Hello everybody!

Just for fun, I began to do a "virtual world trip" of all* the countries in the world without leaving my home. Each week I "visit" one country by looking at live cams, cooking some dishes, listening to the radio, and checking the news.

I know, it's not like visiting the country in real life, but time and money are two limiting factors, and this is (sadly) the closest I will be to experience the country. Well, as a European, I hope it won't be the case for the United Kingdom.

My first posts were about South Africa, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda and Saudi Arabia. Here we go with the seventh country on my list: England!

Normally I begin with a small "What I knew of the country" but with England it simply doesn't work. I mean, even though I never visited this country or the UK, I know the flag, the hymn, fish and chips, the meadows full of sheep and the (late) Queen. As a rugby fan, I even recognise some famous English rugby men....

So I decided to change the rules a little bit. There was one post of about the "never heard of"-counties, and one seemed to be quite unknown even for British people: Rutland.

Well, let's virtually explore Rutland!

First thing first, I looked up for some live webcams. England is home to a tremendous amount of live stream (129 as of this website) and in Rutland I could find one from the Rutland Osprey Project. It's a live-streaming of an osprey nest at Rutland Water Nature Reserve.

While reading about Osprey and Rutland Water (one of England's largest water reservoir) I stumbled upon the Wikipedia article of "Mr. Rutland", a (famous) male osprey. This feathery gentleman greatly helped to repopulate osprey in England and produced 32 youngs, 46 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. If you are interested, this blog features some pictures of Mr. Rutland.

As I looked on the Internet about Oakham, I read about the famous horseshoe tradition. To make it simple: If you are rich, and you visit Oakham, you have to give a horseshoe. Of course, like everything in life, it quickly escalated and now more than 230 horseshoe decorated the Oakham castle.

Rutland is also the home of the band "The Rutles", a parody band of the Beatles, and I must say the song "Living in Hope" is not bad, actually.

For cooking, I tried to find some dishes typical of Rutland, but except Rutland Red and Rutland ale, I couldn’t find anything. But this gave me the opportunity to cook two typical English meals, that I always wanted to make: British pie and Tea time snacks!

• British meat and ale pie

https://preview.redd.it/que3n157n3xd1.jpg?width=6936&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=189c88bd4ce6d96308309238bbc3b88077dc2068

• Tea time snacks

https://preview.redd.it/6kiigid8n3xd1.jpg?width=6936&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b04bd40722e77acf3613e64ea1c3b119e978180

In France, we have quiche, which is kind of a pie, but I could just imagine how tasty this must be with meat inside. I never tasted a British pie, so I don't know if I have done it correctly, but man...it is extremely delicious.

The Tea time snacks are a little bit cliché, but I never had a proper one, and it always looks so good on TV. So here we go with cucumber sandwiches, salmon wrap rolls, scones with cream and jam, muffins and berries with cream.

All right! That's it for the first week. For the second week, I will choose another county to explore. If you have any recommendations about one, please tell me in the comments!

Have a nice weekend!

*Some country like North Korea, Israel and others, I will sadly not do. Or perhaps later, we will see...

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Hi, I'm a first time buyer who very much wants to live in Rutland but is struggling with the price of housing.

I always seen properties in Barleythorpe, does anyone live there or have any experience of it? Do you feel like you're IN Rutland still or is it quite stuck out on the edge of Oakham? The properties that come up are often new builds, which is something I desperately want to avoid lol, but I'm aware there's been quite a lot of new houses built over there in recent years.

Alternatively, anyone got any hints of nice places to live around Rutland at all without breaking the bank? (Difficult question I know in todays financial climate)... I have friends in Ketton which I really love and I also like Uppingham and Exton. Thanks so much for any insight!

Looking at both areas as future potential homes.

What are the communities like? Are there clubs for over 60’s?

What areas are the best or to avoid?

I’m 28 and I’ve lived in Oakham for 3 years now and I like it here but I’m living here mostly because I was able to buy here and it’s the nicest “affordable” place in the area.

Be great to get this Sub going a little more!

