your route continues along this road until you reach Edith Weston . This village is dominated by St George ’ s Barracks , formerly RAF North Luffenham . You will see very little evidence of the military , save for some houses on the left , many of which are now privately owned , and the back of the officers ’ mess on the right . There is also another pub , The Wheatsheaf , on the left .
Reaching a mini roundabout , turn left and enjoy a gentle fast descent towards the easterly end of the reservoir . You will pass one of the many Anglian Water car parks on the left ; this is the site of one of Rutland Cycles ’ shops , which is co-located with a small café .
You should now be able to see the dam at the end of the reservoir and you will shortly arrive at a crossroads , where you turn left along a one-way stretch of road to join the A606 just south of the village of Empingham ( Rutland Water was originally named Empingham Reservoir ). The main road is busy and care is needed as you join it .
You are now about halfway round the route , so a stop at the White Horse , on your right , could be justified !
From Empingham , stay on the A606 , climbing gently out of the village as you head west . On the right , you will see a small cemetery and then , to the left there is an access road to the Anglian Water car park at Sykes Lane . Continue through the car park and on to a surfaced section of the cycle path which leads through a small