Lincoln

A visit to Lincoln

 

When I was about 17 or 18 one of our Scout Leaders bought a plot of land in Lincolnshire where we used to go camping. I don’t recall the exact location but it was a few miles from the city of Lincoln so it’s possible I might have been there back then. I have no memory of doing so though so I’m calling September 2024 my first time. 

 

On Monday 2nd I took the train and to avoid Kings Cross and any disruption following the strike the previous day took the Elizabeth Line from Reading to Farringdon, then Thameslink to Peterborough and finally East Midlands Railway to Lincoln.  I rejected the suggestion of GWR from Reading to Paddington then changing to the #purpletrain to Farringdon because though in theory it would be 40 minutes quicker the GWR train would most likely be late and crowded and to change at Paddington would mean weaving through crowds of drunken sheep worriers and confused elderly couples on their first trips east of the Tamar. I wasn’t in that much of a hurry 🙂

As it turned out taking this route was much more relaxing, no tight connection times and plenty of empty seats on the trains. 

 

 

 

Lincolnshire has a reputation for being very flat but Lincoln itself certainly isn’t. The railway station is down near the River Witham, my hotel was up next to the castle. Between the two is the main shopping area of the city followed by a picturesque long narrow street lined with old buildings and shops called Steep Hill. It’s not mis-named. It didn’t get any easier to climb in the following 3 days. I stayed at Charlotte House, opposite the West Gate of the castle, a neo-Georgian building built in the 1930s as nurse’s accommodation for the adjacent lunatic asylum, The Lawns, now HQ of Stokes coffee and tea who also own the hotel. I got a good deal with a booking.com discount and a free room upgrade to a suite with a similar square footage to my house 😀 It was also convenient for The Victoria PH, The Castle, the historic area of the city, and the nearby Museum of Lincolnshire Life. Ideal place for a short break in fact. Although a search for cheap eats meant I did another trip down and back up that hill that evening. 

 

 

 

The Museum of Lincolnshire Life 

 

(14 Photos, opens in a new window)

 

The next day after breakfast I took a short walk north to the former barracks that houses the Museum of Lincolnshire Life. It’s open Friday to Tuesday so I had to visit today. The first of two Victorian brick wings contains recreated domestic rooms as they would have been in the 19th century which then leads into an area dealing with the history of  the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment (the barracks was built for the Royal North Lincoln Militia in 1857) and its previous incarnations since 1685, it’s part of the Royal Anglian Regiment now. They’ve a couple of VCs and an atmospheric bit of WW1 trench with appropriate soundtrack to scare small children. 

 

Next comes a large open hall containing farming machinery, railway and road locomotives (Ruston & Hornsby being a Lincolnshire firm), and the prize exhibit of a genuine WW1 British tank, the first tanks having been designed and built in the county. 

 

 

 

The next barrack block contains recreations of 19th and early 20th century commercial premises, chemist, post office, Printers etc. One some days they have the printing press working but today wasn’t one of them. In the yard outside there are two large Ruston-Bucyrus cable operated excavators (and the kiddies play area).

 

 

 

Above the shop and reception are some more recreated rooms - a Victorian school with essentially the same desks we had at school in the 1960s and 70s - and the temporary exhibition space which at the time of my visit was given over to “The Tank At Home” which they describe thus “This exhibition looks at a lesser-known aspect of the first tanks and their impact on the home front. Rather than concentrating on the battlefield, the focus is on displays of tank related items such as toys, money boxes, ornaments, trench art and photographs of the works who built them.” There was everything from model tanks through ceramic tank-shaped teapots to the cover of the weekly comic Warlord  from 1974 featuring a WW1 tank. Because the kids' publications from my childhood are now museum exhibits! 🤨

 

 

 

I really liked this museum and admission is free too, donations are welcomed obviously.

 

Lincoln Castle

 

(42 photos, opens in a new window)

 

My next stop was the castle. That definitely isn’t free, £17 for an adult and the senior citizens concession rate doesn’t apply until you’re 66. That price is about average I suppose and gives you access to the castle walls walk, the Magna Carta display, and the Victorian Prison. The ward or bailey of the castle is free to enter during the day or indeed to walk through between the west and east gates, making a good short cut as out of hours it’s much further around the outside. Free access to the ward has to be maintained since Lincoln Crown Court is located within, near the Westgate. Having paid my money I first climbed the steel spiral staircase (the lift was out of order) to the top of the curtain wall and did the approximately third of a mile circuit. You certainly get a good view from up there, especially if you climb to the top of the tall narrow Observatory Tower, which is not for anyone who’s uncomfortable with heights, lowish parapets, and long drops!

