Lincolnshire Wolds

Flite · Post by **Flite** » 30 Dec 2015, 2:52pm

I'm considering a week in the Lincolnshire Wolds this year with my husband who is not quite as keen on cycling as I am.
We live in a very hilly part of the N Pennines, so want to holiday somewhere easier - not too many long hills, network of quiet rolling roads, hedges for wind protection, pretty villages, tea rooms - you get the idea. We would hire a cottage, and we tend to bike in the mornings, do tourist things in the afternoons. I'm originally from Northants, and we have had a couple of enjoyable holidays there, also the Yorks Wolds were great. But I fancy a change of area, and the idea of the Wolds and the seaside appeals. So does anyone have any insider knowledge about Lincolnshire?

Paulatic · Post by **Paulatic** » 30 Dec 2015, 3:07pm

Norfolk is just down the road [emoji1]

keyboardmonkey · Post by **keyboardmonkey** » 30 Dec 2015, 4:46pm

Flite wrote:I'm considering a week in the Lincolnshire Wolds this year ...

Crikey, you're leaving it a bit late!

Sadly, some of the best cafés in and around the Lincolnshire Wolds have closed in recent times:

http://eastyorkshirectc.org.uk/cafe-clo ... hire-wolds

However, there are some remaining, and pubs are mostly welcoming.

Caistor (see post above and link to excellent café), Ludford, Horncastle and Louth are all worth a visit along with many more.

If you let me know where you will be based, how far you want to ride, how many stops you want to make etc., I can put some suggestions together if you want. Do you have a GPS device?

Some more stuff here:

http://cycleseven.org/a-bike-ride-in-the-other-wolds

That café at the Humber Bridge has since closed down, too :sad:

Hobbs1951 · Post by **Hobbs1951** » 31 Dec 2015, 6:00am

Flite wrote:I'm considering a week in the Lincolnshire Wolds

Deleted post.

Jon.

hubgearfreak · Post by **hubgearfreak** » 31 Dec 2015, 4:52pm

http://lincolnshirewoldsrailway.co.uk/ has a nice cafe if you visit when it's open.

Flite · Post by **Flite** » 3 Jan 2016, 4:45pm

Many thanks for the replies - yes my brain was firmly into 2016 a bit early!

Well, Lincs Wolds looks the sort of place that would suit us.

Hubgearfreak - thanks for the link to the Wolds Railway. I had already found a railway heritage museum (and Café) at Bardney, so as hubby is a volunteer on our local heritage railway that's two locations to take him to

Keyboardmonkey - thanks for the link to the cycleseven site and offer to help with routes. I don't have GPS, I'm still in a world of paper maps and signposts. I'll set about getting some accommodation sorted, at present I'm thinking Louth looks fairly central, so I'll start looking there and work outwards.
It's also going to be worth looking at the CTC sites for Lincs and E Yorks.
Paulatic - I rode from Northants to Gt Yarmouth when I was about 14 - dead straight flat roads into a vicious east wind for hours. To compensate, that holiday was the first time I ate a fresh peach after being used to the slimy tinned ones (yes it was a very long time ago........) Think I'll stick to Lincolnshire!

pete75 · Post by **pete75** » 3 Jan 2016, 5:49pm

It's an excellent area to tour in. Towns like Louth and Horncastle are unspoilt and independent shops vastly outnumber the chains. Most of the A roads are relatively traffic free and there's a whole network of minor roads like the Bluestone Heath rd. with little traffic and a feeling of remoteness from modern urban Britain.
Be prepared for a bit of climbing because almost every river and stream cuts itself quite a steep sided valley. No long climbs but a lot of up and down in places.

Dudley Manlove · Post by **Dudley Manlove** » 13 Jan 2016, 12:57pm

As someone who was localish (and took it for granted) and only cycled thru a couple of times since, I'm not gonna be massive help, but random thoughts:

- there's plenty of climbs but they're often quite short and sharp.
- the tearoom crowds that busies parts of the Dales etc, are completely absent. I don't recall seeing tourists of any stripe much there.
- the B1225 from Horncastle to Caistor takes a fairly flat route over the tops, if you want a change from sharp climbs. It's not that busy, but will depend on the time.
- the Viking Way walking route crosses the Wolds if you fancy a change from the bike.
- as said above, Louth has plenty of independent shops and is good for provisions.
- the area roughtly between the Wolds in the East and the A15 in the West, Brigg in the North and Lincoln in the South, is much flatter if you fancy a change. Plenty of nice little villages and pubs down there too.

