Back in April I spent a weekend on the Lincolnshire Coast with my mum. We’d been invited by the Lincolnshire Coast tourist board to come up north and experience the beaches, the restaurants and the scenery for ourselves.
Lincoln is a cool city, so I’m told, but that wasn’t what we there for, we wanted THE COAST. The Lincolnshire Coast is a popular area for retirees, for caravan parks, and for anyone wanting to experience the great British countryside – but I’d never been.
Day one
Our first port of call was the Seaside Lodge at Anderby Creek, right by the beach. Lincolnshire is a long way (6 hours drive) from me in Southsea, so I was ready to chill by the time I got all the way up there. And that’s exactly what this place is for.
The Seaside Lodge is family-owned and set right by a fishing lake. It’s also just a three-minute walk from a huge (and amazingly sandy) beach, and the UK’s only Cloud Bar at Anderby Creek. When I read ‘Cloud Bar’ I totally thought it was a bar on the beach with a cloud theme – it’s not. It’s actually a viewing point for you to admire the clouds around the beach, and to learn more about the formations.
We spent the evening watching the sunset from said Cloud Bar on the beach, trying to work it out, listening to music in the lodge and cooking up some Lincolnshire sausages for dinner, along with some wine. We were ready for the weekend to begin.
Day two
Let’s start with one of the busiest places on the Lincolnshire Coast, Mablethorpe. It’s a typical seaside town with arcades, fish and chip shops, sweet shops and fudge and candy everywhere. Again, I was genuinely amazed by the beach here as I didn’t know Lincolnshire had such big sandy ones. Amazing on a summer’s day.
In Mablethorpe we sat by the beach with a coffee, played in the arcades for two hours, went in and out of the cheapo and charity shops and then sat and had fish and chips from the famous Salty’s by the sea. Depending on the weather and how much you want to spend in the arcades you can expect to spend half to a full day here. In the afternoon we drove to the Seal Sanctuary and Wildlife Centre, just a few minutes up the road, to see some of the many seals they rescue each year. There were SO many animals there, from meerkats to monkeys to emus and of course, the seals.
If the weather is playing fair, you can wander Mablethorpe’s six-miles of blue-flag award-winning beach. It wasn’t for us, so I didn’t, but I did get out of the car to check out the landmark beach huts. Colourful and lining the beach you can rent the beach huts out for the day so you have somewhere to store your stuff, and to retreat to with a kettle if the weather turns. Loved these!
If you’re looking for more beach action nearby you can check out Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe dunes Beach National Nature Reserve, a 10-minute drive away. Here you’ll find unspoilt marshlands, quiet trails and, apparently, a lesser spotted natterjack toad or two hopping about.
Day three
My mum loves a charity shop, so we spent the route from Woodhall Spa to the Gunby Estate popping in to the little villages and seeing what their charity shops were like. To be honest, expensive. I was going to buy a Wagamama cookbook to satisfy my regular yaki soba cravings but it was £7.99!
Anyway, we had fun and it was nice to see the little villages and towns. Make sure to visit the Old School House in Horncastle for a nice cup of tea.
The Gunby Estate was great. A nice manageable sized house for small attention spans and a real house where up until quite recently, a family actually lived. We were taken on a private tour around the rooms – mainly left as they were, with the original features, so you can imagine living there yourself. The grounds of the Gunby Estate were impressive, with cherry blossom trees, a Spring Walkway to follow and a karp pool, as well as outhouses. If you like plants, and cats, you’re gonna love it.
Seaside Lodge
Seaside Lodge is a two bedroomed, two bathroomed cottage-like lodge with outdoors table and chairs, a BBQ and a seating area. Inside you have two lounge areas, a kitchen table and all the mod cons of a kitchen so you can save money by cooking your own food.
We stayed one night and were very comfortable listening to music, drinking wine and eating a Lincolnshire sausage sandwich. It was so peaceful I think I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
From the centre of Lincoln to the Seaside Lodge took around 1hr 15 mins through beautiful country roads.
Should you spend a weekend in Lincolnshire?
After the craziness of the weeks before I decided that a weekend in Lincolnshire is the perfect place to actually relax. There’s all the traditional British seaside you could want, shops to keep you busy and a few quirky things like the Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary and the Gunby Estate to keep it unique.
Driving around the Lincolnshire Wolds was beautiful, especially on the third morning when we were up by the Petwood Hotel and the RAF air space, seeing the planes in the sky. I’d definitely recommend checking the area out – try and pick a sunny weekend for it, or you might just end up in the arcades and chippy instead of on the beach (loved it!).