 

 

 

Next I went in the opposite direction down into the subterranean David P J Ross* Magna Carta Vault A small dark room, a prominent “no photography” sign, 3 glass cases containing Lincoln Cathedral’s copies of the Charter of the Forest from 1217, and Magna Carta from 1215, and at the back a “guest document” case containing, er, a highly decorated German crossbow for some reason. Magna Carta is something most English people rarely think about but seems to be a magnet for US tourists who seem to regard it with much more reverence so of course there was a couple present to view the “holy grail of democracy”. In the adjacent 210 degree cinema there’s a really good film about King John, William Marshall, and the circumstances that led to Magna Carta. I can confirm that she did not die in vain 😉

 

Lastly to the Victorian Prison, well preserved and with lots of information boards and audio visual displays in the cells, plus activities for the younger inmates - who were thankfully largely absent on this particular Tuesday afternoon else it might have been a bit loud in there. I confess that I couldn’t help thinking of Porridge. No sign of McKay or any other screws though. The manikins in the prison chapel were particularly creepy. 

 

 

 

By mid afternoon my feet demanded to be put up so I returned to my hotel room and had a long hot soak before heading across the road to The Victoria for a couple of beers. 

 

Saxilby

 

(15 photos, opens in a new window)

 

I took a little train excursion on Wednesday to the village of Saxilby which lies on the Roman Fossdyke canal. Just because I wanted to see it. I might have been influenced by watching this Minimal List video recently on YouTube. The Fossdyke is very straight as you’d expect. I had a nice walk along it in the flat countryside then returned to the city and explored along the River Witham.

 

 

 

I gave in and got the bus back up that hill, £2 well spent. Later I considered going on the evening ghost walk but it wasn’t really dark enough at 7pm and it looked like I was going to be the only person to show up. Didn’t fancy that idea so I went and explored the various city gates, got chips, went to the Victoria again, and went back and watched episode 1 of Slow Horses season 4.

 

 

 

The way home

 

My return journey was a reversal of the outward one, Lincoln - Peterborough - Farringdon - Reading - home. Avoided Paddington again and had time for a coffee at Reading accompanied by the deafening sound of torrential rain on the station roof, so loud it overwhelmed the continuous PA safety and security announcements. See it. Say it. Sodden.

The rain hadn’t given up by the time I walked home from the station. I was glad I had a waterproof coat!

 

It was a good city break, Lincoln is really interesting and if you like old buildings you’ll find it hard to move without bumping into one. I recommend Charlotte House, especially as with the discount it came in at £278 inc. continental breakfast which was at the low end of what was being asked in the city centre. Using the slightly slower train route made for a relaxed journey and was £79 for two off-peak flexible single tickets with a National Railcard. 

 

 

All the photos!

 

 

 

 

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* Lincolnshire born billionaire, co-founder of Carphone Warehouse. I had to look it up.

 

The English Riviera - too wet to too hot.

31st August to 4th September 2023

 

I had a late summer getaway and booked a hotel in Paignton for an extra-long weekend. The weather forecast was a bit indifferent and as it turned out completely inaccurate. Driving down on the Thursday it gradually got wetter and when I arrived although the rain had paused it was humid and cloudy. My hotel room had a sea view and a balcony but initially the sea view was theoretical as shown below.

 

 

 

 It soon cleared up though and I grabbed a waterproof coat and went off to find food and explore. First down to Paignton seafront which was busy and noisy then after dinner back via the harbour and up over Roundham Head on the coast path, by which point I was carrying the coat, and down the zig-zag cliff path to Goodrington.

 

 

 

 My parents spent their honeymoon in Goodrington and it’s been interesting trying to match up fuzzy black and white photos fro 1959 with current locations. As far as I can make out "The Goodrington Quay” hotel at which they stayed is now the Premier Inn on the seafront.

 

On Friday morning the view had improved considerably.

 

 

 

So had the weather forecast so I decided a trek along the coast path would be nice and help to walk off the excellent full English provided by the hotel. Brixham is “only” 4.8 miles (7.7km) away and I checked beforehand that there was a frequent bus service back to Paignton. So off I set, down through Goodrington. Then up again and down, and up, and down, seeing a steam train crossing Broadsands Viaduct

 

 

 

 And along the front at Broadsands where I stopped for a cup of tea and to hide under a parasol because it was now unseasonably hot. Up and down the path went on dropping down steeply into each cove and steeply up again the other side.

