Interlude - a week or so around Lincoln - Words From Off The Sea

April 30, 2022 to May 8, 2022

Interlude - a week or so around Lincoln

doing stuff

With the exception of the scenic Wolds, over on the eastern side of the county towards the coast, Lincolnshire is mainly flat. In fact as you cycle closer to Norfolk, it's a bit like a snooker table. There's an escarpment that the city is built on, but the main shopping area and train station is down the bottom, where the River Witham cuts through as it makes its way to the east coast.

Dave's place is 5km to the east of Lincoln, in the village of Washingborough, which sits on the Witham's southern bank. It's an easy ride to get into Lincoln, with a cycle path going along the route of a dismantled railway. The old station is now a private house and it stands where riders join the path after leaving the village via Ferry Lane. It's a ride that is now very familiar to me.

My usual breakfast - granola and Greek yogurt with raspberries, grapes and blueberries

On a few days I pedal into town and have lunch in the Angel Coffee Shop, which is right opposite the library, where I do some research about Dad's football career in the 1950s. During the last few years of his career, he was mostly in the Reserves team and I want to check which games he played in - I have a few gaps in my list. The daily Lincolnshire Echo is on microfiche and carries match reports.

As this trip is about reconnecting with friends and family as much as cycle touring, I pop to see my elder brother, who has a stack of my spare football programmes that feature our dad that I'm selling. He's selected ones he's interested in buying and I just need to price them up. It's this seemingly mundane stuff that occupies my time for the best part of a week and is why I opted to come over for three months. One has gone already.

Riding the 5km along the now very familiar bicycle path from Washingborough into Lincoln

I research my late dad's football career with Lincoln City - report from Dec. 24th, 1956

Door to Angel Coffee Shop - opposite the library

The coffee shop is in the former St Swithin's Vestry - built in the 1880s

Looking at newspaper reports on microfiche in the library

Heading back to Washingborough under the recently opened bypass

The ride along the river is repeated on quite a few days, with visits to the library and Angel Coffee Shop being the principal reason behind them. However, today I carry on through Lincoln's centre and do a further 10km to Saxilby - where Ruby lives. Again it's along a waterside path.

We dine outside in the garden and watch Manchester City play Newcastle United in TV, after which I head back to Lincoln and have a beer with my younger brother and Dave.

The weather is forecast to be good next week and my plan is to get away to north Norfolk. It'll be a trip of five days or so. Once back at Dave's, I pack my stuff into the panniers. There's a train that leaves Lincoln for Spalding at 8:20 in the morning and the plan is to be on it.

On the bike path from Lincoln to Saxilby

Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 225 km (140 miles)

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