Lots of love for the Lincolnshire Wolds!

Despite being one of the largest counties in the UK, Lincolnshire was, until relatively recently, rarely considered as a holiday destination, beyond Butlins in Skegness of course! That is changing, thanks in many ways to the tireless work of organisations such as Love Lincolnshire Wolds. 

When we initially had the idea to create self-catered accommodation on our farm, we had no idea there were so many groups of people – some paid, others not – working together to promote the area as not only a great place to visit, but also to live and work. Over the course of the first year of The Old Granary being open, we’ve been incredibly lucky to welcome guests from all over the world, including Tennessee, Beijing, Canada, Germany and, of course, plenty from within the UK. 

Welcoming journalists and bloggers to The Old Granary

In the past few months in particular, Owmby has hosted a couple of travel writers, courtesy of Love Lincs Wolds’ efforts to showcase the area. First, in early summer came Claie, a journalist from The Sun, and her family, whose trip featured in Fabulous magazine. Whilst The Sun may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it was amazing to see our accommodation in full colour in a national publication – something we’d worked so hard to bring to life being seen by hundreds of thousands of readers, who’d have thought it! 

Following that we were delighted to have Gemma, a blogger whose Gemma Goes Global series has over 30k followers on social media and an even greater reach from her website. Her trip took in lots of lovely spots around the area – you can read all about it here – including our fabulous local pub The Cross Keys, recently shortlisted for a couple of Taste of Excellence awards, and visits to places which hold great memories for us, too. 

Finding hidden gems in the Lincolnshire Wolds

Given that my sister Clare and I grew up in Lincolnshire, then left for ten years, returning a few years ago to enjoy more space with our respective families and to use our business skills to help the farm diversify, it’s sometimes a surprise that people don’t realise what the county, and the Wolds in particular, has to offer. From challenging hills for cyclists, my husband tells me Nettleton, Walesby and Claxby are his favourites, to long, rambling walks such as the Viking Way, there’s plenty in the great outdoors to keep everyone interested. Gemma visited Tealby, one of the most sought after villages in the top half of the county, and somewhere I spent many happy hours running with friends (and our dogs!) before moving closer to the farm a couple of years ago. Coincidentally, Tealby is home to a chap who once gave my husband a piece of advice: “if you don’t go, you’ll never know”. This applies in spades to the Lincolnshire Wolds, you just need to get out there and find out what is hidden around the next corner.

Did you know about the Lincolnshire flag? 

A little bit of extra info for you as you come to the end of this entry, do you know why the Lincolnshire flag looks as it does (see picture above)? I shall enlighten you: 

• The yellow represents the crops grown in the county (fantastic potatoes, of course!), as well as the nickname “Yellowbellies” given to people born and bred in Lincolnshire. 
• Blue represents both the sea of the East coast and the wide skies of Lincolnshire
• Green symbolises the rich lushness of fenland fields
• The fleur de lys is a recognised symbol of the City of Lincoln
• And the red cross is the Saint George’s Cross, representing England.

You’ll find plenty of big, blue skies and glorious crops when you wander across, through or around the Wolds, the lush green fields aren’t reserved for the fenland in the south, either, and the sea is only a short drive away – well worth it to visit Cleethorpes, Donna Nook (for seals, particularly at this time of year) and Sandilands, the scene of many happy summer days in my youth!

Live, work and stay in Lincolnshire

We consider ourselves incredibly lucky to live and work where we do. Hopefully, by being part of the increasing network of accommodation and visitor attractions across the county, we will see more and more people enjoying the fresh air, beautiful scenery and rich history Lincolnshire has to offer. For more ideas of places to go and things to do, take a look at our journal entry from April: Visiting Lincolnshire: Ten Things You Have to See and Do! And you can follow us and say hello on Instagram and Facebook for more lovely views, stories about farming and ideas for trips in and around Lincolnshire. 

Finally, I must thank the team at Love Lincolnshire Wolds for their support and all the work they do promoting the area. Great views and wonderful countryside is a great starting point, but it’s the people who really make an area great. Come and see for yourself, you won’t regret it!