So what's happening in the near future in your corner of Rutland?

hi

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Every Wednesday here on r/Ribblevalley and r/ForestofBowland we look at some of the other small regional subreddits around the British isles, with the idea of compiling an A to Z, this week we’ve chosen r/Rutland, the sub for the English county of Rutland.

Rutland

Rutland’s motto is Multum in parvo, ‘Much in little’, and this sums up this pretty english county perfectly, as, at only 147.4 square miles in size it the smallest county in England, and nearly 5 of these are taken up by Rutland water, a reservoir which sits in the centre of the county, constructed in the early 70s and under whose waters lie the village of Nether Hambleton.

The county takes its name from the original inhabitants of the area, an old English tribe called the ‘Rota’ and has many villages and small towns which have kept hold of their medieval heritage. The two largest towns are Uppingham and Oakham and many of the buildings are built from a type of Limestone called Ketton stone which gives the buildings an attractive and unique honey coloured hue.

In the town of Oakham sits Oakham castle which is one of the most complete Norman halls in the country and is famous for its display of over 230 ancient and ornate horseshoes, these have been collected from occasions when a peer of the realm has visited Oakham when it is tradition to present them with a horseshoe to carry, the horseshoe is also the emblem of Rutland.

Newquay

For Q we cheated a bit (again!) and chose r/Newquay. Newquay, Tewynblustri in the ancient Cornish language of Kernowek, is a seaside town of some 20,000 people situated on the northern shores of the Cornish peninsula, it is famous for its beaches and surfing, with the swell of the Atlantic Ocean bringing in some of the biggest rollers to be found anywhere in the British isles.

The town has been settled since at least the 3rd century and archaeological remains from the Bronze, Iron and Dark Ages have been found here, with the natural harbour formed by Trevelgue headland, which gives excellent shelter for the town’s fishing fleet, and nearby iron deposits, both attracting people to the area. In the 17th century a ‘new quay’ was built which gives the town its modern name, and in 1876 the first passenger train rolled into town, bringing the first of many millions of tourists who have visited the town over the years.

Nowadays, as well as being hugely popular with tourists, the town is undergoing a bit of a renaissance due to investment in a business park dedicated to the aerospace industry, called ‘aerohub’, there are even plans to have a spaceport based there from which Virgin Orbit would launch spacecraft!

Newquay is also famous for generating a higher than average quota of notable and famous people for its size, one of our most influential and talented musicians, Richard David James, creator of Aphex Twin, lives there, oh and Phillip Schofield went to school there too…

Peterborough

For P we chose r/Peterborough, which is a cathedral city with a long and fascinating history situated 76 miles north of London on the River Nene, it is known for its 12th century Cathedral which was built on the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery, called Medeshamstede, which was the original name of the city.

The area has always been an important settlement for different civilisations due to its proximity to the highly productive agricultural land of the fens, with the remains of a bronze-age settlement still being evident at Flag Fen archaeological park in the city centre, and the remains of a Roman garrison 5 miles to the west where half a legion (3000) soldiers were stationed.

Around 1070 Hereward the Wake, an Anglo-Saxon warlord, infamously rampaged through the city with his troops in their resistance against the invading Normans. More recently Peterborough found itself on the frontline between the Royalists and Parliamentarians in the English Civil war, with Parliamentarian troops ransacking the cathedral.

Nowadays the city relies upon the service industry as a main source of employment and is growing massively with recent investment by the government, coupled with the fact that it is one of the most affordable places to live in the U.K., both meaning that it’s population is booming at the moment.

Orkney

The week before we found ourselves in the Orcadian archipelago for r/Orkney

The Orkney islands are a scattered group of low lying islands situated in the scintillating waters which separate the North Sea from the Norwegian Sea, and owe their low lying nature, there are no mountains here and the tallest peak, Ward Hill, is only 1,560ft high, to the scouring pressure of the Norwegian ice sheets which held this part of the world under their icy grasp over 10,000 years ago in the last great ice age.

