Viking Way, Stage 10: Honington to Woolsthorpe by Belvoir.

Our walk today began along the green lane of Frinkley Lane, first west and then south for a while where we could see both a Virgin train on the East Coast Main Line and a Virgin hot air balloon, which kept appearing and disappearing through the heavy overcast.  Autumn was in full swing now and ash trees, especially, were displaying excellent colour.  We made our way first past the River Witham and then over fields to the village of Marston.

We continued along quiet tracks and riverside meadows to Long Bennington where we had to cross the busy A1 via a bridge.  Beyond the A1 the route took us along the excellent green lane of Sewstern Lane an ancient Bronze Age drove road and later a Roman Salt Road.  Sadly today parts of it have been used (abused?) by off road vehicles, both two wheeled and four wheel and they have made an appalling mess of it, making it very difficult for walking and impossible for cycling without a great deal of determination.  Surely there is a case for this pastime to be pursued on purpose built courses in order to leave green lanes for less destructive means of transport.

The final section of today's walk was along the old Grantham Canal before climbing up a sunken green lane which was a riot of Autumn colour back up to the car.  The Grantham canal was completed in 1797 to connect Grantham with the River Trent.  It was closed in 1929 , but recently the Grantham Canal Society have been involved in a restoration project.

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Viking Way, Stage 9: Wellingore to Honington

After shuffling the cars around so that we had one at each end of our walk, Dorothy, Steve, Heather and myself parked up outside the limestone church at Wellingore ready to begin our assault on the 9th leg of our campaign to walk the Viking Way.

Today's rout was to take us across the Lincoln Heath, mostly along the old Roman Road of Ermine Street and then down to the plain of the River Witham at Honington.  Today the Lincoln Heath is neat farmland, but as recently as the mid 18th century it was still true heathland; inhospitable and dangerous.So much so that the Dunstan Pillar was built as a land lighthouse to guide travellers across this dangerous plateau.  In fact, John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington, one of the most notable diarists and travellers in the 18th Century and well-known for his horseback travels through England writes about it in his Torrington's Tours of Lincolnshire.

Ermine Street was the major Roman Highway between London and York and runs in a dead straight line across the heath.  As this was to be the route of the first part of our day I wondered how much interest there would be in it, assuming we weren't to find the lost standard of the 9th!!!  I needn't have worried, however, as, although straight, this excellent wide green lane undulated and made its way round woods and plantations and gave plenty of variety.  I enjoyed examining the defences of the old RAF Wellingore airfield and the warm yellow limestone walls lining the route were a treat.  We were beginning to see the first signs of Autumn now, as well, with rosehips a plenty and leaves changing colour.  Nearby is the well-preserved Knights Templar preceptory of Temple Bruer.  The Knights Templar were formed in the 12th century to protect pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land.  Their order eventually spread throughout Europe becoming immensely wealthy and powerful.

Just before we left Ermine Street we passed Byard's Leap, the site of an old Lincolnshire legend involving a local knight who set out on his faithful horse Byard to rid the area of a local with, Old Meg'.  Meg is said to have sunk her nails into Byard who leapt three great paces forward before the witch was finally dispatched.  Horseshoes still mark the site of this supposed event.

Beyond Byard's leap our route took us west down the escarpment of the Lincoln Edge and into the village of Carlton Scroop, before continuing by field paths and lanes to the beginning of the green lane of Frinkley Lane near Honington where we had left the second car.  As we neared the end of today's journey the hedges were heavy with huge blackberries, what a pity we had nothing to put them in.

Yet another excellent day.

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