Is your idea of rural bliss a Georgian gem in a village of honey-coloured stone surrounded by unspoilt countryside? We're not talking about the Cotswolds, rather the East Midlands secret that is Rutland. This area of gentle rolling hills, where, as Bach may have said, 'sheep may safely graze', is England's smallest county. You could drive past on the A1 and barely know you had done so, which perhaps explains why it is so bafflingly overlooked. Yet it deserves attention.
Rutland (and some of the bordering 'Notswolds' counties of Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire) have the same mellow, creamy limestone as the Cotswolds and boast beguiling market towns and villages that are every bit as attractive, but without the tourists or hefty prices. If you wish to buy a coveted rectory or converted farmhouse, you will be spoilt for choice. 'Rutland has never been very trendy, whereas the Cotswolds has, so the area retains excellent value,' says Tom Wilson, a director at King West (07702 459360). Nick Leeming, chairman of Jackson-Stops, agrees. 'Rutland may be the smallest county in the UK, but it is well located with beautiful countryside, historic market towns, public schools and Rutland Water,' he says. 'With good rail links to London and limestone villages, it has all the ambience of the Cotswolds without the price tag.' The average property price in Rutland is $446,892 (according to Savills, using Experian data). In the Cotswolds, the average is $640,422.
This story is from the November 13, 2024 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 13, 2024 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning
