Market Rasen

July 1, 2022

out with Dave

We're getting very close to the end and today could well be the last chance Dave and I get to ride. The weather is predicted to be decent and it's been a while since we were out towards Market Rasen, which is a small town northeast of Dave's place. We opt to head there and try something new - I've a detailed OS map with me and a rough idea of a route that'll take us off the beaten track.

To save some time and energy, our bikes get loaded into Dave's car and we set off at gone 11:00. It's about a 30-minute drive and once there Dave parks in a Tesco on the edge of town and after we've got our bikes sorted out, we ride off to see what the town's charity shops have to offer.

Outside the Age UK charity shop in Market Rasen, with menacing clouds forming to the east

I got this vintage tea towel for a quid... someone must have visited California a while ago

As we lean our bikes against a wall and are about to go inside a shop raising money for Age UK, drops of rain start to fall and form dark spots on the road. We get the feeling that it's nothing too serious, but, after buying a San Francisco tea towel, we decide to bide our time and end up further down Queen Street in a cafe called the March Hare, which is busy. There's just one empty table.

It rains for about five minutes as we sit and wait to get served. It seems the waiter is a rookie. He gets my order wrong, but the flapjack hits the spot and we eventually leave only to pop next door to one more charity shop called Andy's. Dave buys a shirt and a few cheap DVDs and it's then finally time to ride.

We had coffee and cake in the March Hare while the weather cleared

We pedal out of Market Rasen on the A631 towards some woods, riding on a narrow footpath most of the time. The turning comes after five minutes or so and it's one you have to look out for. There's just a grassy track with a sign at the entrance saying that it's Forestry Commission land, but Willingham Woods doesn't look overly managed and the trees appear to be a random mixture. Maybe there's a section of planted pine growing somewhere.

We weave through the woods on a series of decent tracks for about 20 minutes and exit on the northern side, where the B1203 runs east-west. Heading east, there's a track that starts at a sharp S-bend. It's not too far and as we reach it there are a few teenagers gathered around, one sat down looking tired and bedraggled. No doubt they all got rained on.

They're on a high school project that involves hiking and camping and have just come up the track we plan to ride down. They go to the same school that Bernie Taupin attended - Elton John's songwriting partner. It's said Market Rasen was the inspiration for 'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting' and no doubt weekends could get rough once the pubs close.

I try joking with them about their outdoor expoits, but it seems they're too knackered to enjoy my witty banter. They probably think I'm just some crazy old git.

Dave and I set off wondering how hard it's going to be, as the grass is quite long and slightly damp from the recent shower.

The grass is long, but the sun comes out

The sun tries to make an appearance and it feels humid. We opt to pause and take a few snaps and Dave sends one to our friend Mark, who's at work. We tried to get him to come out with us for a spin, but he reckons he's too tied up.

The track rises slightly before dropping and then reaching a lane, where we go left and head into Walesby, a small village congregated around a humble crossroads.

Nearby is a man mowing a strip of the lawn outside a big house that's hidden behind a tall hedge and I ask him about any local churches. It turns out he's a gardener and he tells us the village has two and says the most interesting is the Ramblers Church. It's up a track and he points us in the right direction.

We ride a minute or two and find the start of it and the track soon becomes steep. Eventually the rough surface makes it hard to ride and we get off and push, with deep ruts and loose stones making that a task in itself. You wouldn't want to drive up here unless you have a 4x4. We're unsure what we'll find: What is a Ramblers' Church?

Trees overhang the winding route and keep us in a shaded, damp avenue

Pushing up a steep track to All Saints Church

All Saints Church on the east side of Walesby - it's almost two

It's a slog as the church is literally on a hilltop. Classic. It's clearly old, as they invariably are and thankfully its thick wooden door is unlocked, so we venture inside to find it cool, dim and slightly musty.

The columns have naively carved capitals with several heads on them - the faces having minimal features. They look like they were done by a local stonemason who was artistically challenged, but it's this primitive quality that makes them so attractive.

