Why Oakham?

Oakham is the county town of Rutland, England’s smallest county and blends classic market‑town character with everyday practicality. It sits 25 miles east of Leicester, 28 miles south‑east of Nottingham and 23 miles north‑west of Peterborough, placing it within an easy orbit of three regional hubs while keeping a distinctly rural, low‑stress feel. The 2021 census puts Oakham’s population a little over 12,000, big enough for choice, small enough to know your neighbours.

For many movers, Oakham’s appeal is a trifecta: strong schooling, good train links for cross‑Midlands commutes, and immediate access to Rutland Water for cycling, sailing, running and wildlife, plus a calendar of town and county events that actually gets used.

Property market at a glance

Sold‑price evidence over the last year points to an overall Oakham average around £318,000, with detached homes averaging ~£453,000, semis ~£262,000 and terraces ~£252,000. Rightmove’s sold‑price series also notes the last 12 months are ~7% down on the previous year, yet still ~11% up on the 2021 peak, a familiar pattern in well‑connected market towns.

What that means for buyers:

  • First‑time buyers often target the town‑centre terraces and smaller semis for walkability and manageable footprints. £240k–£275k is a common band here, depending on condition and street.
  • Second‑steppers & families look to 3–4 bed semis/detached in the post‑war suburbs and newer estates (driveways, gardens, predictable layouts), accepting a premium for newer stock.
  • Downsizers gravitate to period streets near the market, Oakham Castle, and Cutts Close park for easy daily routines.

Tip: If you’re comparing portals and dashboards, expect different methodologies. Use sold‑price sources (e.g., Land Registry‑fed pages on the portals) as the anchor and then sense‑check with agents’ appraisals street‑by‑street.

Neighbourhoods & nearby villages (where to focus your search)

  • Town Centre & Market Square – Period terraces and cottages a short stroll from cafés, the Wednesday & Saturday markets, and the Buttercross. Great if you want to park the car and live locally.
  • Barleythorpe / North‑west Oakham – A wave of more recent development (and ALDI on Hackamore Way) with family‑friendly plots and easy access to the A606/Burley Park Way ring.
  • South & West Oakham – Established streets of semis/detached homes with gardens; handy for Catmose campus facilities, Rutland County Museum, and routes to Rutland Water.
  • Villages – Langham, Braunston‑in‑Rutland, Egleton and Exton are popular for rural calm within a 5–10 minute drive, but you’ll still use Oakham for shopping and rail.

Schools & education (a key reason families move)

The flagship state secondary is Catmose College, judged “Outstanding” (March 2024) across all areas by Ofsted. On the same campus you’ll find Harington School (academic sixth form) and nearby Catmose Primary, a cluster that makes the south‑west side of town particularly attractive to families. For independent education, Oakham School has national pull and a strong local footprint. (Always check catchment and admissions timing.)

Commuting & connectivity

By rail: Oakham sits on the Birmingham–Leicester–Peterborough–Cambridge–Stansted CrossCountry corridor with hourly services in both directions, making it unusually well‑served for a town its size. Trains run west to Leicester & Birmingham New Street and east to Peterborough, Cambridge & Stansted Airport. Journey frequency is roughly hourly most days, check timetables for exact slots.

By road: Distances to regional centres are modest (Leicester ~25 miles; Nottingham ~28; Peterborough ~23). The A606/A47 link you to the A1 and East Midlands road network.

Day‑to‑day: Within Oakham, the compact centre means errands on foot are realistic. Tesco Superstore (South Street) anchors big‑shop staples, with ALDI (Barleythorpe) close to new housing. For premium groceries, Waitrose is in Stamford (20–25 minutes by road).

Lifestyle: Rutland Water, castle lawns and market‑town routines

You’ll struggle to find a town with a more impressive “back garden.” Rutland Water covers 4,200 acres, with walking and cycling around large sections of the reservoir, cycle hire, watersports, family areas and two major nature reserve visitor centres—Egleton (year‑round) and Lyndon (April–September), the latter home to the Rutland Osprey Project. It’s a local’s paradise for weekend spins, paddle sessions, mini‑golf, and birding.

In town, Oakham Castle—really the superbly preserved Norman Great Hall, houses Rutland’s famous giant horseshoe collection donated by royalty and nobility over centuries (expect to spot one from Edward IV, 1474 among many others). It’s free to enter and doubles as a civic/ceremony venue.

A few minutes’ walk away, the Rutland County Museum introduces the county’s archaeology and rural life collections (including England’s only surviving New Drop gallows), and new for 2025 the museum highlights the “Rutland Sea Dragon” via VR exhibits. Admission is free, with typical opening on Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat 10:00–16:00 (check ahead for changes).

Markets: The town’s open‑air market runs every Wednesday and Saturday around the historic square, and a Farmers’ Market pops up on the third Saturday each month, a handy way to “buy local” and meet producers early after moving.

