"R" is for... Rutland Water

26.10.19 - #13 Rutland Water - A Try, A Conversion & Some Scrum-tastic Cake To Boot!

You'd be forgiven for not knowing much about the lovely but unassuming county of Rutland. Prior to my visit I didn't know much about it except how beautiful Rutland Water looked.

Once I'd seen photos of their parkrun I instantly knew I wanted that location to be the letter "R" in my "MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS" spell-it-out challenge and the date was set.

This stunning reservoir setting just looked magical and, for some reason, my first thought was that it reminded me of Lord of the Rings. My second thought was that I hoped I wouldn't run into any scary "Orcses" armed with parkrun barcodes!

Rutland, England's smallest historic county (and famously the only one without a McDonalds), is situated in the East Midlands, bordering Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire.

Its greatest distance from north to south is a mere 18 miles and from east to west only 17 miles, but what it lacks in quantity it definitely makes up for in quality, as proudly declared by the county's motto, "Multum in Parvo"....or for those of us who don't speak Latin, "Much in Little"...and it really lives up to that claim!

The Rutland Water site itself is the county's jewel in its crown, but the surrounding picturesque countryside and lovely historic towns also drew me to this part of the world.

I was really looking forward to sharing my MS Challenge message and spreading awareness a little further afield, in such a fantastic and enchanting location...even if it wasn't quite Middle-Earth!
 
I decided to make a weekend of it and travelled up on Friday. As per the previous week at Evesham parkrun, the days leading up to this Rutland trip had seen torrential rain. Unfortunately the same was forecast for the Saturday but it was now late October, after all.

Sticking to the British stereotypes, I kept calm, carried on and thought about the lovely cup of tea I'd have when I finally arrived at my destination!

Driving into Rutland, I noted the sparsely inhabited countryside with vast expanses of rural farmland and lovely panoramic views - the unspoilt beauty still shining through the bucketloads of rain lashing down.  

I stayed at The Old Pheasant in Glaston, approx 10 mins from Rutland Water (good food, extremely friendly staff and a lovely, relaxed vibe).

After settling in with a pot of tea (what else?!), Friday pm was spent exploring the charming nearby town of Uppingham and sampling the weird and wonderful ales at the beer festival (well it'd be rude not to...."When in Rome", and all that!)

After a delicious evening meal back at the hotel, I chilled out with an early night, ready for the next day's adventure.

As usual, I'd emailed the local parkrun team beforehand, advising them of my fund-raising 'Spell-it-Out' challenge, along with a brief description of what I'm up to.

Their response was very generous - not only did they agree to give me a shout-out, but Co-Event Director, Darren, had already sponsored me and I hadn't even got there yet! What a top bloke and a kind gesture!

Thanks Darren - you superstar!

Throughout this challenge I've been amazed at how generous and caring people are, in joining me in this fight against Multiple Sclerosis and in supporting the MS Society's work, especially the parkrun community which I'm so proud to be a part of.

On Saturday morning it was still raining heavily. England had made it to the Semi-Final of the Rugby World Cup but the big game clashed with parkrun. Faced with this conflict of interest, some parkrunners opted to miss their free, weekly, timed 5k run in favour of watching the live game (each to their own).

At Rutland Water the yucky weather was also an issue to contend with - such a shame as they were celebrating their 4th birthday that day. 

For me, giving it a miss wasn't an option. Thankfully 38 dedicated volunteers felt the same way and braved the weather, to enable me and 152 other (frankly, bonkers!) parkrunners plus a few dogs and babies in buggies, the opportunity to do battle with the course.

The Rutland Water reservoir is one of the largest man-made lakes in Europe - a beautiful site with fishing, sailing, an aqua park and a nature reserve amongst other attractions.

Lots of walkers, cyclists and runners enjoy the 30-ish km perimeter track and with plenty of space, parking and onsite facilities it's pretty much a perfect parkrun location.

By the time I'd parked up, the rain was heavy and it was a bit chilly, so I was already looking forward to a hot cuppa afterwards (no surprise there, then!) and also maybe the reward of some cake, if I felt I'd earned it!

I wandered off towards the start, roughly 500m from the cafe, but en route something caught my eye...something very scary! If my sleepy eyes did not deceive me, down near the water's edge I spied a black cloaked, ghostly figure floating by the trees, hovering above the shoreline, like one of the Dementor creatures from Harry Potter!

Even on a day as cold, wet and miserable as today, being here doing my challenge to help others was enough to warm the cockles and really lift the spirits, but this frightening apparition floating in mid-air was surely a step too far!!!

The weather was very fitting for the Halloween celebrations - the grey murk and mist added a creepy twist, with poor visibility adding to the spooky atmosphere.

Approaching the parkrun meeting point you'll see the iconic church, which appears to miraculously float on the water. Well it's not actually floating, that'd just be silly...churches can't float....but I had just seen a floating Dementor, so I suppose anything's possible!

My nose led me to a gazebo by the start line, absolutely jam-packed with yummy-looking cakes, for their 4th anniversary.

No matter which parkrun you visit, cake seems to be a perennial favourite and the celebratory treat of choice - a tasty tradition which must be upheld at all costs! Today it was a delicious incentive to haul our soggy selves around the course!

I went for a little jog to warm up a bit and on my way back I found Darren (Co-Event Director). I chatted with him a while but before long it was time to line up.