There are some box pews - probably Victorian - paintd cream along one side of the church and opposite is a fairly modern stained glass window. Apparently the remote church had become almost derelict, but got renovated in the 1930s and the Ramblers Association made it a pilgrimage site, what with it being on the Viking Way route. In 1951, this window was commissioned and features two backpackers (ramblers) and also two men on what look to be sporty touring bicycles, set amidst wheat fields and the rolling Lincolnshire Wolds. What a gem.

This stained glass window was donated by a local Ramblers Association in 1951.

There's a great view from the elevated church grounds and as we stand there taking it all in, voices beccome louder and before long a group of six teens appear. They are from the same high school as the few boys we came across earlier. This, however, is a mixed bunch, with a few girls. They're all lugging hefty rucksacks and a couple clearly just want to get home and have a shower and something yummy to eat. They still have a way to go.

Dave and I bounce carefully back down the rough track and then begin climbing up Walesby Hill. Once we've conquored that steep section of tarmac, we turn left towards Tealby, on what's named Caistor Lane, which is narrow and hemmed in by hawthorn hedges.

We don't see any vehicles and begin to pick up speed as it drops us into Tealby. This is a nice little place and the stone homes are clearly well maintained. Barns have been converted and there's a subtle vibe of affluence. There's a wonderful thatched pub here, but we're not thinking of beer now. A cup of tea would be nice.

We turn right and start riding south to Tealby

We make our way to the village shop. It looks like a garden shed. There's a simple table and couple of chairs placed beside a gravel parking area at the back and a few parents drive in with their children, who must have just got out of school. Dave and I get cups of tea and share an anemic-looking sandwich. It's relaxing for quarter of an hour and we witness a bit of village life. It's all very civilized.

Our goal is to find an old watermill in Tealby. The owner of the cafe-shop tells us where to go and says there are actually two. We're spoilt for choice.

I ride straight past the first. Dave calls me back. The lady who lives in the house beside it is tending the front garden and we chat for a minute. She says the bigger mill is at the end of the village and that this one may have been a watermill years ago, but all the workings have gone. I take a snap anyway.

We ride to the bigger mill. It's very close to a stream that sweeps across a lane that's a cul-de-sac. The mill looks like a builder is about to begin doing something to it as there are the tell-tale signs - materials and whatnot in the barren front garden. The gate is closed, but I easily open it and venture inside.

There's the noise of the water coming from a narrow passage where a large wheel is static and rusting. I take a couple of more snaps knowing they won't look much before we go back on to the lane. Just as we're about to take a shot of us both riding through the shallow ford, a woman of about 50 comes along walking her small dog.

We have a chat and ask about the mill. She says it was recently bought by someone from London and the sale included a covenant of one million pounds to renovate the place and get it all working again. That would have put off a lot of buyers.

She also says the village has numerous houses that are now AirB&B places and locals find it very hard to afford anything. She tells us the lane actually heads to Willingham Woods, but that vehicles can't drive along it. We soon find out why.

The stream is the lane. Luckily there's an elevated path to cycle along.

We spot a spot where we can ride into the woods as we head back along a section of the B1203, right past the entrance to the track to Walesby. The path through theh woods is easy to follow, but it gradually gets more overgrown. It seems we took a wrong turn and it climbs and trees block the route, in what looks like a way to stop access.

We reach a small clearing and there are a few young mountainbikers standing around and one is perched up on a wooden platform. We ask about getting back to the road to Market Rasen and they say there's a way up ahead and we set off to find it.

It becomes clear this is a mountain biking area, with ramps and steep sections for riders to test their handling skills. We get a bit lost, but after going in a circle, eventually find a place where we can get on the B1203 and ride back to Rasen. It's gone four when we arrive at Tesco's parking area.

Dave drives us back to Lincoln and we head straight to the Morning Star and meet a couple of friends. Maggie has also agreed to come out, as she wants our expert opinion about a house she wants to buy in the neighborhood. Dave and I pop there with her and it appears OK, but Dave says he'll have to look inside and get up into the attic.

A loop from Market Rasen through Walesby and Tealby

Today's ride: 32 km (20 miles)
Total: 1,243 km (772 miles)

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