Itinerary
Time to linger on Wolds-Edge
50 years of the Viking Way, with heritage stops aplenty
As the Viking Way turns 50, step out into West Lindsey. Celebrate heritage and history, the highs and lows of the rolling countryside and the not-so-hidden market-town hubs that make this pocket of Lincolnshire one to be cherished.
Plan your next adventure
At a glance
Time needed: A few hours to a full day
Best for: Day-trippers - couples, friends, solo travellers, and families with older children
Getting around: Walking, with optional sections perfect for cycling
Route type: A mix of paths, tracks, field paths and quiet roads
Best time to go: Spring onwards
Time to up your step-count
You set the pace, and the pit-stops!
Put your best foot forward in the Wolds, and bolt-on stops to suit your day
Build your day your way. Begin with the Tealby circular - a gentle opener with big-sky views - to ease into Wolds-Edge scenery. Drop into heritage when the mood takes you, then add a heritage stop when you fancy a change of pace. Use West Lindsey’s market towns for a midpoint reset, enjoy a coffee, a wander, or a browse, before you decide what comes next: more walking, more roaming, or a quick cycle swap to stretch the day a little further.
Scenic four-mile circular
A short(er) stroll on the Viking Way
The perfect place to start in West Lindsey
Wolds-Edge views and villages with a tale to tell await on this four-mile (approx. two-hour) short Viking Way walk. Starting in Tealby, follow this circular route using a mix of paths and lanes and seek out the medieval foundations of the area.
Best for: A spring walk that feels like an achievement
Don’t miss: The nods to Tealby’s medieval landscape. During this amble, see if you can spot the remains of medieval field systems, where the people of the village would have busily spent their days. You might be able to make out the lines of the field boundaries and areas of more ridge and furrow, where people worked and made their livelihoods for hundreds of years.
Event highlight: Make it a Viking Way fiftieth anniversary walk by joining in with #VikingWay50. Look out for the Viking Way 50 logo on new leaflets and trail updates, and turn your Tealby circular into a mini celebration! Pause at one of the new benches that are being carved and installed along the route - be sure to grab a quick halfway photo too! Keep an eye out for the ‘50 Things to do on the Viking Way’ campaign - you’ll be able to find out more about this at 2026’s Lincolnshire Show. Then snap a selfie with a Viking Way waymarker and finish with a pub stop or picnic to ‘toast’ the trail turning fifty.
Heritage highlight: While Tealby is well-known for its connections to Alfred Lord Tennyson and the family, neighbouring Walesby has its own historic pull. Add a few more steps on and extend this Viking Way Short Walk, and you’ll amble upon All Saints’ church. Commanding views over Tealby towards Lincoln Cathedral, more than 20 miles away, it is commonly known as The Rambler’s Church. An ironstone red, its stained glass window celebrates ramblers and cyclists, which you’re certain to spot on your way across the Lincolnshire countryside.
Soak up some heritage
Architecture, artefacts, and stained glass
Lincolnshire’s past is very much present, discover where across West Lindsey
The Ramblers Church isn’t the only historic point of interest to discover as you roam across West Lindsey. The area features over 1,000 officially recognised sites of historical importance, including nearly 1,000 listed buildings and 100 scheduled ancient monuments (SAMs). Rich in heritage, boasting 25 conservation areas, including parts of Gainsborough, Market Rasen, and Caistor, alongside numerous non-designated, local archaeological sites, West Lindsey is also home to its very own Churches Festival.
Celebrating 30 years this year, of support for churches and chapels across West Lindsey, consider 2026 your invitation to push beyond the headline sites and discover historic gems that pepper the countryside.
Event highlight: The 30th West Lindsey Churches Festival takes place on May 9 - 10th and 16 - 17th, 2026. With around 119 churches and chapels to visit, following a trip to Rambler’s Church, turn your day into a ‘church-hopping’ detour. Many of the churches are still the focal point of villages within the West Lindsey District, and offer an insight into the history and life of their parishes. Others offer vibrant examples of stained glass, stunning architecture, carvings and artefacts.
Best for: Heritage, photography, rainy-day flexibility
Don’t miss: All Saints in Gainsborough. A very different Georgian-style church with a Medieval tower and a magnificent interior. Does the altar piece look familiar? Various changes and additions have been made to the church over the years, including the provision of the Florentine copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper in the apse and a Burne Jones stained glass window.
