LITTLE acorns
The temptation when travelling is to be ambitious and make the most of your vacation time. Aim too high, however, and you can barely scratch the surface of a place. The best advice is often to think small – and no county in England is more compact than Rutland, which at just 17 miles wide is the ideal size for a satisfying week’s holiday. Not only that, but its unique history offers both breadth and depth, showcasing the best of Britain in the most palatable of packages. A visit to Rutland, just two hours north of London in England’s East Midlands, allows for big ambitions to be met in a small space of time.
Rutland’s history began in earnest in the year 1002 AD, when it was granted to Emma of Normandy, mother of Edward the Confessor. He in turn gifted the land to his wife, Queen Edith, in 1053, an act that is still, a smug survey of William the Conqueror’s newly-won lands and subjects undertaken in 1086, refers to the area variously as “the King’s soc of Roteland”, “Rutland”, and “wapentake of Wicelsea” [sic]. It was from this point forward that the county’s name began to stick, and new traditions, alongside the new bloodline, were introduced.