There is famously a lack of trees on these islands too, although there is plenty of life, with the air and seas of the archipelago being full of the flashings of fish, cries of seabirds and, if you are lucky, you may sight a cetacean, as many species of marine mammals are found here as well. There are plenty of prehistoric sites here, the best known being Skara brae, one of the world’s most complete Neolithic settlements, and occupied from about 3180 BC to about 2500 BC, which makes it older than Stonehenge and the Great pyramids of Giza.

Newry

We nipped over to Northern Ireland for the previous week’s Small Regional Subreddit which was r/Newry the sub for the city of Newry. Long established as a major commercial port, Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian abbey and is one of Ireland’s oldest towns but is also Northern Ireland’s newest city, and sits at the base of the majestic Mourne mountains, a range of Basalt and Granite over which presides 2,790ft tall Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland’s tallest mountain.

The city is now enormously popular for shopping and retail, with two main shopping centres; The Quays, and the Buttercrane Centre both attracting people all over the island, especially from the republic when exchange rates are favourable, although this infamously creates enormous traffic and parking problems in the area.

Medway

We meandered back to the shores of the Thames for the week before’s Small Regional Sub of the Day, which was r/Medway, the sub for the district of Medway in the county of Kent, named after the river Medway which flows through it on its way to the Thames and situated 30 miles east of London. Home to many sites of natural and historical interest the area was important as a way point on Watling St, the main Roman road which connected the south of England to the North, and the Pilgrim’s way, which winds its way from Winchester to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury.

Lake District

The previous week’s Small Regional Sub of the Day was r/LakeDistrict, a subreddit for the National park situated in the far Northwest of England. Established on the 9th of May 1951, the Lake District National Park measure 912 square miles and actually only has one lake; Bassenthwaite, as all the other bodies of water are known as meres or waters, it is home to England’s tallest mountain; Scafell at 3,209 ft tall, and has 3 other mountains that are over 3000ft tall.

Kingston upon Thames

For K was r/Kingstonuponthames, the sub for the market town of Kingston in the royal borough of Kingston upon Thames. Originally called Cyninges tun and the site of the coronation for several Saxon kings including Æthelred the Unready, who was crowned in AD 978.

Jersey

We revisited the Channel islands for the week before’s Small Regional Sub of the day which was r/Jersey, the subreddit for the beautiful Bailiwick of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, only 14 miles from France with its own unique language (Jèrriais) and culture, also home to a very pretty breed of dairy cow!

Skye

The week before that we found ourselves at the opposite end of the country for r/Skye(I know it’s not technically ‘I’ as it should be!) the subreddit for the Scottish island of Skye, the largest, and many would say the most stunningly scenic, of the Inner Hebridean islands.

Hereford

Before that was r/Hereford, a sub for the historic cathedral city of Hereford in Herefordshire, home to the Mappa Mundi, one of the oldest surviving medieval maps of the world.

Guernsey

For G was r/Guernsey the subreddit for the picturesque island of Guernsey, the second largest of the Channel Islands.

Fairhaven

Previously was r/Fairhaven, the sub for Fairhaven, an area of Lytham St Anne’s which is a resort town on the Fylde coast in Lancashire.

Ealing

Representing E was r/Ealing, the subreddit for the 4th most populous borough in London, home to the Ladykillers and the Lavender Hill Mob too!

Dunfermline

D was r/Dunfermline, the subreddit for the ancient Scottish burgh of Dunfermline in Fife, once considered the capital of Scotland!

Chichester

Under C came r/Chichester, for the cathedral city of Chichester in West Sussex.

Beaumaris and Anglesey

Before that r/Beaumaris, for the beautiful town of Beaumaris on the equally pretty Welsh island of r/Anglesey,

This is a running feature so the next one will be S, do you know of any small regional subreddits that begin with S?

I hope this is allowed here, I’d love to ask a huge favor from across the pond. I’m in the US and a great friend, who lived in Rutland in the late 80’s has been craving some of the “great ale we had on draft” when he was there. He’s introduced me the Premier League football recently, including buying me my first scarf and kit and I want to return the favor. Rutland County ale isn’t sold in our area so I was hoping I could send someone here some money and they could send me some ale in return. Any help? Thanks in advance.

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