River Witham And Brayford Pool

I headed north along Sincil Street, past the Market Hall until I came to a canal with a few canal boats moored up. The canal was actually the River Witham and I started following it westwards. I crossed the High Street and continued following the river on the other side. This brought me to Brayford Pool which was more of a lake than a pool. I was surprised at its large size. I intended to walk around the lake and so I set off in a clockwise direction. Most of the buildings around the lake were modern builds. On the north side were the retail outlets and on the south side were the Lincoln University buildings. A lot of the water area seemed to be taken up with boats using the marina. The Brayford Pool provided a nice circuit for a walk. 

I followed its southern bank and this offered great views across the water to the Castle and Cathedral on the hill. The marina was crammed with boats. I guess most of them would sail along the River Witham in the east  and the Foss Dyke to the west to explore the surrounding waterways. There were a few information boards dotted about. One told me that the Romans probably brought in supplies to Lincoln from the Wash, a distance of 36 miles along the River Witham. Later on, Viking long boats would have been a common sight on Brayford Pool. The waterways were used as a transport system to build the Castle and Cathedral. During the 18th and 19th century, Brayford wharves would have been packed with boats transporting corn, seed and grain to and from the warehouses, mills and breweries along its banks. Cargoes such as wheat would have been transported by boat from Hull, sailing up the Humber, along the Trent and then the Fossdyke to Brayford. The railway revolution led to the area’s trading decline, although commercial barges still existed up until the 1970s. The gentrified area now still continues trading, but more in the line of hotels and restaurants. The University buildings were modern and were ideally located so that students could sit in a lecture hall and look out of the windows across Brayford Pool towards the Castle and Cathedral. Most of the University buildings were built on reclaimed land that used to form part of the lake. The lake narrowed into the Fossdyke canal and I  crossed it  to access the north side of the lake. It was a pleasant walk along the bank. I came across a building that had a distinct wavy white roof. The building was constructed in 1959 for the Lincolnshire Motor Company as a garage and car showroom. The hyperbolic paraboloid shell reinforced concrete roof was innovative at the time. The building is still going strong and has now been made into restaurants. I completed the circuit of Bayford Pool and followed the River Witham back to the High Street. 

Head North

I headed north along the High Street. This brought me to the Guildhall. It was possible to take a tour of the premises, but I didn’t have time today. The High Street was pretty much like any other high street in towns and cities. It didn’t surprise me when I came across a Greggs and I stopped off for a vegan sausage roll. The High Street became more interesting when it turned into The Strait, a narrow cobbled road that gradually went uphill. I found a small shop on the street that sold salvaged instrumentation equipment from World War II bombers and fighters. Oxygen masks were even on sale. There is a market for anything nowadays.      

The Strait turned into the famous Steep Hill, another narrow cobbled road. The Roman road, Ermine Street that linked London to York, was positioned just to the west of Steep Hill. I’d seen and read so much about Steep Hill; I’d even been warned about its steepness by a friend. I was destined therefore to be slightly disappointed at the reality. It was steep, but not excessively so. Even with my  limp, it didn’t present any difficulties. There were a few gift shops, novelty shops and tea rooms along its route, if you need to stop for a rest. Steep Hill levelled off at the Tourist Office. At this point I went a short distance along Castle Hill, entered the Castle and followed its perimeter along the Castle’s wall. This wall-walk was excellent and an account of this, as well as visiting the Prison and viewing the Magna Carta inside the Castle, can be found in my Captain’s Log, Lincoln Castle And Prison. Note that you have to pay to walk the Castle walls. After the Castle (whether you choose to tour it or not), I turned right and passed through the archway of the Exchequer. This was the building where tenants who rented property from the church came to pay their rents. A chequered cloth was used to aid the counting of the rent monies. It is from the alternating black and white pattern of the cloth that we get the word ‘Exchequer’, and chequerboard, for that matter. 

Lincoln Cathedral

I’d got glimpses of the Cathedral from afar and views of its towers as I walked through Lincoln's streets, but the view of it as I walked through the arch of the Exchequer was astounding. Its limestone west face soared skywards with the twin towers looking massive. I visited the Cathedral and an account of this is in the Captain Log, Lincoln Cathedral. Note that there is a fee to enter the Cathedral. After the Cathedral tour, I walked around the perimeter of the building. The limestone glowed in the morning sun. On its north-eastern side I came across a statue dedicated to Lord Tennyson. The poet was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire in 1809. He became Poet Laureate after William Wordsworth’s death in 1850. The statue was built by one of his friends, George Frederick Watts and finished in 1903. I finished my circuit of Lincoln Cathedral at the Exchequer again. 

Newport Arch

I retraced my steps to the Tourist Office at the top of Steep Hill and then headed northwards along Bailgate. A short distance along the road, I came to the White Hart Hotel. The hotel is famous for being the venue of top secret military meetings in 1915 where the concept for the world’s first tank was conceived by a Lincoln engineering company called Fosters. There were a few more pubs, restaurants and outlets along the road; I even found another Greggs. After about 5 minutes walking I finally came to the Newport Arch. This formed part of the Roman city wall, a surviving section of which is to the east of the Arch. It is the oldest arch in the United Kingdom still used by traffic; the Romans certainly knew how to build. It was the north gate of the city and it carried the major Roman road Ermine Street in almost a straight line to the River Humber. 

Return

I retraced my steps down Bailgate to the Tourist Office. Steep Hill didn’t present any problems on the descent; it really wasn’t that steep! Back at the High Street, I bought a pasty and coffee and sat at a seating area. There was a metal plaque dedicated to George Boole. He was born about 300 metres to the east.   

I continued down the High Street and back under the Guildhall. Lincoln hasn’t escaped the homeless and druggies; I came across a few on today’s walk. I guess it is a sign of the times. On a brighter note, the city had an event underway that involved placing large inflatable characters on the top of buildings. There had been even one on the top of the Exchequer. As I turned on to St Mary’s Street I found one looking down at me from the top of one of the buildings.     

It had been a tremendous 2 days in Lincoln. I wished that I’d booked 3 so that I could have visited the museums and art gallery. The place oozes history and there seemed to be some curiosity around every corner. The size of Bayford Pool was a surprise and provided a picturesque start to the day. The Castle/Prison and Cathedral are unmissable if you decide to visit.