How To Spend A Wonderful Winter’s Day  

Who knew Lincoln was such a wonderful place to be in the winter season?!

I’d have assumed so from images in my mind of quaint tea rooms - but what reaffirmed this idea for me was an overnight stay in Lincoln’s historic centre back in November.

After a speedy train journey to Lincoln from London’s Kings Cross I was initially surprised by how modern and trendy the city felt - but I soon discovered that the Cathedral Quarter is almost like a small village within the city itself.

Walking up towards Steep Hill (clue in the name, phewph!) the Cathedral Towers were glowing majestically at the top - a very impressive sight to behold on a dark evening from the cobbled street below!

As I arrived in the evening the Cathedral was closed, but I wanted to get an up-close view of its spectacular exterior - it was in fact the tallest building in the world for a significant period of history until an earthquake caused the spire to collapse!

Lincoln is packed with history which stretches right back to the Romans and I was keen to see as much of it as I could, starting early the next day…

Lincoln Castle & the Magna Carta

Much of Lincoln’s story is revealed within the old castle walls, brought to life with a guided tour around the grounds that shared a lot of Royal history and its time as a prison. On select weekends in January, February and March the castle also has dog friendly days.

After seeing inside the prison and piecing together facts contained with the numerous cells, I headed down to the vault that protects one of the original copies of the Magna Carta - an amazing piece of history to see up close but do check before you go as it might not be available to view.

Included with your castle admission ticket is entry to the Medieval Walls which you access via a staircase or lift. I decided to save this for the end of my trip and made my way over to the cathedral, only minutes away by foot.

Lincoln Cathedral’s Roof Tour

My timing to Lincoln Cathedral was good as the next guided Roof Tour was about to set off and there was a space available. The Roof Tour is an additional charge on the price you pay to explore the cathedral, but it was well worth it as you get around 90 minutes in a small group with a guide telling you all about the history.

A certain level of fitness is required and a head for heights (there’s a disclaimer to read before undertaking the tour), but what awaits is an incredible view of the city, an intriguing look of the woodwork that holds up the roof and a shuffle along a narrow passage above the Cathedral interior after passing by one of the beautiful stained-glass windows.

I’m sure there’s so much to see in Lincoln Cathedral beyond the roof tour, I feel like I only caught a glimpse, but made sure to stop by the architectural wonder that is the Chapter house. In mid-February the Lincoln Cathedral interior will be illuminated with an artistic light display which looks fantastic!

Cream Tea at Bells Tea Shop

Walking along the winding streets provided many tempting options for lunch, dinner or a drink - The Cardinal’s Hat for example at the end of the High Street looked so incredibly inviting on a cool evening with its little nooks and bookshelves. The Magna Carta pub and Olivares also had a similar appeal - you could easily spend a day or weekend hopping between the cosy tea rooms and pubs in Lincoln.

I like the idea of warming up over a plate of comfort food from Browns Pie Shop, but, true to form a pot of tea and a scone is just what I was after at Bells Tea Shop - the hot chocolate menu also sounded impressive if you enjoy those!

With daylight and my time in Lincoln coming to an end I went back to the castle with my ticket for a final rooftop view of the city from the Medieval Walls. The sun managed to peak the clouds to illuminate the Cathedral face for a moment - a lovely visual to end my first trip in this beautiful and historic city.

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