Stockists • Posted by Andy Cross • 27th October 2021
Enjoy fresh filter coffee at the newly renovated Lyndon Visitor Centre at Rutland Water
Rutland Water’s South Shore Visitor Centre gets a new look – and great coffee
Featuring new displays, pretty artwork and all the amenities, Lyndon Visitor Centre is the finishing touch to any Rutland Water trip. The Centre is handily located off Lyndon Road in Manton and has enjoyed a lockdown facelift under Centre Manager Laura Brady. Along with a brand-new layout and wildlife murals by the Leicester-based street art group, Graffwerk, the updated Centre now serves our very own Two Chimps Coffee! Chimps at Rutland Water… who would’ve thought it!
A nature reserve for all the family
Lyndon Nature Reserve is a haven for wildlife lovers, young and old. Bring the family and take a walk through the pretty landscape, savouring the south shore in all its glory. Wildflower meadows are the storybook setting for a leisurely stroll. Common Spotted Orchids line the paths in late spring and early summer, while woodland birds twitter and tweet above your head. Picture-perfect? We think so.
Bird lovers are in for a real treat. Hides are located at the water’s edge to give you a front-row seat of nature’s charm. Study the birds, enjoy their antics or simply take in the beauty of our feathered friends. The hides are a great place to see Rutland Water from a new angle, too.
Home of the iconic Rutland Ospreys
We couldn’t write about Rutland Water and not mention the ospreys, could we? The Waderscrape and Shallow Water hides, both located at Lyndon Nature Reserve, are the best places to catch the ospreys in action. Manton Bay has been home to a nesting pair since 2007, with the current pair calling the waters their home since 2015. Great news, bird watchers – Lyndon Reserve is where you want to be to see their impressive beauty. Whether they are sitting on their eggs or catching fish, there’s something to see all year round! Oh, and listen out for their chirpy call – we think it’s kinda cute!
More adventure (and a sit down) at Lyndon Visitor Centre
Sir David Attenborough cut the ribbon to Lyndon Visitor Centre in 1985. It has gone from strength to strength since then and, following its recent lockdown makeover, now features lots of new attractions. You’ll find interactive displays full of bite-sized chunks of information plus a live-stream webcam of the ospreys. Bright, street-style murals decorate the walls, and the small shop gives visitors the chance to buy quality local produce. And there’s a picnic area, too, for that much-needed sandwich break!
Need a coffee? No problem.
Water-side walks call for refreshments of the finest sort. The speciality coffee sort. Great news, then, that Lyndon Visitor Centre is now serving freshly roasted Two Chimps Coffee! Whoop whoop! Pop along to find fresh, filter coffee plus cold drinks, ice-creams, cakes and other sweet treats. Laura and her team selected our green-labelled option for their coffee-based drinks. Our coffees change from time to time (it’s all down to seasonal sourcing – no conveyor belt coffee here), but our green-labelled coffee will always be a scrummy, all-day drinker. Pull Up a Chair is currently sporting our snazzy green label. Sustainably sourced from the highest coffee-cultivating region in Guatemala, its full-bodied awesomeness will delight your cup with chocolate and toffee flavours. There’s a whisper of orange in there, too – can you taste it?
Birds and a brew
Lyndon Visitor Centre is open to the public from 9 until 5 in the summer months, when the ospreys are nesting, and 10 until 3 from October until March. Pop along, take a peek at the birds and enjoy a high-scoring cup of filter coffee. Im-peck-able!
Enjoyed your coffee and fancy brewing Pull Up a Chair at home? Simply head to our online shop to find our full coffee range!
Meet the chimp behind this article!
Head Chimp founded Two Chimps alongside Laura in 2016 after being self-employed from the age of 21. He caught the coffee bug from using an at-home roaster, and the rest is history!
What Andy does outside of the treehouse:
When the weather’s nice, Andy loves going on bike rides with his trusty sidekick, microchimp Felix (who always leads the way, of course). Andy also enjoys spending time tending to the family’s vegetable garden, and looking after their at-home farmyard, which includes a cat, two guinea pigs, and six chickens!
Andy says…
“I believe every day is a school day, and I’m always looking for opportunities to stick my head in a book and absorb new knowledge. I also love a problem to solve and fix – there’s no such thing as problems, only solutions.”
Sign up to our fortnightly email newsletter and be first to know about new coffees, the latest blogs, brew guides, recipes and news from Two Chimps HQ. Your information is stored securely and never passed to third parties. For more information, see our privacy policy.
