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OUR HOLIDAY IN LINCOLNSHIRE


SPEEDTRIPLE

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Hi all,

 

we just got back from a fabulous week in Lincolnshire.  We stayed in a recently built small family owned place called "Greetham Retreat", which is about 2 miles to the east of "Horncastle". The place was realy smart, being about 5 years old, and the couple who own and run it "Rob and Jenanette", were really friendly and welcoming, and very helpful too.  The round trip (there and back without incidental milage) was 480 miles, but all in, i drove a recorded 874 miles. I have to say a big thank you to my wife Karen, as even though we drove over to her Aunt in Nottingham on Wednesday, and did a couple of National Trust houses, the rest of the week was spent driving round old WW2 air bases, such as East Kirkby, Metheringham, Bardney, Woodhall Spa, and we also visited the BBMF visitors centre at Connongsby, but she never once complained. I wanted to book a visit to the Dambusters museum at Scampton, but deided to go to Skegmess and Louth on the final day (yesterday).

For me, the hilight of the trip was to see the Lancaster Just Jane doing a taxi run at East Kirkby on the bank holiday Monday. Despite the appalling rain, we both ventured out to take plenty of pictures. We were both disappointed on the day, because they were raffling the 1.30 taxi run, and the ticket number was so close to ours, but no luck. I`l post up some pictures later when i`ve downloaded them.

 

Lincolnshire is a county of two halves. If you stay in the south, it`s flatter than Broadland, with some very bleak out of the way places, but if you venture North, the hills and valleys are a pleasure to drive round. We enjoyed it so much, we`ve just booked a return at the beginning of May next year, and would recommend the area to anyone, especially if you like war time history, as Lincolnshire had at one time 49 air bases, mostly bomber command.

 

Lincolnshire also has a surprising number of navigable rivers and drains, but we only saw a few boats, and all of them were moored up. What i also did`nt realise while there, untill i looked at an OS map of the region, was that Horncastle once had a working canal. All that is left is a diverted stream.

 

Anyway, it`s good to go on holiday, but it`s good to be back home.

 

 

Regards to all ............................... Neil.

 

 

 

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Last time I stayed in Horncastle, it was so wet someone was pictured in a topper dinghy circumnavigating a cow, just outside the town.

It's an interesting area which I quite liked, luckily for me I was being paid to work at scampton and coningsby so I got to see the red arrows and BBMF from somewhat closer than the public. Also on a few occasions I stayed in the Petwood hotel in woodhall spa which 633 Squadron used.

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We were driving through Lincolnshire yesterday and are thinking about spending some time there at some point. Always good to have a recommendation so will bookmark Greetham Retreat for further investigation. 

http://www.greethamretreat.co.uk

Hi Swan R,

 

They have 5 units, 3 that sleep 2 in one bedroom, 1 that sleeps 4 in 2 bedrooms, and 1 that sleeps 6 in 3 bedrooms.  All bedrooms are en-suite, and all bedrooms have a tv, so everyone can watch different programmes.  They`ve also got 5 caravan pitches with all amenaties, including an on site toilet / shower, with 240v hook up.

 

What i liked was the contrast between the North and South of the place. The rolling hills of the North or "The Wolds", and the sheer expanse of the flat South.

 

One of the most memorable places was Metheringham Airfield visitor centre. It`s based in some of the old R.A.F buildings, one of which has a quarter scale model of a Lancaster hung from the ceiling. It also has a small scale model of a Lancaster for every member of the squadron killed in action hung from a ceiling platform. And they were all made by a chap well into his retirement years. That i found very moving indeed.  After we went to the visitor centre, we went for a drive around part of the old perimiter track, and down one of the old runways. They`ve been incorperated into the local road network, but there was a gate that was a bit overgrown, and apparently, it leads to the old dipersal areas, but we did`nt get access to these, which was a shame, beacause it`s the unused overgrown areas which are often quite earie to be around, even spiritual, and moving.

 

We enjoyed the fact Lincolnshire was NOT what you would call a very "touristy" place, so everywhere we went, there were`nt the regular kiss me quick hats and crowds. I`d recommend it to ANYONE wishing to do something, or go somewhere a little bit different.

 

 

 

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Visited Stamford on many occasions Bill

I recall in the early 1990's it was also the filming location for the BBC Series "Middlemarch"

We lived in Surfleet , Nr Spalding from 1987 until 2000 and like you we had a grand view of the Battle of Britain Flight many times when they set out for a display.

All the best

Arthur

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You should have visited Stamford!

The first conservation town in the country. Collyweston slate roofs and stone buildings.

........and we live there..........:naughty:

Oh! and just to please you Neil, the BBMF passes over our house on a regular basis.:dance

Great place Stamford. We lived close (ish) in a village called Glapthorn, just outside of Oundle - in a Collyweston tiled cottage. We then moved to Norfolk but I do miss that area.

