Summer holidays 2019 - Lincolnshire - Post 3

Here's our final post from our lovely week in Lincolnshire courtesy of Travelzoo and the prize I won with them.

Friday 16th August 2019

The weather wasn't great today but we couldn't visit Lincolnshire without a visit to Lincoln and more specifically Lincoln Castle! So we braved the elements and headed out.

This place just blew us away with its history. We LOVED the audio tour.

Heading up and standing at the observatory tower was amazing...

...although not everyone agreed as she wasn't so keen on heights!

The prisons were fascinating. There were some of the cells for children to dress up in costumes from the past - what the prisoners wore, the prison governors clothes, the prison medic etc.

When we visited they also had a Vivienne Westwood #BondageToLiberation exhibition on.

 As one of the first segregation prisons, prisoners were even kept separate from each other in the chapel in these individual sections where they would be locked into and unable to see each other.

After our visit to the castle, we had a quick visit to the renowned Steep Hill....

 ...where we discovered the cutest of shops like this cheese shop...

 ...where we stocked up on 5 interestingly flavoured little barrels of cheese including ginger cheese!

There is even a Russian doll shop on Steep Hill!!! I've always had a bit of an obsession with Russian dolls.

Eventually we headed back for a final swim in the pool and a dinner of leftovers trying to finish up the random selection of food left in the fridge at the end of our week here. We packed as much as we could ready for the journey home.

Saturday 17th August 2019

There's probably nothing particularly interesting to be said for journey home day other than the kids all behaved well in the car - something that doesn't happen too often in our family!

Sat nav kept taking us on detours due to road closures so we ended up missing most of the opportunities to stop at the services. In the end I asked google to direct us to the nearest place to grab a bite to eat and we ended up at the Monkfield Arms in Cambourne. At first I was a little worried about vegetarian options here but I was so impressed! I enjoyed this spectacular meat-free burger with bbq jackfruit on top and ordered a side of halloumi fries. It was the best meal I'd had in ages and great value too! Would definitely recommend this place for a bite to eat if you are ever passing by.

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Summer holidays 2019 - Lincolnshire - Post 2

Here's the second installment of our holiday diary...

Wednesday 14th August 2019

As rain had been forecast for today, we decided to do something indoor-based. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in Coningsby was another place recommended by my friend. 

What an amazing place! We did the guided tour and it was brilliant. Even though it takes around 1 and a half hours, there are seats along the hangar which me and Miss T made use of given our difficulties. 

I have to confess that in the past when people spoke of Spitfires and Hurricanes and Lancaster bombers I would nod along without really having a clue about them other than them being important war planes. At least now I feel I have some knowledge about these incredible planes and the amazing stories behind them and the people involved in their making and maintenance and flight. Well worth a visit to this place if you are ever in the area. 

We'd hoped to visit nearby Woodhall Spa but the rain was pretty heavy so we headed back for a swim. 

After swimming, I found a text on my phone from Heart. I'd entered their "show us your summer" competition so I really nervously called the number. The person trying to get hold of me had also emailed to say they'd been trying to get in touch as my entry had been shortlisted. 

He was checking that we'd be at home at 7am the next day and confirmed all my details including home address as well as asking a few questions about my entry. 

I confirmed we'd all be around and waiting by the phone.

  

He asked about whether we had access to face time which we don't have. Then he said they may even send a local presenter out. 

At this point I had to explain that we ARE contactable but not at our home address as we are still in Lincolnshire. 

I felt gutted as the tone of the conversation changed at that point. He said there was still a chance we'd get a phonecall and asked whether we have good phone signal. I said yes we'd make sure we did. 

In our lodge there is wifi but virtually no phone signal. So we set out that evening to find a spot in nearby Louth where the phone signal was better. 

I ended up with a night of hardly any sleep. Butterflies churning in my stomach. Nervousness and excitement in equal measure. 

I knew the chances were lower after I'd explained we were away and yet they had gone to the trouble of repeatedly trying to make contact by texting and emailing to check they had the correct contact number. They'd chatted in detail about my entry. Surely there was still a chance.

Alarms were set for 6:30am and bleary eyed we got the kids up early and drove to a high point where phone signal was good. And waited. And waited. The call never came.

We tuned in to listen to today's winner being contacted by face time. 

As much as I thought I'd feel disappointed (and I do to some extent), I also focused my energy on feeling happy for the family who did win today.

Knowing that my entry stood out enough to get shortlisted gives me hope for future competitions with them, although I'm not sure that my nerves are cut out for radio comps or the adrenalin levels and sleepless nights that go hand in hand with it for me! 

I'm also glad that we didn't pack up early and drove home especially. We had considered that at one point so that we could be at home awaiting the phonecall. We certainly would have been disappointed had we done that! 

Thursday 15th August 2019

Today we headed to the beautiful village of Woodhall Spa. Its a little village with a BIG history. 

We'd packed up a picnic lunch to take with us which we enjoyed eating outdoors whilst the sun was shining.

We spent some time at the 617 Squadron memorial (the Dambusters)

And found an epic bakery with so many magnificent cakes that we wanted to try them all! 

Then it was back to the lodge and the kids enjoyed a spot of tennis. We had taken some of our own tennis rackets with us as we knew there was a tennis court but additional rackets and balls are available to hire from the leisure centre too. You can read about how Miss T's love of tennis began here when she joined in an initiative by the Lawn Tennis Association.

After heading to the pool for a quick swim, we decided we would treat ourselves to a meal out in the evening. There is an on-site restaurant at Kenwick Park hotel. There wasn't a vast vegetarian selection for me but I did find a couple of choices that were fine.

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