| − | '''Rutland''', occasionally known as '''Rutlandshire''', is a county in south-central England. The county is bound by [[Leicestershire]] to the north and west, [[Lincolnshire]] to the north east, and [[Northamptonshire]] to the south. For the purposes of statistics, the county forms a part of the [[East Midlands]]. Rutland is the smallest county in England, a fact reflected in its motto ''multum in parvo'' (Latin for "much in little"). | + | '''Rutland''', occasionally known as '''Rutlandshire''', is a county in south-central England. The county is bound by [[Leicestershire]] to the north and west, [[Lincolnshire]] to the north east, and [[Northamptonshire]] to the south. For the purposes of statistics, the county forms a part of the [[East Midlands]]. Rutland is the smallest county in England, a fact reflected in its motto ''multum in parvo'' (Latin for "much in little"). The county town is [[Oakham]]. |
| | + | Despite its small size, Rutland is a highly popular county, owing to its handsome towns, characterised by stone-built houses with thatched roofs. Rutland is also home to Rutland Water, a large reservoir (the largest by surface-area in England) built in the 1970s that provides water to much of the East Midlands. The A1 road also passes through Rutland. |
| | + | The A1 road, which links [[London]] and [[Edinburgh]], passes through Rutland; Edinburgh lies roughly 300 miles to the north, with London being just under 100 miles to the south. More intermediate destinations on the road in that area include Peterborough to the south, and Stamford, Grantham, Newark and Doncaster to the north. |