Get Lost Mountaineering

Walk 17 Sustrans (E), Catchwater Drain, Perimeter & Wiseholme Holt

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

7 km/4 miles      About 1 – 2 hours plus

Introduction

This route roughly follows the perimeter of the main part of Skellingthorpe village. It includes a pleasant short section in the Old Wood, a more pleasant section through Wiseholme Holt wood but also passes the animal rendering plant so is not recommended if it is leaking foul smells which happens from time to time.

Route

(1) From the community centre car park walk cross Lincoln Road and follow the sustrans track towards Lincoln. After about 500 m, reach a path crossing the track (signposts). Turn left and follow the path, going upstream alongside Catchwater Drain. The path and drain curve to the left as the houses are reached but stay with the path and drain until it meets a road (close to the prominent bend on the main road through the village). Turn right and go past St. Lawrence's School then church and take the path down the far side of the church. This emerges on the back road to Saxilby. Turn left and follow the road to the obvious bend where you go straight on which is called Woodbank. Follow this road to its end by a post box where it splits. Ignore the right fork and continue ahead but fork left ,signed, after about 100 metres. Follow the track which eventually becomes a path in the Old Wood to reach the sustrans track. Turn left then immediate right onto another path which leads past the rendering plant to emerge on the road into Skellingthorpe from Doddington Road.

(2) Turn left and walk towards the centre of Skellingthorpe, passing some stables (behind trees on the right) then turn right into Queensway. Follow the road down to the end where it goes left and follow that to the turning circle at its end. Take the track, signpost, from the turning circle which goes past some houses before becoming a path in a wood. Cross 2 bridges going right at the only junction and follow the path until it emerges on a track near Bird's Holt Farm. Turn left and follow the track to its end where it meets the end of Waterloo Lane. Turn right into the field before the first house then follow the path behind the houses to the corner of the field then go left and look for the not very obvious entrance into Wiseholme Holt wood which immediately crosses a small bridge.

(3) Follow the good path through the wood taking the right fork at any junction until you are forced to go left before a large fence. Follow the path out of the wood to join a grassy path behind some bungalows. Turn right then go down a narrow paasge to emerge on Gardenfield (road). Turn left and continue ahead to reach Waterloo Lane. Turn right to reach Lincoln Road then turn left and soon return to the Community Centre.

Notes

(a) This walk took place in May, 2020.