While we've been staying in the less mountainous terrain of deepest Northamptonshire, we been seeking out some bike rides and set out today from the (very nice) village of Oakham to complete a circumnavigation of one of the bigger bodies of water in the area - Rutland Water.
There are loads of car parks scattered around the Reservoir, (which all vary in price between £3-6). We opted to start in the village as there looked to be a good pub nearby to finish in!
The route is all traffic free, which was great, but the surfaces vary from smooth tarmac, to rough hardcore (i.e very bumpy!).
We went clockwise around the lake from the village of Oakham as this had the advantage of us passing another pub in Manton just before the end!
Crossing the dam at the far end, got us up to top speeds - we'd also chosen to got late in the afternoon, so it was actually not that busy too.
Normanton Church is situated on a small peninsula and well worth the tiny detour.
It's a fine place to take a break and enjoy the views - and there's a water side bench at it's far end.
We carried on at a leisurely pace, stopped here and there to a sip of water as it had been a very warm and muggy afternoon.
The owners of the lake are clearly not cyclists, because at any slight incline, there were signs to get off and push! Some of them really were funny, compared to the 'hills' we have back home.
The Horse and Jockey at Manton, came into view just in time - we were both starting to tire! We had a cold drink in by the road side and stayed long enough to start stiffening up before moving on.
There is an extension of the ride onto a peninsula, be after setting off, soon decided that we'd rather go for dinner at the pub as it was getting late! The Angler in Oakham comes very much recommended for food and drink for tired cyclists.
Soon enough we had the bikes back in the van, were changed and around the corner, into the pub! A cold drink awaited to celebrate!
After a big and tasty meal, we were ready to make our way back to Fort Martin for the night - a cycle tour with no camping! How luxurious!
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