Arriving in Lincoln

After my visit to Spalding I drove on to Lincoln where I was staying for a couple of nights. Lincolnshire is well known for being very flat but there is one large hill in Lincoln on which a great cathedral was built in the 11th century. It is the fourth largest in the UK and as I have not seen it before this seems the perfect time to visit. I knew I was staying near the cathedral but I had done no research into my accommodation. I chose it because it was convenient to the old part of the city, had free parking and the price was reasonable. I was also intrigued by its name: 'The Old Palace'.

I put all my faith in my sat nav. However, as I was driving ever closer to the cathedral along cobbled streets full of pedestrians, I felt it was just a matter of time before I was stopped by the police for driving in a pedestrian only area! But no! All of a sudden, down a dead end was a sign saying 'The Old Palace'. The only way in was through a large locked gate. I pressed the buzzer and then had an anxious wait for a few minutes before a young gentlemen arrived to unlock the gates and to show me my parking space.


In front of me was a church. I really had done no research into where I would be laying my head tonight and had no idea it would be a converted church.

I was told that a medieval church had been on this site since 1685 but this present one was built in 1871. However when a larger one was needed to accommodate the boys at Christ's Hospital School, the church was no longer needed by the Diocese of Lincoln and went through a period of change finally becoming a Bed and Breakfast in 2011. There are 16 rooms altogether of a variety of sizes. I had booked a single room but was delighted to find I had been upgraded to a double room on my arrival.

After a short rest and cup of tea I left my cosy room to have a quick look around my surroundings especially the Cathedral which was just a stone's throw away.

It was time for evensong when I walked in so I decided to stay and listen. It was beautiful to just sit back and enjoy the singing of the Cathedral choir. I couldn't have timed it better.

The cathedral was almost empty as I left and I was able to just wander around and absorb the atmosphere.

I left the Cathedral and wandered around the old part of the city. The light was fading and the shops were closing. Day visitors had gone home. It was very, very quiet.

I looked forward to exploring more of the city tomorrow.

This was the street I had driven up to get to the B and B.

View from the Old Palace car park.

The alternative trip - Day 1: Spalding

 The sun was shining this morning as I set off on my alternative trip. For those of you who follow my blog you will be well aware of my decision to cancel my trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand just two days before leaving due to the Corona virus. Although it meant a big financial loss it was the right thing to do. So instead of arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam today,  I  packed my car with clothes for every eventuality from mountain climbing in the Lake district to chilling out with family and friends and left London.  Before leaving I had booked somewhere to stay this evening in Lincoln, a city I had not visited before but somewhere I was keen to explore.
The drive North was very pleasant. Being a Sunday there was not much traffic on the roads and I was not in a rush to get anywhere. For a number of years I have driven backwards and forwards to the North and as the years went on the sightings of kestrels flying/ hovering by the motorways had decreased. Today I was delighted to see 8 different sightings of Kestrels hovering close to the road. A good start to the trip.

After a couple of hours driving I stopped at the small town of Spalding. The only thing I knew about this town was that many spring flowers and bulbs are grown here. I did see fields of  daffodils in bud but I couldn't stop to take a photo. Just outside the town was a shopping outlet and landscaped gardens. So I had a pleasant wander around.

I then walked along beside the river into the town.

The local cinema.

There has been an inn on this site since the 14th century.

Chatterton Water Tower built in 1955 is capable of storing 3.4 million litres of fresh, clean water.

The River Welland that flows East to West through the town.

Ye Olde White Horse is a 16th century Inn with a thatched roof. Sadly it closed down at the end of last year.

Almshouses.

Parish church of St Mary and St Nicholas.

Can't resist taking photos of stained glass windows. The top one shows the potato growers.

Ayscoughee Hall. The house, which is now a museum was built for a local wool merchant in the 15th century and is very much as it was when built.

 

I returned to the car and continued my journey across the Fens to Lincoln. The Fens were drained several centuries ago and are now a flat, damp agricultural area covering much of Lincolnshire.

Using public transport

I am on a train in Edinburgh on my way to a popular tourist spot. I was the only one on this carriage as it left Edinburgh. Only one other person boarded the train before I got off four stations down the line. I can only assume this is in part due to the corona virus as the weather was glorious.










This is where I was headed.

My travel update

Thank you for all your comments about my travel dilemma. Until I had made my final decision I could think of nothing else. So much so, that these photos were taken whilst on a short cut back from one of my 'Underground' walks, only it wasn't a shortcut. I ended up walking alongside the wrong branch of the river in the wrong direction! Still what's another 3 miles added to a walk when you want some thinking time!

So instead of packing my case with summer clothes and getting on a flight to Hanoi tomorrow I will be putting my waterproofs and woolies into a backpack and heading north in my little car (once I have had a new tyre put on it!!).

The risk for me of bringing back the coronavirus from Vietnam, Cambodia or Thailand to my family (my daughter's health puts her into a high risk category) was too high.  I would also have to go into self isolation for 14 days.

The downside is that I cannot claim a refund either from the travel company or my insurance company as travel is still being allowed to these countries. Anyway, I'll let you know where I end up over the next couple of weeks on my trip around the UK on a shoestring.