Get Lost Mountaineering

Walk 20 Skellingthorpe Moor Plantation Birchwood Nature Park 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

6 km/4 miles    About 1 – 2 hours

Introduction

On the south side of Skellingthorpe, Skellingthorpe Moor Plantation is bisected by the busy A46 so the first half of this route stays on the eastern side of the A46 and continues onto Birchwood Nature Park. There are numerous paths which makes it almost impossible to accurately describe a route but navigation is not too difficult as the wood is not very wide. The paths are worst at the Skellingthorpe Road end and best at the Doddington Road end. Once Doddington Road is reached, the A46 is crossed by Doddington Roundabout then a path, noisy in places, is followed to Skellingthorpe Moor Plantation, visiting the rmains of the old WW2 bomb stores before going around the edge of Skellingthorpe Moor to reach Wiseholme Holt, the nicest part of this walk. There are many rhododendrons so visiting at the end of May allows these to be seen at their best. In March, there are white wood anemones and in April there are bluebells on the forest floor. At busy times, the A46 will be heard if not seen.

Route

(1) From the community centre car park walk out onto Lincoln Road and turn right towards the Skellingthorpe roundabout. Cross Waterloo Lane and continue, past Skellingthorpe Hall and Daisy Made to reach Skellingthorpe roundabout. On the right of the road is an island which helps with crossing. Continue ahead into Skellingthorpe Road for about 100 metres until a path goes off on the right into the wood with two large stone blocks soon after its start. The general rule for this walk through the wood, Skellingthorpe Moor Plantation, which has numerous paths, some dead ends, is to try and on the left hand side of the wood but don't go out of the wood except soon after the start. It may be necessary to backtrack in places. To the right, the busy A46 is going to be heard but not usually seen. To the left is housing which will be frequently spotted on this route. There are some shallow but muddy ditches which need to be avoided although some makeshift “bridges” have appeared. Follow the path. Very soon there is a way out of the wood to the left but ignore it. Pass an old, small dam which is on your right and keep going. Soon another path leads left and out of the wood so follow this (staying in the wood is very rough). Follow the street for about 50 m then take a path back into the wood about opposite No. 37. If the second path out of the wood looks too overgrown then retrace back to the first path which exits opposite about number 27. Get back on course following the left side of the wood. It is difficult to describe in detail the route from here but remember to stay left and don't leave the wood again until you reach Doddington Road. Eventually, the path should become an old tarmac track which soon crosses another track where to the left is housing and to the right is the A46.

(2) Cross over the track and continue on a similar track to where the track splits. If you look around here, you will find an old loading platform from the last war. Fork left and keep taking the left option at any junction so long as you stay in the wood. Eventually reach some old, low brick buildings left over from World War 2. Continue ahead still keeping to the left and soon reach a sign saying you are now in Birchwood Nature Park. Keep following the left side of the wood and pass a large field on the right which you will effectively walk around. When almost past the field, it is worth taking a short detour to the edge of the field where there is an information board and a statue of a dog. This detour is just before a grassy triangle is reached. Return to the perimeter path and continue to pass “The Pond” then reach the Doddington Road entrance where there are more statues and more information including an aerial photograph of what was the runway of RAF Birchwood during the last war; this is opposite Damon's Restaurant and a petrol station.

(3) Exit the park onto Doddington Road and turn right. Cross the busy Doddington Roundabout on its right hand side where there is a designated crossing place but no zebra crossing to help you across safely. Continue a very short distance down Doddington Road to reach a path going right and into the wood. Follow this path through the wood ignoring any minor paths going off it. At times, you will be very close to the A46 but the path then drifts away before coming back. When you reach a stile (access from the A46), go left and you are now in Skellingthorpe Moor Plantation. Follow the path. When it curves around to the right, ignore the path going off left, and continue. Reach a path junction where there is an earth mound off to the right. This is where the old bomb store is so take a short detour then return to the main path. Continue following this through the wood, going left at any junction until you reach the corner of the wood where it is a bit of a squeeze to get out. Just outside the wood are the remains of an old concrete road. Follow this short road then continue around the edge of the field aiming for the wood opposite Skellingthorpe Moor Plantation. That wood is Wiseholme Holt. The edge path eventually joins a track so turn left on the track and follow it until a metal gate on the left is reached from where there are good views across fields to Skellingthorpe Moor Plantation. Opposite the metal gate is a path into the wood, Wiseholme Holt which soon crosses a small bridge.

(4) Follow the path through Wiseholme Holt wood which seems a much more pleasant wood to walk through than Skellingthorpe Moor Plantation. There is a good path all the way. The general rule is to go right at any junction until the end of the wood is reached. The only ditch to be crossed now has a pipe covered in gravel to make a bridge so it is easily crossed. At the end of the wood, go left and follow a path which comes out behind some houses. This path offers some alternatives as there are some fallen trees although these have now been tidied up. When on the path behind the houses, turn right and continue. Go down a narrow passage to reach h the road called Gardenfield. Turn left and continue ahead to reach Waterloo Lane. Turn right to reach Lincoln Road then turn left back to the community centre.

Notes

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