Rutland Farm Park

The reservoir's construction, by damming the Gwash valley near Empingham, was completed in 1975. During its construction it was known as Empingham Reservoir. It flooded six or seven square kilometres of the Gwash valley as well as the side valley, at the head of which lies Oakham. Nether Hambleton and most of Middle Hambleton were demolished and their wells were plugged as part of the ground preparation. Their neighbouring village of Upper Hambleton survived, and now sits on the Hambleton Peninsula. The Gwash makes a net input to the lake but its flow downstream is maintained. Most of the stored water is extracted from the River Welland at grid reference TF017060, between Tinwell and Stamford, and from the River Nene upstream from Peterborough, a city which is a major user of the water.Because much of the valley is clay, material for the dam was extracted from pits dug within the area that would be subsequently flooded. The clay dam is 115 feet (35 m) high, and around 1,300 yards (1,200 m) long. At its base, it is up to 890 yards (810 m) wide, and the finished structure has been landscaped to blend in with the environment, even when viewed from Empingham, the nearest village.Rutland Water contains a limnological tower for study of the reservoir's ecological conditions.

While the animals were nice and friendly I should note £8.50 for a relatively small farm is a bit overpriced. Also, I NEALLY GOT LOCKED BLOODY IN. It said very clearly that it closed at 5pm but as I was exciting through the shop at around 4.48pm the door was literally being closed. 10 secs later, I'd have been locked in. Please close at the actual time you're supposed to and do a quick check to see if anyone's left in like myself.

I recently visited Rutland Farm Park and was absolutely blown away by what I saw. From the moment I arrived, I knew that this was going to be a special experience. The park is much bigger than I imagined, which was a pleasant surprise. There was so much to explore and see that I could have spent an entire day there.What really impressed me, though, was the fact that the park is currently going through some major improvements. It's clear that the owners really care about this place and are committed to making it the best it can be. From the new animal enclosures to the improved walking paths, everything is being done with the visitor's experience in mind.Overall, I would highly recommend Rutland Farm Park to anyone looking for a fun and educational day out. Whether you're a family with young children, a group of friends looking for a unique outing, or simply someone who loves animals and nature, this park has something for everyone. With its beautiful surroundings, friendly staff, and ongoing improvements, it's no wonder that Rutland Farm Park has quickly become one of my favorite places to visit. Five stars!

Very friendly staff, lovely dayout with kids, animal feed available to buy also a cafe serving hot food on site

I did voluntary work at this place. A nice variety of animals at the farm. However, there were a dozen flies in the cafe and they could also get muddy on the paths. Overall, a good short day out for those little ones.

Beautiful place and well maintained.Appreciate the care for all the animals in the farm.

An amazing place. The staff are friendly and approachable. The food is amazing and the cost of entry is no where enough for what you get. Its a working victoriana farm and although there various stages of renovation you can see for yourself the quality of the animals and rhey are all happy and fed well.Well done to Julie, Anne, Amy, Evie and team for giving us an amazing experience x

Wanted to take our grandchildren out for a while, decided to visit this farm. So pleased we did, kept the kids happy. They petted and fed the animalsVery well thought out farm with valuable lessons for the children in how animals are kept

Love this place, friendly staff and if you love animals you can spend ages there. The animal food isn't over priced and the ticket price must have to go a long way.