I think you'll get what you want out of the place!

Ben@Forest · Post by **Ben@Forest** » 13 Jan 2016, 1:26pm

It's a bit left-field but there are a small number of limewoods in Lincolnshire (that's linden lime not citrus lime). They could be worth a visit. Small leafed lime in its natural habitat is fantastic.

The reason I suggest it is that I did a three-day cycle tour in the Wolds about ten years ago. It was pleasant enough but I cannot for the life of me think of a single memorable thing/sight/event - needless to say I didn't go to the limewoods but have seen good examples elsewhere in the country.

foxyrider · Post by **foxyrider** » 13 Jan 2016, 3:48pm

between Lincoln and Horncastle you have the Witham 'valley' with several ruined monastries you can visit - details on the Lincolnshire CC tourism site

Hobbs1951 · Post by **Hobbs1951** » 15 Jan 2016, 10:59am

The Lincolnshire Wolds is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOB), and Louth is the capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds. Louth is a Georgian market town (a favourite of John's Betjeman and Piper) and is a previous winner of Countryfile's favourite market town.

As for interest, it depends on your interests? Architecture (St James's Louth has the finest late Gothic steeple in the country, and the county has some of the finest unspoilt churches in the UK - Pevsner). Aviation (pretty much began in Lincolnshire), wildlife (flora and fauna), many nature reserves. Famous people ? Alfred Lord Tennyson (famous Victorian Poet Laureate), Isaac Newton (gravity man). The explorers: Matthew Flinders (he named Australia), Sir John Franklin (North West Passage) and George Bass (the Bass Straight). King Henry IV (visit Bolingbroke Castle, the son of John of Gaunt, Henry was born there in 1399), Joseph Banks of Revesby Abbey, he was Captain Cook's botanist and founder of Kew Gardens...Thomas Paine (author of the Rights of Man), Sir Henry Vane...the list goes on...if you're curious Google these people.

Countryside, well again there's much of interest given the AONB status, highest point in the Wolds? Wolds Top is 551 feet above sea level, might not sound much but you'll start at sea level and climb quickly...I'd prefer to keep the treasures of the Wolds a secret...places to eat, many, and many are not in the obvious places!

If you want chain stores and don't like high quality individual shops (for food especially) then Louth and the Wolds isn't for you.

If more information is required ask a specific question, I'll try and help - private message if you prefer.

Jon.

Mistik-ka · Post by **Mistik-ka** » 15 Jan 2016, 8:22pm

Jon, you're a terrible man! You've just made us scrap the plans for our next English trip and start over with a view to including the Lincolnshire Wolds. :roll:

Hobbs1951 · Post by **Hobbs1951** » 16 Jan 2016, 12:23pm

Mistik-ka wrote:Jon, you're a terrible man! You've just made us scrap the plans for our next English trip and start over with a view to including the Lincolnshire Wolds.

Happy to help, interested you're from Saskatoon, a relative was in the Saskatoon Rifles in WW2, and have relatives in Moosejaw!

Jon.

mjr · Post by **mjr** » 17 Jan 2016, 10:53am

Flite wrote:Paulatic - I rode from Northants to Gt Yarmouth when I was about 14 - dead straight flat roads into a vicious east wind for hours.

You don't HAVE to ride the Acle Straight! Norfolk has plenty of more interesting roads... and Lincolnshire has plenty of comparable flat arrow straights.

PH · Post by PH » 17 Jan 2016, 2:04pm

Interesting thread, I've only passed through the area a few times on other rides, a few Audax, an E2W and returning from the East coast. It's not somewhere I'd thought to spend more time but this thread has made me reconsider... I think it's often the case that we miss what's relatively on our doorsteps.

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