With the usual milestone and tourist shout-outs done, the Run Director, Lawrence, kindly introduced me as a "Special Guest".

I felt very flattered to be called "special". I don't see myself that way, but the smiles and claps and cheers certainly make me feel special and I greatly appreciate the support.

The truth of it is, that the people who fight MS and run with MS and various other challenging conditions are the special ones - the people that don't give up, regardless of their personal struggles. 

Nevertheless I was grateful and humbled by such a lovely reception, but also more than a little soggy around the edges by now and ready to run!

Rutland Water is great for PBs and perfect for buggies. It's a flat course, run almost entirely on fantastic, well-maintained, tarmac paths. There is a grass section of about 10 metres or so, linking one pathway to the next, but the rest is all tarmac...unless you veer off the path to overtake on the grass verges, of course.

The whole run takes place around the reservoir - 2.5km of the reservoir, to be exact. It's an 'out and back' course with a run-around point, half-way, and markers to help you keep pace.

Being quite an open course, you're exposed to the elements and you do feel the breeze sweeping in across the water. On my visit there were also big puddles on the paths but I'd given up trying to stay dry a long time ago so it didn't really matter!  

Whilst it's a simple route, there was plenty to look at - the pretty church, the ducks, swans and other waterfowl/birds (I spotted a Kestrel battling against the wind), multicoloured sailing boats, a wonderful array of autumn colours on the trees and even some mega chilled out sheep...although apparently sometimes they make a run for it across the path, so watch out for the livelier ones!

The course takes you past one of the reservoir's 'draw-off' towers and part way along the dam before you head back to where you started, retracing your steps towards the church.

At times, you could forget where you are. With the waves lapping against the shoreline, the gulls and an ice-cream van, this place has the coastal vibes of the seaside...

.....but then looking at the tree-lined perimeter and grazing livestock, you remember that this is rural countryside, in-land, and some parts have the feel of a big country park.

This setting has the best of all worlds, even mythical, Tolkien-esque ones! I imagine that this place looks stunning in all seasons, from the glorious summer sunshine to the crispest winter frosts, with the church reflecting beautifully in the still, mirror-like, icy waters.

Regular Rutland parkrunners are fortunate to have such an amazing location which really offers the wow factor but still has the space to allow this event to grow further, hopefully without losing its undeniable charm. 

The promise of hot tea and cake kept me going and although the weather conditions were harsh I managed to run out of my goose-pimpled skin to get the fastest time I've run since coming back from my accident, so I was thrilled! 

Afterwards I chatted a bit more to Darren and a few others (volunteers and fellow runners) about the usual stuff - a bit about MS and my challenge, but also comparing notes about parkrun and parkrun tourism in general, as well as showing my appreciation for Rutland Water's fantastic course and the warm welcome they'd given me.

After sampling some delicious birthday cake (or cakes, I should say...I may have had more than one but it'd be very rude not to!) we continued the post-run chat and mingling in the onsite Waterside Cafe - a nice facility with views across the reservoir and beyond.

Having built up an appetite I sampled the Fisherman's Breakfast which did the job of refuelling but I must say it wasn't nearly as tasty as the parkrun cakes! (Thank you, kind bakers!)

I chatted with a lovely lady called Julia, who had recently got married. On her wedding day she started the celebrations by doing parkrun dressed up in a veil and white tutu, with a sash and balloons, flanked by her parkrun family and friends - an extra special start to her special day, in true parkrun style.

Julia spoke very highly and enthusiastically about Rutland Water parkrun and certainly what she said rang true, from what I'd seen and experienced myself, even on this brief visit.

Feeling pretty wet and cold I said my goodbyes and again thanked Darren for his generous hospitality. I absolutely loved this parkrun and when I said I'd be back, I really meant it....

.....in fact the very next day was such a beautifully sunny day, in stark contrast to the Saturday (luckily for their junior parkrun event), so on Sunday I went back to take more photos, just to make sure I captured everything and hopefully did the course justice. (No prizes for guessing which pics were taken when!) 

The rest of the weekend was spent exploring the pretty, cobbled streets and lanes of historic Stamford (a lovely town about 20 mins drive from the hotel, just outside Rutland, in neighbouring Lincs - well worth a look if visiting the area) and also relaxing my tired legs at the hotel.....

.....sitting by the crackling, log fire with a pint of the local ale, playing old-fashioned bar skittles and bar billiards, not really knowing the rules of either game but still having a lot of fun regardless!

Good times!

Thank you, Rutland Water, for your fabulous course and fantastic, friendly people.

Whilst you cannot fail to be impressed by the stunningly scenic setting, the people are also wonderful. I had a hunch that this would be a special parkrun and it didn't disappoint.

Thanks to all the volunteers for putting yourselves on the roster this week, ensuring that this run went ahead despite the apparent lure of a game played by men with oddly-shaped balls!!! (Yup, the old ones are the best! 😏)

For me, parkrun wins hands-down, all day long....especially a show-stopper like Rutland Water. No contest!

I hoped I'd like Rutland. I gave it a try and it was an easy conversion (see what I did there?!) - this parkrun really won me over and I can't wait to come back!

Next up: OLD DEER PARK!

Please click here for my Just Giving page - raising funds for the MS Society charity

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/rutlandwater/