Discover Rutland has worked with other tourism bodies to create and promote a major national project known as The Explorer's Road.

Funded by the Discover England Fund, the initiative highlights quintessentially English cultural and historic attractions on a touring route, using the A1 as an artery to explore destinations between London and Berwick.

Its aim is to stimulate visitor interest in some of the country's lesser known market towns.

The project has also partnered with the UK's mainline East Coast railway London North Eastern Railway (LNER) to incentivise those who travel by train, as well as car.

The target market in 2021 is the domestic visitor, encouraging people to engage with local people and places, and enjoy all that the east side of England has to offer along this route.

The initiative rebranded since the Covid pandemic as a domestic focussed website and marketing campaign, which launched this month, and will reengage with the international visitor market, including Europe and North America, as worldwide Covid guidelines change.

Chair of Discover Rutland, Jason Allen, said : "It's great to see the interest in this route grow. Rutland has a special affection towards the project as the concept was originally created by us, in an effort to tempt international visitors out of London to explore traditional rural England, which we feel Rutland epitomises."

"The Explorer's Road encourages travellers to turn off the main Great North Road and discover the wealth of amazing local places to visit, offering truly unique experiences and some of England's best kept secrets."

Discover Rutland has ensured both Oakham and Uppingham are highlighted on the route, with numerous businesses from the county listed on the Explorers Road website including Oakham Castle, Barnsdale Gardens, The Olive Branch in Clipsham, The Blue Ball in Braunston, The Kings Arms in Wing, The Falcon Hotel in Uppingham and Hambleton Hall.

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: "The Discover England Fund will help to keep England's tourism products and experiences front-of-mind for domestic and international travellers and support local businesses which have been working so hard to welcome visitors back safely, adapting and innovating to meet new ways of working and still providing a great visitor experience."

The 300 mile route includes: Berwick, Newcastle, Durham, Alnwick, Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle, Darlington, Richmond, York, Leeds, Selby, Lincoln, Southwell, Newark, Grantham, Oakham, Stamford, Uppingham, Hitchin & Hertford.

Plan your journey at www.explorersroad.com