Community & annual events

  • Rutland County Show (late May/early June) – One of the county’s marquee days out at Rutland Showground in Oakham: livestock classes, rural crafts, food & drink and a full programme. The 2025 show ran Sunday 1 June; check the Showground site for each year’s date.
  • Global Birdfair (mid‑July) – A “festival of nature” that draws exhibitors and visitors from around the world, with talks, optics/photo marquees and shuttle buses from Oakham station. For 2025 the event ran 11–13 July by Rutland Water (Lyndon Top/Rutland Showground footprint).
  • Rutland Food & Drink – Expect a Food & Drink Festival in Oakham town centre (castle, market place, High Street) and a broader county‑wide Food & Drink Week each September, showcasing local producers and venues.
  • Rutland CAMRA Beer Festival (June) – A lively long weekend at the Rutland County Museum, with 40+ beers, ciders, live music and family‑friendly sessions.

These sit alongside smaller fairs, Christmas markets and a steady rhythm of Old Hall / Victoria Hall events and school productions – easy ways to plug into town life.

Everyday amenities (what it’s like to live here)

  • Groceries & shopping: Tesco Superstore covers big weekly shops; ALDI serves the north‑west estates; independents line the High Street. For a Waitrose shop, Stamford is your nearest branch.
  • Healthcare: Rutland Memorial Hospital (Cold Overton Road) provides community hospital services and an urgent care presence supported by University Hospitals of Leicester; Oakham Medical Practice anchors primary care in town.
  • Leisure: Catmose campus offers sport/leisure facilities; Rutland Water covers everything from cycle hire to sailing; Oakham Castle and the Museum add wet‑weather options and visiting‑family staples.

Buying in Oakham: practical pointers

1) Match property to lifestyle
If you want walk‑to‑everything convenience, focus inside the market‑square radius (terraces/cottages; small gardens). If you need driveways and play space, pivot to Barleythorpe/north‑west or the post‑war belts south/west of the centre.

2) Understand heritage settings
Period homes near Oakham Castle, All Saints’ Church and the Buttercross sit in a visually sensitive historic core. Even if your house isn’t listed, planning expectations on materials and fenestration can be higher, build this into budgets and timelines.

3) Commute calculus
If you’re rail‑reliant, orient search areas for walks or short cycles to the station. CrossCountry’s hourly pattern is broadly predictable, but peak‑time specifics matter, rehearse your actual trains. For airports, Stansted is a direct train; East Midlands is easiest by road.

4) School planning
With Catmose College (Outstanding, 2024) driving family demand, align your exchange/completion with admissions cycles. Check primaries’ catchments too; oversubscription pockets appear around the campus.

5) Try before you buy
Do a Saturday reconnaissance: browse the market, wander the castle grounds, and then loop Rutland Water (hire bikes if needed) to test your weekend pattern.

A day‑in‑the‑life sampler for house‑hunters

Morning – Coffee near the Market Place, then a short stroll to Oakham Castle. If the museum is open (Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat), drop in for 30–40 minutes, free admission makes this an easy habit to keep when you live here.

Late morning – Head to Rutland Water (Sykes Lane or Whitwell) for a loop or an out‑and‑back ride; check the Anglian Water pages for parking and hire details. If you’re more into wildlife, aim for Egleton (year‑round) or Lyndon (ospreys, Apr–Sep).

Lunch – Back into town for the market, delis, or a pub around the square. (On a third‑Saturday, the Farmers’ Market is worth a linger.)

Afternoon – If you commute, time a trial run to the station and check how long it really takes from each viewing. Then tour a couple of streets after school turn‑out; traffic patterns are revealing near Catmose.

Evening (summer) – Picnics by the water or events at Rutland Showground or the museum; if it’s July, Global Birdfair adds talks and evening sessions to the mix.

Cost of living & value vs neighbours

While Oakham carries a premium over many Fen‑edge towns, it typically undercuts the very priciest East Midlands hotspots, with the compensation of hourly rail and Rutland Water on your doorstep. Recent sold‑price trends show a town that held most of its pandemic‑era gains and has eased back a touch, creating negotiation room in 2025, especially for homes needing modernisation.

Five quick checks before you offer

  1. Train reality – Confirm your hourly train options homeward as well as outbound; Sunday patterns differ.
  2. Market‑day living – Visit on Wednesday/Saturday to test parking, noise and footfall if you’ll live near the square.
  3. Heritage sensitivity – For homes near Castle/Buttercross/All Saints’, ask your conveyancer about conservation considerations.
  4. Healthcare & GP registration – Note your nearest practice (Oakham Medical Practice) and the role of Rutland Memorial Hospital for community services.
  5. Weekend fit – If outdoors is your why, make sure your preferred side of town makes Rutland Water easy (parking, bike storage, traffic pinch points).

The bottom line

If your brief is great schools, a walkable market town with a proper weekly market, and national‑scale outdoors five minutes away, Oakham is hard to beat. The housing stock spans everything from character terraces by the square to family‑sized moderns in Barleythorpe; trains unlock Leicester, Birmingham, Peterborough and Cambridge; and the event calendar, from Rutland County Show to Global Birdfair, gives the year a shape. For many buyers, it strikes exactly the balance between connected and contained living that a market‑town move is all about.

Useful links

Signature events:Rutland County Show • Global Birdfair