 

 

 

 It was not an easy stroll, even in the welcome shade of the trees it was still hot and several sections were steep, uneven steps. Not that that stopped the nutcase in shorts and tee-shirt that shot passed me running down them. He was on his way back up the other side of the beach above before I’d carefully picked my way one step at a time down to the bottom! So it went on until I reached Brixham Harbour where I rewarded myself with a pint at the Sprat & Mackerel and sat overlooking the harbour. I felt that I deserved it anyway. Then I went for a wander around Brixham. Last time I was here was almost exactly 5 years ago and the fishing boat “Accumulate” was bedecked with pro-brexit banners.

This time it was in the same spot and looking pretty abandoned so I guess it’s going well for them. I’m struggling to summon up any sympathy.

 

 

 

 Anyway the bus back from Brixham was much easier than the walk there. I had takeaway fish and chips for tea because it was Friday. And only had to fight one seagull to keep them.

 

Saturday morning, another full English, another walk planned. This one pre-planned before I left home routeing from Brownstone car park to the Daymark, then to Brownstone Battery and east along the coast path to Coleton Fishacre where there’s a National Trust cafe and toilets. Also a big house but I skipped that on this occasion. I parked in the NT car park above Brownstone and followed the track south to the Daymark, a 25m tall stone tower built in 1864 as a navigation aid for shipping. A sort of non-lighthouse for diurnal sailors.

 

 

 

 Carrying on down the lane brought me to the remains of Brownstone Battery, a second world war defensive position which had gun emplacements and searchlights defending the approach to Dartmouth from Froward Point. There are several small buildings hidden in the trees, the remains of two gun emplacements, the lower one served by its own railway from its magazine above, and the searchlight positions down closer to the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And having walked all the way down to that searchlight hut meant climbing back up along the path east along the coast. It was going to be another up and down walk day. Fantastic views though you had to stop to look at them as the path is a bit sketchy in places with long and terminal drops to the sea. Tripping on a rock might prove to be the last thing you do.

 

 

 

 At Padcombe Cove I turned left up the steep vally to the NT place at Coleton Fishacre. It was pretty busy but plenty of free tables at the cafe so I stopped for a pot of expensive (because NT) tea and a flapjack. Worth noting for non-members that there appears to be no checks on entry to the grounds from the seaward side and I was able to use the “facilities" without being asked to show my membership card. I suppose if I’d wanted to visit the house I’d have had to go out and join the reception queue to get back in. But I didn’t so I just exited through the mandatory gift shop and up the drive to the top of the hill and back to the car park. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon sitting on that nice shady balcony reading and watching the activity in the bay.

 

 “So where are you walking to today?” asked the waitress serving my now usual breakfast. “Only as far as the railway station,” I replied. With the forecast being overcast (yeah, no it wasn’t) I’d decided to take a ride on the Dartmouth Steam Railway. I’ve been before but don’t need much encouragement to ride on it again and it’s a good way to get to Dartmouth which is a nice place to visit.

 

 

 

 I’ll tell you what it’s not though. It’s not a cheap way to get to Dartmouth. Most heritage lines these days for £20-£30 allow you to roam up and down the line all day (e.g. my recent visit to the North Norfolk) The Dartmouth Steam Railway by contrast have closed all their intermediate stations and when you buy your £21 ticket insist that you pick which train you will return on. You are then allocated seats out and back. Now it’s a pleasant enough 20 minute each way ride and the trains weren’t even busy - which meant I could grab an empty seat with better views on the way back - but £21 for what is in effect a one stop advance return ticket represents crap value for money. OK it includes the ferry run by the railway from Kingswear to Dartmouth and back which would otherwise £2 each way (although the adjacent Higher Ferry is only £1 single for foot passengers). 

 

I took a look around the town and got an ice lolly (go to the Co-op the queue is shorter and it’s cheaper than the riverside kiosks) and walked along the river side to the Tudor Bayard’s Cove Fort and then to Dartmouth Castle.

 

 

 

 It was too hot to enjoy scrambling around old ruins really. The castle cafe was bedlam. I’d resigned myself to a hot walk back to town and never was the sign for the castle ferry, which I didn’t know about, so welcome. One short river cruise later I was back in Dartmouth drinking beer in The Crab PH by the river. I got the four o’clock train back to Paignton.

 

Later I went down to Paignton Harbour as I had before to watch the sun set over the top of a glass. Alas the Crab & Hammer wasn’t open so I walked into The Still House instead. Which was a mistake. No decent choice of beer - lager only - and first question was what’s your table number. Didn't have a table number but ordered a pint of Devon Rock Lager. Which the barman insisted on carrying following me out to a table outside like some sort of performance art piece. I noticed all the tables had a QR code nailed to them so they hope you’ll order via your phone. They can FRO with that ‘spoons wannabe idea. Also Devon Rock is watery tasteless pish. And the sunset wasn’t up to much so here’s a photo of the previous night’s.

