Get Lost Mountaineering

Skellingthorpe Old Wood Tracks

Start/Finish

Skellingthorpe community centre where there is usually ample free parking. This is most easily reached from the Skellingthorpe roundabout on the A46 Lincoln bypass. Take the road into Skellingthorpe and the car park is roughly where the cycle track from Lincoln crosses the road.

Distance/Time

11 km/7 miles      About an hour

Introduction

This is a short pleasant cycle which uses cycle tracks and quiet roads. Most of the cycling in the Old Wood is on tracks designed for lorries but it can be boggy in a few places especially after rain. This route covers all of the good tracks in the Old Wood but does involve some repetition and doubling back.

Route

(1) From the community centre car park, follow the road (left) into Skellingthorpe. Turn right at the “triangle” by the Co-Op which is the start of the back road to Saxilby. Go past The Plough then turn left, onto Wood Bank, when the road bends to the right. Cycle to the end of Wood Bank where there is a red pillar box. Go right here and cycle past some large houses to reach the five way junction of bridleways . Turn right, NE, and cycle past some more large houses to reach the end of the Old Wood where it joins the back road from Skellingthorpe to Saxilby. Cycle back to the five way junction.

(2) Turn right, NNW, onto a minor bridleway. Follow this past a wide gate leading to a major track. Continue to soon reach the edge of the wood. Retrace back to the wide gate and follow the major track, W. Reach a junction where there is a picnic site under the trees on the left, a track goes left, a path goes right but the major track continues W. On this junction is a fence post carrying a carving of a bird of prey. Continue ahead to pass another track going off left. Reach a point where the main track swings left, a path goes ahead and a boggy, grassy track goes right. Stay with the major track which swings left. Reach another corner where the major track swings left but a minor track goes straight on. This point will also be reached later. Follow the minor track. Reach a more minor track going right but continue ahead. The track can now be muddy in places when wet but continue. Further on it narrows before becoming a major track which serves several houses. Continue ahead to reach the red pillar box at the end of Wood Bank.

(3) Turn left and reach, again, the five way junction. Turn left, for Old Wood House. Continue on the track after the house and reach a T junction. Continue ahead and reach, again, the picnic site junction. Turn left, W, and reach the next junction. Turn left and follow the track to a T junction. Turn left and soon reach the T junction reached after passing Old Wood House. Retrace back past the T junction and continue to the corner where the track bends round to the right. Turn left onto the minor track used earlier and follow it to the T junction. Turn right onto a more m inor track, muddy in places, and follow it to pass under a large arch just before the sustrans track. Turn left onto the sustrans track and follow it back to Skellingthorpe Community Centre.

Notes

(a) This cycle ride took place in April, 2020.