Walking in the Wolds

Decided on getting away for a few days before we jet off on our holidays and head into the Lincolnshire Wolds, being an area we’d been looking at potentially moving out to as you seem to get more for your money in the area and it’s a pretty region.

I’d spotted “Greetham Retreat” a CL about 3 miles from Horncastle and a previous CL of the Year award winner apparently and rightly so, with its well kept pitches and 4 acres of grounds including a lake. Bugger all nearby though, which suited us as we wanted to isolate a little with our impending fit to fly PCR test.

Arrived on the Friday to blue skies and sunshine, once set up and greeted by the friendly site owner we had a wonder for a couple of hours to give pooch a run. Nice walk, lovely scenery and basically nothing here other than small farming hamlet villages. A highlight of the amble was meeting a very Lincolnshire farmer who was delighted to chat with us, and proudly told me he could see Norfolk and toward the power stations in the Trent valley from his farm; beckoning me over to look and validate his claim that his was the only farm with a vista right across the county. To be fair the views were stunning, we ignored his webbed hands, three thumbs and the banjo music coming from the farm house.

Saturday, after a restless night for some reason as we’ve been finding in this van recently, we did a lovely 12 mile circular walk; skirting the curiously shaped Hoe Hill to Fulletby then picking up the Viking Way over numerous, huge (and very different to Derbyshire) relentless unbounded fields down into

Horncastle where we had a lunch stop, mooch and shop. We virtually retraced our steps back to avoid walking along the busy main Skeggy road.

Sunday continued sunny, chilly but not a cloud in the big skies of the Wolds so we abandoned the planned trip to walk on the beach at Sutton and decided to explore more of the countryside in the Horncastle area.

We got off to a false start on our walk, forgetting Mrs H’s “pack up” she volunteered to walk back to the van to get it. 5 mins later she reappeared, nonchalantly carrying not her lunch but for some reason best left unasked half a block of cheddar cheese in a sandwich bag. We later found her lunch in the rucksack. Drivers passing by were likely bemused to see her standing alone on the roadside pissing herself laughing as I returned the cheese to the fridge.

The walk was a bright 9 mile circular through the hamlet of Ashby Puerorum, with a 12th century pretty church and over fields and streams to the quaint village of Hagworthingham before crossing Snipe Dale. We then passed a plaque commemorating Winceby Battle in front of an impressive Manor House. Apparently this took place in 1643, lasted only 30 minutes but gave Oliver Cromwell his first victory during the English Civil War. To be fair it’s that sleepy in the area, probably nothing of note has happened since!

Overall enjoyed our few days here,lovely CL, beautiful scenery, big skies and pretty villages but would we move here; probably not, just not the area for us as a bit too out on a limb.