Lincolnshire

Introduction

Lincolnshire is a county in the East Midlands region of England. Lincolnshire is famous for being the birthplace of one of the most famous mathematicians in history, Sir Isaac Newton and also of Britain's first, polarising, female Prime Minister, Margaret [hawk, spit] Thatcher.

Geography

Lincolnshire is one of the largest of the old ceremonial counties of England and includes the unitary counties of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. At it's centre is it's administrative capital, the city of Lincoln. Lincolnshire stretches from the River Humber in the north, across the River Trent to South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire in the west and Rutland, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk in the south. To the east side of the county is the North Sea and the Wash.

Cities

Lincoln is the only city in Lincolnshire. Towns include Scunthorpe, Brigg, Bourne, Grimsby, Immingham, Cleethorpes, Gainsborough, Louth, Horncastle, Mablethorpe, Sleaford, Spalding, Skegness, Boston, Stamford and Grantham

Sights and Activities

• Lincoln Cathedral
• Lincoln Castle
• Humber Bridge
• Woolsthorpe Manor (National Trust) - home of Isaac Newton

There are presently three Football League club in Lincolnshire:

• In North East Lincolnshire, Grimsby Town in League Two (the old 4th Division), play at Blundell Park in Cleethorpes.
• In Lincolnshire, Lincoln City, also in League One (the old 3rd Division), play at Sincel Bank.
• In North Lincolnshire, Scunthorpe United in League Two, play at Glanford Park.

Getting There

By Plane

Humberside Airport (HUY IATA) is a small airport located in North Lincolnshire and offers a limited number of connections, with the only domestic flights operating to Aberdeen. A wider range of services are available from the airports located a short distance from the county: Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA IATA) and East Midlands Airport (EMA IATA).

By Train

The train companies travelling into Lincolnshire are:

• East Coast, operating services from London King's Cross and other major cities to Grantham.
• East Midlands Trains operating a number of services in the county including a daily service from Lincoln to London St Pancras via Nottingham.
• First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail largely serve the stations in the north of the county.
• Cross Country operate a service between Peterborough and Leicester which stops at Stamford.

By Car

There are two major routes which pass into Lincolnshire:

• The M180 starts from the M18 passing south of Scunthorpe before downgrading to the A180 onwards to Grimsby. Leaving at Junction 4 for the A15 offers the best way of reaching and Lincoln from which the A158 provides a direct route to Skegness and the Lincolnshire Coast. The A16, reachable from the A180 is a scenic route that passes through the Lincolnshire Wolds past Louth before travelling south towards Boston.
• The A1 enters in the southernmost part of the county briefly passing by the historic town of Stamford, before travelling north to Grantham. From the A1, the A52 and the A16 via Spalding provide access to Boston from which Skegness is best accessible. Also off the A1 is the A46 which is a direct stretch of dual carriageway into Lincoln.

North Lincolnshire can also be accessed by the Humber Bridge from the East Riding of Yorkshire which currently charges £2.70 for cars to cross.

By Bus

A number of towns within Lincolnshire are served by National Express coaches which operate intermittently.

Getting Around

By Train

Travelling around Lincolnshire by train can be difficult as a number of towns lack direct connections between each other, one of the most prohibitive being the lack of a direct route from Skegness to Lincoln or Grimsby.

Of those that are available, from Skegness East Midlands Trains operates a service to Nottingham which stops notably at Boston, Sleaford and Grantham, from Sleaford onward travel to Lincoln is possible. Services in the north of the county connect Cleethorpes, Grimsby and Scunthorpe, whilst from Lincoln Central there is a direct service to Grimsby via Market Rasen.

By Car

The only practical way to get about Lincolnshire is by car. Public transport has intermittent service and restricted geographical coverage. Care should be taken on the narrow and windy backroads.

Many roads have been designated 'Red Routes' by the police, and are signposted along their length. These are roads which have a high accident/casualty rate, and warn motorists to be extra careful.

By Bus

• Stagecoach in Lincolnshire operates services which link the majority of the larger towns in the county, whilst Stagecoach Grimsby/Cleethorpes serves the north of Lincolnshire.
• Brylaine Travel run buses that largely serve the towns of Boston and Spalding as well as Skegness, Mablethorpe and Stamford further afield.
• Lincolnshire Interconnect serve more rural communities in the county and offer a Call Connect bus which can be requested by phone.

Sleep

One of the most popular places for people to stay whilst visiting Lincolnshire is in one of the many caravan and camp sites which can be found in every area of the county. This form of accommodation is particularly popular on the Lincolnshire Coast with hundreds of great sites to choose from.

Visiting families may choose to stay in one of the county's holiday parks which have more facilities, services and entertainment a cater for a wide range of budgets.

There is a large range of independent hotels and B&Bs in most areas of the county for a wide range of budgets. Many of these, especially guest houses are occasionally able to offer accommodation without having to book beforehand.

For those wanting to stay in hotels operated by well-known brands there are a number who have properties across the county that are available at affordable prices.

View our map of accommodation in Lincolnshire

External Links