Lincoln countryside

The countryside surrounding Lincoln offers some of the most varied and underrated landscapes in eastern England. The city sits at the meeting point of three distinct areas: the rolling chalk uplands of the Lincolnshire Wolds to the north east, the broad open fenland and Witham valley to the south, and the limestone ridge known as the Lincoln Cliff that runs north and south of the city like a long, gentle escarpment.

Walkers and cyclists are well served. The Viking Way long-distance footpath passes through Lincoln on its journey from the Humber to Oakham, taking in quiet villages of honey-coloured stone such as Nettleham, Welton and Navenby. To the south, the flat lanes around Bardney and Branston, with their disused railway tracks now converted to traffic-free trails, are ideal for easy family cycling along the River Witham towards Woodhall Spa.

The wider area is dotted with attractions that reward a half-day excursion, from Whisby Nature Park west of the city to the ruins of Bardney Abbey and the wildfowl reserves of the lower Witham. Big skies, working farmland, market villages and pockets of ancient woodland combine to give the Lincoln countryside its distinctive open, quietly historic character.