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  • 7 months later...

I used to stay at the Petswood 30 years ago. We used to go to hand over three Austin Rover cars as ground support for the BBMF at Conningsby for their show season. Very happy memories of the dinners and speakers. Does it still have that piece of pine tree  over the bar that returned stuck in the fusilage of a Polish aircrews plane? They went in that low!

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Forgot to say Lincolnshire is a wonderful county and Lincoln a very interesting city. Hell of a climb to the castle and Cathedral for me now though. 

Parking can be a bit of a problem but The Hilton at Lincoln is super! Great rooftop restaurant overlooking Brayford Pool and it's Marina. Great city break location.

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27 minutes ago, ChrisB said:

Forgot to say Lincolnshire is a wonderful county and Lincoln a very interesting city. Hell of a climb to the castle and Cathedral for me now though. 

Parking can be a bit of a problem but The Hilton at Lincoln is super! Great rooftop restaurant overlooking Brayford Pool and it's Marina. Great city break location.

I have done the hill, both ways, when my old legs went left right etc. We were only there for the day on a coach trip, the coach park was at the top! We were going to go into the Cathedral, but, I do not believe you should charge to enter a house of worship, so just admired the Rose Window from outside!

What I found interesting in the prog was the old pennies jammed into the oak beams, by the bomber crews. Also the 6ft4" bomb aimer fitting into a 5ft space!

cheersIain

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12 hours ago, ChrisB said:

Forgot to say Lincolnshire is a wonderful county and Lincoln a very interesting city. Hell of a climb to the castle and Cathedral for me now though. 

Parking can be a bit of a problem but The Hilton at Lincoln is super! Great rooftop restaurant overlooking Brayford Pool and it's Marina. Great city break location.

Chris, Hi.

We're interested in a couple of nights in Lincoln later in the year and I looked at the Double Tree. The reviews weren't too promising about the food quality; how did you find it, please?

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We liked it, great city centre location and the rooms were first class. I would not call the food "fine cuisine" but it was very good. However we do tend to have only a main course as we are not huge portion people. Check car parking with them for you dates it can be a bit of a problem if there are conferences. Not too much if you get back say late afternoon but a problem if you eat elsewhere and get back after eight.

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Well,  A few days after we got back last year, Karen and i decided we`d like to return THIS year, but this time we`re taking her mum and dad with us, and we booked it last September,, and we`re going THIS Saturday. So if any forumites are in the area of Horncastle next weak, please give us a wave. We`re staying at Greetham retreat again, but this time we have the bigger 3 bedroom cottage. There`s only 4 of us, as one dropped out, but we`ve still got the 3 bedroomed place, and will be setting off on Saturday at about 6am as usual. I like to be around the M25 and on the A1(M) by 08.00 ish.  Really looking forward to it, and will be visiting Lincoln this time. Also, i`m hoping to get to Scampton to visit the Red Arrows visitor centre, and hopefully to East Kirkby for the model airshow, and watch Just Jane doing one of her regular taxi runs.

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32 minutes ago, jeffbroadslover said:

If you have the time may I suggest a trip up to see the Humber Bridge. A marvellous bit of engineering and don't forget when it was built it was the longest single span bridge in the WORLD.

Jeff

Also the dearest to cross ! :naughty:

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2 hours ago, jeffbroadslover said:

Toll charge has now been reduced to £1.50 for a car

Jeff

Coaches were £10.00, our driver said he had to save his tips to cross there ! :naughty: Delighted to see its cheaper, thankfully all the bridges up here now are free.

cheersIain

 

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Don't forget to pop over to visit Gainsborough and the Old Hall when you visit Lincolnshire, I'll pop the kettle on!

goh-sunny.jpg

Even though we only live twenty minutes from Lincoln I occasionally plan a stay in the city itself. Self catering you would call it...but my better half loves The Crooked House, pictured below, and I like to book a short break in the house before Christmas, do the shopping, dinner out, visit the panto...and no driving!

steep-hill.jpg

A word of warning to visitors heading out to watch the Red Arrows practise...avoid the viewing area as most visitors to the viewing area...let's just say it's not the planes they have come to view.

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We

On 05/09/2015 at 9:46 PM, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

 

Lincolnshire is a county of two halves. If you stay in the south, it`s flatter than Broadland, with some very bleak out of the way places, but if you venture North, the hills and valleys are a pleasure to drive round. We enjoyed it so much, we`ve just booked a return at the beginning of May next year, and would recommend the area to anyone, especially if you like war time history, as Lincolnshire had at one time 49 air bases, mostly bomber command.

Regards to all ............................... Neil.

 

Well it's the beginning of May on Sunday, Neil and we're on our way to Osgodby tomorrow!   ice slice

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