8/6/18 Away Day to Rutland Water walk 8.2 mls.

Weather men said okay for walking at Rutland Water. After meeting at Cosby car park, everyone was raring to go. The car arrangements had already been sorted so it was a quick good morning and we were off to Barnsdale car park at Rutland Water.

Pictoral map of Rutland Water and a route map of our walk.

(When the twin valleys of the River Gwash were flooded in the mid-1970s, Rutland Water became Europe's largest man-made lake set in England's smallest county. This large area of water created as a reservoir, initially strongly opposed, has become a major tourist attraction internationally recognised for its wildlife.)

It was about an hour's journey and everyone managed to get there without taking a wrong turning. Boots on and back packs loaded with our lunch etc we set off towards Whitwell along the Rutland Water walkway.

A fungus from another world was spotted emerging through the undergrowth.

Views of the reservoir change rapidly as you walk along the path. 

Interesting facts about Rutland Water:

Built‎: ‎1971-1975

First flooded‎: ‎1976

Water volume‎: ‎124 million cubic metres (4.4×1...

Surface area‎: ‎10.86 square kilometres (4.19 sq mi)

This sign was meant for cyclists and not walkers so we ignored it.

At the Whitwell car park they were getting ready for the weekend activities ahead, a gathering of surf boarders from all over the country.

There is also a large water fun park close by - thrills for both kids and adults.

Food and drinks from various countries were on offer. We decided to have a short break here before heading on to Empingham.

After Empingham we walked across the dam then on towards Normanton Church. (The crest of the dam is 1,200 metres long, and the maximum depth of the reservoir is 34 metres.)

This side of the reservoir starts out fairly flat with fewer trees.

Walking towards Normanton church.

Prior to completion of the reservoir, the floor level of Normanton church was raised, the masonry proofed against damp, and a causeway built to provide access to the church.

The Rutland Belle. Cruise with visit to Normanton Church: (Subject to availability of the church). This 45-minute cruise makes an additional 30-minute stop off on the south shore to explore the building that was saved from the waves and became the landmark of the reservoir. Normanton Church has recently taken on a new role, having been licensed as a civil marriage venue. Open for group visits by special arrangement. Allow up to 1½ hr. in your itinerary.

Leaving the church behind and one of the locals we walked through the car park and bumped into a London bus going to Marble Arch.

Reported in the Standard Times:  The traditional London bus, the Routemaster, is seeing out what will almost certainly be its last full summer. Within six weeks, half the remaining handful of routes will be gone. By 2005, the Routemaster's long journey through the streets of London will finally come to an end, no doubt in a convoy of three.
Needless to say, they were about to be scrapped.

Fortunately, this one was given a new lease of life.

We settled down to lunch close to all the services including a hot cup of tea/coffee.

Knives, forks and spoons oversized for larger portions?

Willie and gang went for a closer look at Normanton Church. 

Just in case anybody fancies a cruise with a difference.

Photo opportunity, more fungi.

Leaving our lunch stop (Edith Weston car park) we continued our walk towards the Nature Reserve, at Lyndon.

Heading towards the sailing club.

A write up from a magazine about the sailing club:

(The Royal Yachting Association has made the Club a National Sailing Academy – a centre of excellence for training and development. Ask any of the many hundreds of sailors who visit us every year and come back time and again. Talk to our members and full-time staff. Or better still, come and take a look for yourself.
Go sailing. Savour the friendly atmosphere, good food and company. And at the end of the day, enjoy the stunning views from the balcony of our Clubhouse, recalling your experience of the best inland sailing in the UK.)

We didn't have our sailing legs on today, just our walking boots so we continued on our way.

Still smiling and seven miles done.

The local sheep watch us pass by.

The geese weren't interested.

Just getting into her stride.

On the last section of the walk, back into woodland for the final 1/2 mile.

Time for a group photo.

The last hill and the nature reserve is just around the corner.

The Lyndon Visitor Centre, on the South shore of the Reserve, was opened by Sir David Attenborough in 1985, and offers both the birdwatcher and the wildlife enthusiast, or first time visitor, the opportunity to view a wide array of wildlife from this peaceful spot. Away from the Centre, a self-guided trail leads visitors through a variety of habitats ranging from old and newly created woodland to ponds full of aquatic life and a series of birdwatching hides that overlook the water. A further hide overlooks a small pond in Gibbet Gorse wood and bird feeders attract a range of woodland birds including Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Marsh Tit.

Here there are live camera pictures of the Osprey nest in nearby Manton Bay. You can learn all about the project and the current situation.

There will be members of the Rutland Osprey Project team on hand to tell you more and it is an easy walk from the Visitor Centre to watch the action on and around the nest from Waderscrape hide, where our volunteers monitor the ospreys. To visit the Rutland Osprey Project website.

After a great day walking around part of Rutland Water we drove to Oakham, about 4 miles down the road.
A quick look at the shops, then it was time for dinner at The Wheatsheaf.  

A great day was had by all - thank you everyone.