Time to follow the story
The market towns of West Lindsey
Explore a little bit of bustle between the big skies of West Lindsey
After the quiet lanes and stretches of big sky that any West Lindsey walk or bike ride will treat you to, the area’s market towns are ready to deliver a real change of pace. Use them as a well-earned rest-point in between footpaths, or treat them as destinations in their own right and visit for a morning, afternoon, or a full-day. Either way, grab a coffee, browse a handful of independents, and plan your next adventure.
Market Rasen is a great first stop. With classic market-town energy, it’s easy to dip in and out of. Down the road, Caistor with its Roman foundations, brings an altogether different flavour: a small town with a big heritage story. Right on the marketplace, sits 2–4. An incredible restoration project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, various stakeholders and the community itself, this collection of buildings is being restored from long-vacant and at-risk to a nationally recognised heritage space, with plans for independent retail units, a community room, holiday lets, and creative workspaces as the project comes to life. Due to open later this summer, it will bring Caistor’s marketplace back to its full glory - which, thanks to the efforts of some fabulous independently owned businesses, is a transformation that is already well underway.
If you want to widen the loop even further, you can also weave in Gainsborough, Kirton in Lindsey, and Saxilby for quick high-street wanders and those unhurried finds you only get when you stop.
Event highlight: Make September your excuse for a market-town meander with the annual Heritage Open Days Festival returning. Bringing special openings, tours and behind-the-scenes moments, including opportunities to step into places like 2–4 Market Place in Caistor, it’s a diary date worth saving!
Best for: Refuelling, browsing, and breaking up a countryside route with something lively
Don’t miss: Market Rasen Racecourse. One of Lincolnshire’s great day-out venues, no matter the season. If you’re visiting in summer, keep an eye out for the season’s feature racedays, including the Summer Plate/Ladies Day in July, and if you’re here in winter, Boxing Day Racing is a festive favourite worth building into your plans.
Cycle swap
Opt for two wheels instead of two feet
Cover more ground on two wheels
f you’d rather ride out on two wheels, West Lindsey has a range of fantastic cycle routes ranging from short rides to longer loops. Just choose a section that fits your time and ability. There is plenty of choice, including The Edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds route, which will take you from Market Rasen to Wickenby. Journey through 11 villages, some of which are just a cluster of a few houses, on (mainly) quiet country roads where traffic is light. A 25-mile ride in total, this route can be shortened at various points to allow for ability and time available.
Event highlight: If you fancy joining something bigger, keep an eye out for sportives and charity rides that often pass through the area, including:
- Lincoln Grand Prix Sportive (Saturday, 9 May 2026): 53, 75 and 100-mile routes, starting at Yarborough Leisure Centre
- Castle to Coast (C2C2C) Charity Ride (Thursday, 25 June 2026): 100-mile charity ride from Nettleham
- Thankful Remembrance Ride (November): a longer charity ride (around 118 miles) that typically passes through Lincolnshire parishes
Best for: Fair-weather days and longer itineraries
Don’t miss: If you prefer to be in like-minded company, look up local group rides and time trials with Lindsey Roads Cycling Club and Gainsborough Aegir Cycling Club ahead of your outing — a great way to see the countryside with people who know the lanes.
A big finish
Time to take the long way home
Explore centuries of history in Gainsborough
Finish your day in Gainsborough and make it feel like a finale. Start with Gainsborough Old Hall — an imposing late fifteenth-century mansion with a story as layered as its beams. It has been a grand home, a theatre, cramped tenements, and even a pub, before becoming the much-loved local landmark it is today. When you’re ready for fresh air, swap timbered rooms for river views. The Riverside Walk is a gentle way to stretch your legs again, and the town has plenty of green-space moments for a breather before dinner, from riverside gardens to woodland and commonland just beyond the centre.
And when evening rolls in, Gainsborough is an easy place to eat well without overthinking it. You’ll find everything from relaxed gastrobar vibes to cafés and chains around Marshall’s Yard — perfect for a proper sit-down meal, a quick bite, or a last drink to toast the day.
Explore Gainsborough
