Our latest walk

Thursday 18th. April 2024

SWALLOW VALE & THE LINCOLNSHIRE WOLDS

Swallow, Quarry, A46, Irby Dales Wood, Riby Grove Farm, The Vale, Limber Road, Swallow (5m)

Members; Sherlock, Paul, Keith, & Stu.

Today was our first trip of the year over the Humber Bridge and onto the Lincolnshire Wolds. Despite weather that would be better suited to winter than spring these last few days, today was looking quite favourable. There was no rain forecast, the gusty cold north westerly wind had abated, and there was even a possibility of some sunshine! Could it be that spring is here at last?

We hit a bit of queuing traffic on the approach to the Humber Bridge, but once across the river and into North Lincolnshire, it was relatively traffic-free. Although we’ve done plenty of walking in Lincolnshire over the years, the small village of Swallow was a new destination for us. The village is located just off the A46 Lincoln to Grimsby road, a few miles east of Caistor. We arrived around 8.30 and parked in the village hall car park. There was a sign advertising a coffee morning later, plus games and chat. Fortunately, we’d staked our place in a quiet corner of the car park, and we weren’t expecting to return to find the car minus its wheels and standing on bricks. Swallow appears far too genteel for that sort of behaviour.

And so we headed east out of the village along a wide road—a lot wider than you might expect to find in such a small place. But this is what remains of the A46, which used to run through the centre of Swallow but now ends in a cul-de-sac at the far end of the village as it was by-passed in 1992. Once beyond the handful of houses along this stretch of quiet road, it abruptly ends and our route continues through a wooded area, although the tarmac is still visible in places under the greenery, along with short stretches of the white lines that used to run down the middle of the road.

Beyond this, we crossed the A46 and headed along a valley towards Irby Dales Wood, leaving the traffic noise behind us. We all appreciated the easy-going track with no mud or boggy sections to contend with. We’ve had enough of that recently to last us for the rest of the year. As we headed into the woodland, we spotted a deer ahead of us, but it had also seen and heard us. It stood watching us for a while as Keith attempted to take a photo, but it soon disappeared into the undergrowth.

Our route eventually turned north-west with a moderate climb up to the woods. As we gained a bit of height, the gentle breeze became a little brisker with a cooler edge to it, but nothing like the icy blast we’d endured over the previous two or three days. Close to Riby Grove Farm, we changed direction again, this time heading into a wooded valley named The Vale. This was a very pleasant part of the walk, with the many trees, shrubs, and bushes all bursting into leaf. Even the sun had come out, although it was more of a watery sun, but it was still good to feel the bit of heat it was giving out.

We decided this would be as good a place as any to stop for a brew and a butty. Stu and Keith got out of their respective collapsible seats, although disaster nearly struck as Keith’s seat started to roll down the slope back towards the footpath. There would have been a time when Keith would have given chase, but not these days. Instead, he was content to let it roll to a stop further down the slope before he went to retrieve it. Of course Paul and Sherlock offered every assistance, or they would have done had they not been helpless with laughter.

We hadn’t encountered anyone else during the morning, but a lone runner passed by while we were in The Vale, followed a little later by a group of walkers. One of the passing group commented that it was a bit early for lunch, but Paul told him we’d been out since four o’clock this morning. Did they believe us? Well, it’s hard to say, but they didn’t stop to pass the time of day with this bunch of ne-er-do-wells sat amongst the trees.

Break over, we continued on our way along this lovely winding route through The Vale which eventually leads onto a farm track, then along a lane, and back to the car in Swallow. When we got to the car park, we expected the village hall to be buzzing with people enjoying coffee, games, and chat, but the place looked as it did when we left over 3 hours earlier. Doors shut, curtains closed. Was it something we said?

To round off a good morning’s walk, we called in at The New Inn at Great Limber, the first time here for us. It had the look and feel of a hotel, but the young lady running the bar was friendly and welcoming, plus they had a decent selection of ales. An excellent end to a really good day—a great walk and good company. This is definitely one we’d do again.