Lincolnshire (The Wolds, wild beaches and a hilly city)
Lincolnshire is a fairly rural county in the East Midlands, with an ancient history city, pretty villages and a beautiful coastline that faces the cold North Sea.
Always follow the Countryside Code to keep all creatures safe. Keep dogs away from steep banks, mushrooms (and toxic plants/trees) and on leads near birds, barnyard friends and wild ponies.
If at the coast, keep away from nesting birds and never walk on sand dunes. Learn how to keep dogs safe by the seaside (check beach bans before travel).
Join the campaign to ban flying rings, to help local seals.
The Wolds (low hills on the North Sea coast)
The Wolds run 216 miles. Here you’ll find walking routes, with flourishing wildlife amid ancient woodlands and hedgerows, with buzzard and red kites soaring overhead.
The Viking Way runs for 147 miles, with some of its best parts winding through this area. You’ll pass old hedgerows, and winding streams. Villages like Tealby and Binbrook invite lazy afternoons with stunning views.
Hidden in quiet Fenland, Heckington is the only eight-sailed windmill left in England. Restored by local enthusiasts, the mill acts as a living museum.
Known as having the highest concentration of deserted medieval villages in England, the chalk streams are home to endangered water voles (and otters) and is a prime habitat for ground-nesting birds.
In spring, the landscape here turns bright yellow to rapeseed flowers, which of course are made into cooking oil (more local than olive oil, and makes for great roast potatoes, no goose fat required).
One person born in the Wolds was poet Lord Alfred Tennyson. Even if you’re not familiar with the verse of this bard, you’ll know his phrase ’tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all’.
Born in 1809, he wrote a 6000 line epic poem when he was just 12 years old, and wrote ever since after that. The favourite poet of Queen Victoria, he was not rich, having lost his savings in a wood-carving business that went bankrupt.
The wild beauty of Lincolnshire’s beaches
Cleethorpes, Ava Lily
Lincolnshire has great natural beauty, although a few of the main resorts (like Skegness) could do with a spruce-up. But the natural scenery is ideal for birds and wildlife, with skies that go on for miles.
Perfect for quiet strolls and seaside holidays, these are the nearest beach resorts for people living in Derbyshire and Leicestershire (counties furthest from the sea).
Skegness (the main holiday resort)
This small town became a major holiday resort, when railways arrived in 1873. It also became the location of the first Butlins holiday camp in the 30s, followed by Bognor and Minehead.
It’s no wonder it’s still popular today (as long as you bring your own towels and have no housekeeping, you get a bargain holiday for a family, with a nice beach nearby, and a pool if it’s raining).
Today it’s got the sad title of ‘England’s most littered beach’, followed by Margate (Kent) and Formby (Merseyside).
The local RNLI has begged people not to throw litter on the sand dunes. Not only is it bad for the planet, but poses a threat to lifeguards, who keep tourists safe. Some had even been treated from cuts and burns, due to standing on disposable barbecues (banned by most councils).
Things may be going too far in other areas. Recently, an 86-year old man was fined £260 (later reduced to £150) by the police, after spitting out a leaf that blew into his mouth!
Cleethorpes (on the Humber Estuary)
This has one of the widest beaches at low tide in England, and lies directly on the Greenwich Meridian Line. It’s not technically even on the sea, and is one of the driest areas in England, with low rainfall rates.
Mablethorpe (a slow eroding coast)
At very low tide, you can see the remnants of an ancient mixed forest on the beaches here (and nearby Sutton-on-Sea). This is because the North Sea used to be dry land. So as water levels rose, the trees died and fell into jumble of stumps and trunks, which where buried and preserved by peat.
Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve
This is a long strip of saltmarsh near Skegness, with sand dunes and lagoons (havens for native birds). You can also avocets (with upturned beaks, these are the RSPB national symbol bird), grey seals and night owls.
Donna Nook (wildlife and wide horizons)
This area with rough grasses and a wide shoreline is home to many grey seals, which should be left alone in peace.
The Historic City of Lincoln (very hilly!)
The main city of Lincoln has ancient roots, but due to no motorways, you’ll find more local food than most places. You may have to go up Steep Hill to find them! For over 200 years, Lincoln Cathedral was the world’s tallest building, its carved stonework and stained glass dating back to 1072.
Steep Hill is tough on the legs!
Steep Hill is one of the best-known streets in Lincoln, and for good reason. It is steep, properly steep, and there’s no point pretending otherwise. But that effort is part of the experience, almost like a small price paid for the city’s best atmosphere.
As you go, there are plenty of reasons to stop. Independent shops break up the climb. So do cafés, old windows, stone passages, and the simple need to catch your breath. Happily, Lincoln gives you permission to move slowly.
A serious health scare in 1905
In 1905, Lincoln faced a serious health crisis, when a typhoid outbreak swept through the city. The cause was traced to polluted water, which had become contaminated by sewage. Hundreds of people fell ill, a timely reminder of why we need better sewage treatment, even today.
Boston (USA) is named after the market town
The town of Boston is where pilgrims came from when landing in Massachusetts (hence why there is a US city of the same name). Also here is Louth is ‘Lincolnshire’s favourite market town) where Georgian houses frame narrow streets, and the tall spire of St James’ Church stands out for miles.
Well-known people from Lincoln
Lincoln and the surrounding area must be a creative place, as there are many people who hail from these parts:
- Actor Jim Broadbent
- Actress Patricia Hodge (such fun!)
- Actress Joan Plowright
- Actress Sheridan Smith
- Poet Alfred Lord Tennyson
