Advice about Rutland

[WalnutStreet]

Hi there

We are considering a move to Rutland and I wondered if anyone lives there and can let me know what it is like? We would like to move somewhere rural, but not completely isolated, and somewhere with good schooling for our 3 year old that is safe and family-friendly. We think Rutland fits the bill from the research we have done. We think a village or small town like Uppingham might suit us.

Any gems of wisdom appreciated please and thanks!

The local council is really good with information. Was surprised when looking at rutland that not every village has a school and some kids need to travel to get to their local school. sometimes a bit away from their village. I would looking into this. Also medical situation in that if you need peadiatric care then it is a trip to either peterborough or li...(leciester or lincoln but cant recall which).

Thanks for this info DancingIceDragons, that is something well worth knowing about. I knew the schools were a little few and far between, but the dr thing I hadn't thought of.

Uppingham seems very nice.We live fairly near but only been a couple of times.It is quite near Corby which isn't so nice because of the steelworks history.

I would personally go for a small town in a rural area rather than a village unless the village was one next to Uppingham or Oakham so close to things.As children get older it is good to have friends nearby.

Have you also thought about Oundle or Stamford which are in this area but not Rutland.Oundle has very good state schools as well as the well known public school like Uppingham. Both are lovely and surrounded by rural areas and a bit nearer to road and train links to Cambridge and London.

Hopefully someone will be around who knows Rutland a bit better.

I think that some of the villages can be very isolating - a good friend comes from a Rutland village, and says that what gets her when she goes back is the poverty of aspiration among a lot of the young people in the more rural areas, including her classmates at school. She said that among her primary class, she was pretty much the only one who went on to higher education, and that most of the girls had children very young and were finding it difficult to find work.

Oundle has fabulous farmers market - veg at fraction of price of where i live atm, hog roasts sometimes, ostrich burgers yum.

Stamford has a good reputation for schools and there are lots of little villages around it that feed into the stamford schools.

However I do second the opinion that small towns rather then small villages are best for when kids get a little bigger.

Thank you everyone. Isolated villages sounds like something to look out for. I stay at home with my little girl so don't fancy being isolated much of the time. Perhaps Uppingham or Oakham, one of the towns nearby, would be a better bet, to get the best of both worlds.

The other factor is the closure of the RAF base, which may be handed back to the Army, but not for a few years. This will depress the local economy, and house prices - could be a good or bad thing, depending on when you are going to sell/buy. Stamford is lovely (although officially in Lincolnshire rather than Rutland - but only just!) I have visited Oakham and it seemed quite nice - although a bit more run down than Stamford. Basically transport links not as good as Stamford etc so difficulty in growing businesses. Depends on what you and your DH do, as well.

Oh, and closure of RAF base may impact on schools/services in the area. Some schools being closed whilst other filled up etc.

Walnut Street.. I grew up in Rutland, I'll be happy to try and answer any specifics.

As you may already know Rutland is the smallest county in England so you are not talking about a lot of towns to choose from.

What are your expectations/desires? Where are you moving from (large city/ other rural area)?

Both Oakham and Uppingham are quite attractive towns, though both have better/worse areas.

Although technically out-of-area I would also consider Stamford.

Most of the numerous villages are pretty nice.. just have a drive around one day. None are 'bad' from memory.

There used to be a free school bus for all of the villages.. I presume that is still running.

As I said, I'll be happy to help with any specifics you might have.

Wetandwindy I would be interested to know why you would think that Corby is not so nice because of the steelworks history?

Do you live there?

Everywhere has a history why would the steelworks history make a difference?

Not because of the steelworks itself but the associated history of negligence in the cleanup.

I come from an industrial town originally (not Corby) and have no axe to grind.I don't think having Corby as the nearest big town fits the rural criteria of the op.

And to make matters worse, Corby and the area around are marketing themselves asNorth Londonshire.
On the other hand, Oakham is a lovely little town and in Rutland (Multum in Parvo) rather than Northamptonshire/North Londonshire

That makes more sense, i was thinking more about the whole history of the steelworks going way back and couldn't get my head round why this would make a difference to the town in general. {Thick emoticon}

I agree it's not rural although there are some nice villages nearby. If that Helps!!

As for the North Londonshire thing, i've never heard of this and it's ridiculous.

I cant see the locals referring thier towns as such. It will always be Northamptonshire as far as i am concerned.

Have vistited the Rutland area many times, including Oakham and Uppingham and it is a really nice area but don't know enough to advise on living there.

Thanks everyone.

Libspero, I messaged you with some specifics which I hope is ok with you. I really appreciate the offer of advice.

:-)

Thanks Herbietea, I just messaged you :)