 

 

 

 All in all an unexpectedly good weekend, unexpectedly good hotel, unexpectedly hot weather. Here’s the usual Flickr Album

 

 

 

Since I decided to take the scenic route home on Monday and avoid Stonehenge for a change here’s a picture of a figure carved into a chalk hillside of a man waving his massive weapon about. 

 

 

 

 Yes, just for the opportunity for the childish humour :-)

 

Lydney

 Monday 7th September 2020

Lydney Harbour

Day three on holiday and I'm looking for local history. Nearby in Lydney the map shows an ancient monument, Lydney Harbour which as well as a harbour has a canal and disused railway. Out into the wet and windy morning I went.

Lydney Harbour tidal basin

The harbour at Lydney wasn't quite what I'd imagine a harbour to look like (if I hadn't already checked the map) being long and narrow and looking more like a lock.

It lies at the end of a 1 mile canal and gives access to the tidal River Severn. The gates of the tidal basin shown here appear to be stuck open so that it is filling up with silt from the river. They're spending a couple of million on the site to upgrade the tourist facilities (hence the digger and wire fencing) so hopefully that will include fixing the gates. Parking is currently free though after the refurbishment who knows.

Between the tidal basin and the canal is a lock and the canal serves as a marina for small craft.

A bit of history: The canal opened in 1813 and the outer harbour was completed in 1821. Coal and iron ore from the Forest of Dean was shipped out, brought down by a tramway which was in 1868 converted to a broad gauge railway although in 1872 that was converted to standard gauge. 

As can be seen from the early 20th century map below there were extensive sidings serving the harbour.

Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

Lydney Harbour former railway

Parts of the track bed can be seen and walked along and there are markers pointing out wrecks on the river shore and "sighting stones" core drilled through pointing at distant landmarks.

Also a circle of standing stones, not ancient but dating from the refurbishment of the harbour around 2006 - apparently it works as a compass, something I failed to notice at the time.

I walked along the track bed on the west side of the

Lydney Harbour marina

inner harbour then crossed the swing bridge and back up the east side to the lock and harbour entrance.

There are a lot of boats moored here, I'm not sure if they can get out onto the Severn until the tide gate is repaired? The Environment Agency page doesn't mention it.

The last coal was shipped from the harbour in 1960 but imported wood was still being brought in by barge from Avonmouth. In 1977 the harbour closed and began to fall into disrepair, scheduled as an ancient monument in the 1980s with the swing bridge Grade II listed the harbour re-opened after a two-year project of restoration and enhancement in 2005.

Lydney Harbour lock

There are still a few old buildings around the lock and harbour and if you look closely on the west side the remains of the coal tip shown on the above map where coal was offloaded from the trains to the barges.

The old mortuary building was inaccessible due to the ongoing building works - I gather it's going to be made into public toilets which will be dead convenient. Sorry.

Crossing back over via the lock gates I went out to the rather windy harbour entrance where I could see up and down the Severn. 

Severn Bridges

On a clear day you'd get a really good view of the Severn road bridges downstream, this wasn't a clear day and with occasional showers as well but the bridges were just about visible anyway. The view of the Berkeley Nuclear Power Station on the far side of the river was much clearer.

A short but heavier shower sent me from my perch on a bollard on the harbour wall back to the car.

So Lydney Harbour was interesting with quite a bit to look out for, let's hope they don't spoil it.

Lydney Junction

I parked in the railway station car park so that I could walk into Lydney town centre, between the two

lies Lydney Junction station, the southern terminus of the Dean Forest Railway. Crossing over the tracks at the level crossing this very shiny Brush Type 2 diesel locomotive was hard to miss. Newly overhauled I think.

I'd have liked to take a ride on the DFR but when I tried to book for the Wednesday trip discovered that it was not possible to book only one ticket. No doubt trying to maximise their income under COVID-19 restrictions which I can sort of understand during the busy summer period but mid week after the schools had (finally) returned? I doubt that the train was going to be full. I note that this restriction remains in place even now in mid October. Alienating potential customers could be a policy that comes back to bite them in the arse.

Lydney Town

I can tell you that the walk from Lydney railway station to the town centre isn't very interesting, apart from trying to get across the A48 without being mown down by traffic at the roundabout. That the River Lyd near the boating lake smells quite unpleasant, although that might be the treatment works, and that on this particular post-lockdown Monday a lot of Lydney was still shut. At least it was some exercise.

