Lincoln Summer 2024 Day Out

23/07/24

Me Lacey, Max and Lola

Today's trip was a bit of a dual purpose visit. I wanted to give the kids a day out without too much walking (as Max's ingrowing toenail gives him issues) but with enough interest to entertain them. I also have always wanted to see Magna Carta which is ridiculous as this is the first real effort I have put in to do so. There were 4 centres to this trip, the castle, lunch, the cathedral and the Steep Hill.

At the end of each section there will be a series of photos taken by Lacey. Mine as usual are meant to be narrative photos Lacey's are more personalised and creative.

The Castle

We entered the rear of the castle from the car park which was conveniently across the road.

The kids headed straight for the map of the castle to see where everything was, such enthusiasm was a satisfying relief. Lola spotted the dragon lazing in the corner under the wall. I wondered why a giant George III statue was on the grass in splendid isolation, maybe I should google it but we had already agreed in the car not to use our mobile phones today so I could hardly break the agreement in the first 5 minutes.

The first activity was to climb onto the walls via a very tall spiral staircase. Max's fear of heights wasn't helped by the high level walkway being somewhat flexible. The walk on the wall top was solid but the walkway was bouncy. The view of Lincoln Cathedral was just perfect, spectacular even. The observation tower to our right was impressively high. Looking back over the castle grounds we could see the red building which was the entrance to the prison and the magna carta exhibition centre. The stone building immediately opposite is the current courthouse and not accessible to visitors. I explained the origin of the red pan tiles, much in abundance on the roofs of Lincoln, being linked to the return cargo from ships transporting wool to the low countries. We spent ages just looking. There were information plaques on the walls which Max took upon himself to kindly read out to us. He did this at every plaque and it was as good as having a guide, well done Max.

We took our time completing the circuit of the walls looking into every tower and room that was accessible. The frequent stops for the information plaques made for a wonderfully relaxed progress. I enjoyed the long views over Lincoln and did start to plan to come back to do some more serious walks.

The furious Dragon bellowing and smoking in the corner delighted us especially the youngest.

The top of the Observation tower up a very narrow spiral staircase was quite exposed and a little frightening it was so high. We advised Max not to come up and he was happy to stay below. The higher view of the Cathedral and town was impressive. Even from the bottom of the tower it was a splendid view.

Back down the spiral staircase and onto solid earth to the relief of at least one of our party.

What a great start to the day.

Magna Carta was next on the list through the red building. The exhibition was dark to protect the document and photography was prohibited. The lady guide at the exhibit responding to Lola's muse about how they wrote the document produced vellum and a writing implement so Lola could feel and get a better understanding. It was a nice touch.

We went down into the cinema and watched the King John and Magna Carta film presentation. It was suprisingly good and not too informative. The kids actually liked it.

For me this was an incredible moment to actually be next to Magna Carta. wow.

On to the prison.

I think the kids liked the prison more than I did, indeed Lola was quite moved by one of the stories in a cell about a young boy who died waiting for his sentence to be carried out. Many of the cells were themed to show different aspects of the prison. It was a very good and in many places hands on exhibition including dressing up and drawing etc. I am sure we could have spent a lot longer there. All I could think about was Godbar and Norman Stanley Fletcher.

The following photos are all Lacey's

Lunch

The fish and chips at The Elite Fish and Chip restaurant were epic and we all commented on the wonderful fish and in Lacey's case the battered chicken burger hit the spot.

We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch which on a day out is a real bonus.

Cathedral

We did spend about an hour looking around the cathedral which was ok. I never like cathedrals as much as castles but the kids were enjoying themselves. We dawdled in the cloisters which were actually really good. The exhibition was a little dry but Lola seemed enchanted so maybe I just don't get it. I really marvel at the carvings and sheer size and age of the structure.

The picture of 3 policemen taking a selfie with their helmets giving the impression of dwarf police riders tickled me.

The following are Lacey's more expressive impressions of the Cathedral.

Steep Hill.

The final part of today's day out was a walk down and up Steep Hill. I did intend to go all the way down to the river but Lola was flagging before the gate so I decided it was better to keep the river for another day.

My photo of the gate at the bottom of Steep Hill was marred by the unexpected appearance of a van. The way back up gives a good impression of the hill and the quietness of the street. To be fair it was a lot busier than this photo suggests. To everyones joy we found a great icecream cafe at the top of the hill and we all had really good icecream cones. We had the following flavours, see if you can guess who had what. Coffee, Strawberry and Cream, Salted Caramel, Bubblegum.

Back to the car through the castle grounds and a swift journey back to Barnsley. What a thouroughly enjoyable day out for all.

Lacey's photos of the town.