Viking Way part 2: Ludford to Donington

A previous circular walk had included some miles of the Lindsey Trail and also some Viking Way. I have to be honest, the Viking Way is the more spectacular of the two. The council have taken care to ensure that the LT is accessible but this means that it sticks to surfaced paths and roads. This doesn't make for the most interesting walking or spectacular views. 

On 2 September we opted to continue following the Viking Way for these reasons. Previously we'd walked a section from Tealby to Walesby. In order to continue South, we drew a seven-mile route from Ludford Magna to Donington on Bain. 

In the interests of covering more miles of the Viking Way itself, we opted for a linear walk. this is more difficult if you're by yourself (unless you want to do twice the distance - one way and then back) but with two people and two cars it's not too difficult to arrange.

The details of the route are on this page. Below are more photographs of some of the best countryside that Lincolnshire has to offer. Even on a dull day, the views don't disappoint. 

Lindsey Trail part 2 - Market Rasen, Willingham Woods

On Weds 14 July I continued my walk of the Lindsey Trail, picking up where I'd left the path last time.

The big surprise of the day was the amazing facilities on Willingham Road for Willingham Woods. There's a proper brick cafe there, picnic benches, WC, loads of parking and information boards. 

I wish it were possible to find these things at the start/finish of every walk!

This part of the Lindsey Trail does go through some woodland and once again is accessible. 

Then a chunk of it is on road. Not my favourite kind of walking. Sadly we're a long way from the Viking Trail this time, so in order to form a circular walk it was necessary to find some suitable footpaths to complete the circle back to the car park. Willingham Lane fits the bill, it's a nice farm track, picturesque and (mostly) easy walking.

The route I devised is published here on UK-Walks.info. There you'll find an interactive map and GPX file which works in various mapping and navigation apps.

Lindsey Trail, part one. Circular walk including part of Viking Way

The time feels right to revive this blog. I've moved to a new area and have been doing a lot of walking; exploring my new area and revisiting some older routes.

I now live close to the Lincolnshire Wolds whose beauty is a well-kept secret. South Lincolnshire is flat and fairly featureless but the Wolds are an area of outstanding natural beauty. I happened to see some information about the Lindsey Trail and decided to investigate. It's a long-distance trail, 69 miles altogether. Quite a challenge to do in one go, but perhaps good for breaking down into weekly walks and devising some circular routes.

The council decided to make the Lindsey Trail accessible, which is good news for those with mobility issues but it does mean that a great deal of it is on road. Off-road, the forest tracks are surfaced and well-maintained which makes for very pleasant walking and easy navigation.  I decided to start with the northernmost part of the trail, starting at Walesby, heading for Market Rasen and then circling back.

The details of the actual route are here on the uk-walks website.  After walking 4 or 5 miles of the Lindsey Trail, this circular route heads back towards Tealby, picking up the Viking Way. I have seen another part of the Viking Way before while walking at Rutland Water. 

This part of this circular walk is not accessible in the same way as the Lindsey Trail. It uses regular public rights of way, fields and stiles etc. 

I was not expecting the stunning views. I felt that I could have been in the Peak District. 

This being Lincolnshire, though, it wasn't a surprise to meet some Lincolnshire Longwool sheep. 

And a field of deer. 

The 8.5m route I devised this week is published here. You can see the route against an interactive OSM map and download the GPX file which will open in any mapping / navigation app including OsmAnd and OSMaps. The map used is Explorer 282 which, if you buy the paper version, now includes the offline mobile download too for use in the OSMaps app.