Monmouth

 Sunday 6th September 2020

First full day of my Forest of Dean based holiday, weather forecast "uncertain" - well it is on the Welsh border - and  I needed to get provisions. I took the scenic route from Blakeney through the forest which reminded me just how hilly the area is and eventually as the border was now open ended up at Monmouth.

Parked up in the Cattle Market Car Park next to the River Monnow and after eventually finding a ticket machine that "spoke" English went for a walk around the historic county town of Monmouthshire.

Starting with the ancient and hard to miss Monnow Bridge. The medieval stone bridge with it's incorporated gatehouse is the only one left in Britain. Now only open to cyclists and pedestrians of which there were plenty on a Sunday lunchtime some of them even attempting to maintain social distancing.

Because the pavements are narrow in this old town a temporary road closure was in place in Monnow

Street to give more space to pedestrians in much the same way as has been done in parts of London. Theoretically there was a one way system to walk uphill on the left side and down. Like that was going to happen. There weren't that many shops open although there was quite a lot of people about and though I'd have quite liked a coffee all the (reduced) seating in the cafes was full.

In normal times Monmouth is a nice place to wander around in a touristy fashion and I have been here before and done so back in the 1990s in what feels like another life. From what I remember it hasn't changed a lot. 

I walked up to the castle, tucked away up a side street. there's a small ruined bit remaining in the

corner of the grounds of Great Castle House, HQ and museum of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers whose history is depicted in a series of panels on the wall in the street leading to the castle. 

King Henry V of England was born is the castle in 1386 though I'm not sure he'd recognise it now, it having been knocked about a bit in the English Civil War (or Wars of the Three Kingdoms or whatever we're supposed to call them now) and after partially collapsing in 1647 was built over by the house mentioned above. The military museum was on covid-reduced opening hours and this wasn't one of them so after taking some pictures I headed back down the hill (keeping left) and got

some lunch from Waitrose and then was lucky enough to secure a bench next to the River Monnow to sit and eat it.

It had turned warm if not actually sunny (Wales remember) and made a nice place to watch the world go by, or at least a small part of it, before joining an inexplicable traffic jam to cross back over the River Wye and back to England and the Forest of Dean.

Monmouth's nice still.

Escape to the Forest

 5th to 12th September 2020

It's been a month since I went on holiday, I should get around to writing about it.

Having spent most of my leave this year "staycationing" as the modern parlance has it, or more accurately sitting at home doing SFA because of you-know-what, I really wanted to get away for a week. Hotels seemed like too much faff so I decided to a holiday cottage, at least if everything went tits up and the lock-down returned I could do SFA with different scenery. Where to go in September? Hadn't been to the Forest of Dean in a long time. Ooh look, a converted water mill, that looks nice, clickety-click.

DAY ONE: Estimated journey time 2h 20m. Actual journey time 4h 30m. 

Just my luck to travel on the Saturday that the M4 was shut between J12 and J14. At least the cottage was

easy to find.

It was also comfortable and nicely equipped, far enough away from the main A48 through the village to not suffer from traffic noise but close enough to walk to the village shop (had I needed to), the pub (had I desired to), and the chippy (which I did).

Blakeney (the one in Gloucestershire not the one in Norfolk) is on the edge of the Forest of Dean and close to the Severn estuary. It has no railway station (not any more and when it did it was goods only) although the nearby town of Lydney does which is a short drive away. It's a good place from which to explore the border country which is why I came.

An evening walk towards the Severn along the lane and along footpaths that were in places not exactly made obvious across the fields.

Far reaching views across the Severn from Purton on the west bank to the other Purton on the east bank.

Down through the woods passing only a farmer walking in the fields (I assume - she looked like a farmer anyway), almost to the water's edge. 

Except not quite. For along the riverbank runs the Gloucester to Swansea railway line.

At least this driver sounded his horn with enough time for me to whip the phone out and get a photo as the train passed by next to the footpath. No, I don't write down the numbers.

From the waterside at Gatcombe up through the woods and along narrow lanes then a path cutting across the fields in the last of the daylight, startling a woman walking three dogs who didn't expect to see anyone else here, or so she said.

Then a choice, footpath around the water treatment works or along the unofficial but clearly well trodden disused railway back to the lane a mere hundred yards from the cottage.

A win for the former Forest of Dean Central Railway track bed. And to another bed.

to be continued...

Saturday

Finally, a sunny morning. Just in time to go home!

Friday

Damp start but just maybe the sun might break through.

Thursday

Grey and cloudy.

Wednesday

Hip hip hip hooray!

Tuesday

Brighter later?

Monday

Soggy. Fingers crossed it dries out later

Sunday

Calm

Saturday

Sea view with sunshine.



A nice welcome.