March, in like a lion and out like a lamb...

or a calf, or lots of calves. A look behind the wall at The Hay Barn, with a little film and things to do in Rutland for March and April.

A look behind the wall at our new cottage.

It is fair to say the weather has been against us, and despite our best hopes, a spring opening is not going to happen, but this little film will give you a feel of progress so far and what you can expect. We need a conversation about the blockwork, it is going to be rendered, but in the meantime, please use your **BEST** imagination, because it isn’t pretty.

More videos to come, I am still getting my head round the capability of Substack! The widows on the field side will be full length , because of the wind they are currently half height, and they will be chopped out.

We are still awaiting planning permission for the raised garden area (long story), the fall of the site is 1m in 6 meters so we can’t actually put the garden anywhere else and meet the accessibility rules. Finished floor level is at the height of the block in the front doorway so we will be building up the outside ground to allow for flat parking and entirely level access from the driveway. We are absolutely committed to all of our guests having a garden they can access whether you walk, shuffle or wheel your way in to it!

Things to do

Rutland is coming alive with bulbs, and there is lots to do in March and April;

Gunthorpe Hall Gardens (Open Sunday 17 March)

If you love gardens the NGS allows you to get in to some spectacular private gardens and the hidden bits of some which are open such as the private gardens at Burghley house which I highly recommend. If you have small people with you, they are often fascinated by the robotic lawnmowers there. Click here to find out more

If you love heritage and have children under 14 with you Sacrewell is well worth a visit, they have the most remarkable restored watermill which goes back to the doomsday book. They also have a huge play barn, outdoor / water play and some lovely easter events for families. For grown ups looking for an experience they also offer blacksmithing workshops and willow weaving workshops.

Water play area at Sacrewell - its fun for grown ups too!

Lunch for less

Rutland has more than a handful of spectacular places to eat, and they are phenomenal value through the winter on the Lunch for Even Less 2024 offer you can check out a list on the Discover Rutland Website, within walking distance of Castle Chase is The Lake Isle, which is my favourite place to eat in Uppingham. Unfortunately it is not terribly accessible as full of steps due to being an old building. The most accessible place for wheelchairs on the list that I have checked out personally is Hambleton Hall, which is a real treat with a Michelin Star the food and setting are both stunning. If I am getting in a car for top end pub food The Wheatsheaf at Greetham is fantastic, and for modern British restaurant food, I love Hitchens Barn which is a treasure of a place, but tables need to be booked well in advance for weekends, its not unknown to wait 8 weeks for a table, especially a national newspaper has shared our best kept secret!

On the farm

Its still too wet for field work so not a wheel has turned on the land since the last newsletter! (we are starting to get grumpy!)

However we have welcomed about 30 calves with 4 sets of twins to the world since we last spoke, this is an unusual amount of twins, ideally we like one calf per cow so the calves have plenty of milk. Our friend Sheena has come down from Scotland to lend a hand for 3 weeks, which we are hugely grateful for. She is also a social media whizz and takes great photos - you can follow her here

Credit to Sheena for the photos above and below.

I’m not convinced this little one likes silage, but cattle are always curious!

If you enjoy this update please do pass it on to your friends, everyone is welcome at our Kitchen Table.