(11.27km)
30 mins
Walking
Viking Way Shorts Wellingore and Welbourn
Wellingore, Welbourn
These two villages lie within the Southern Lincolnshire Edge character area. The area is characterised by the dramatic limestone cliff to the west and the slope that drops gently away to the edge of the fens in the east. Villages, like Wellingore and Welbourn, along this cliff are known locally as cliff villages.
Starting point:
All Saints church
junction of Hall Street and Cliff Road (A607)
Wellingore
LN5 0HP
Grid reference: SK 982 565
Linked to Public Transport
Refreshments
Dog Friendly
The name 'Wellingore' is thought to derive from the Old English for 'ridge at the place with the spring’. The name 'Welbourn' derives from the Old English wella-burna meaning stream with a spring. The underlying geology is limestone and many of the village buildings are built of this warm coloured stone. Stone.
Part of the walk uses Ermine Street, the Roman road that linked London, Lincoln and York. The walk also crosses the site of former RAF Wellingore.
- 1Walk along Hall Street, signed Viking Way, to a T-junction.
- 2Turn right along Pottergate Road to the next road junction.
- 3Turn left and take the footpath on the right from the field corner and walk diagonally left across fields for approx. 1.4 km (0.9 mile) to a concrete roadway.
- 4Cross the roadway and follow the path diagonally left across the next field to a tarmac lane.
- The concrete roadway formed part of RAF Wellingore. Look out for old airfield buildings in the area. The airfield was first used during World War I for RAF Cranwell’s relief landing. In closed in 1945 after playing a role in World War II. Post-war the station served as a camp for ex-prisoners of war from Germany and the Ukraine before being returned to agriculture in the 1950s. Look out for perimeter pill boxes later in this walk.
- 5Turn right, you are now walking along Ermine Street. Where the lane bends to the left continue straight ahead along a grass track and Viking Way to a junction with a road.
- 6Turn right, leaving the Viking Way, and follow the road to a crossroads.
- Notice the wide verges either side of this road. These grass verges form an ideal habitat for a range of colourful wildflowers.
- 7Cross the road with care and continue straight ahead signed Welbourn for approx. 300m
- 8Turn left onto a public footpath and follow it along the field edges for approx. 550m to a farm.
- There are fabulous views from this path across the Trent and Belvoir Vales and along the Lincolnshire edge towards Lincoln.
- 9Turn right onto footpath and walk downhill along field edges to a road.
- 10Cross the road (A607) with care and walk into the layby to join a footpath. Follow the path to the right, parallel to the fence/hedge to the side of the stone cottage and on to a road.
- 11Continue straight ahead into Welbourn village and a T-junction. Turn left (signed Welbourn village) and at the village green turn left and then bear right along the High Street.
- 12After approx. 600m turn left on to North End to an Anglian Water cabinet/installation.
- 13Turn right and at the field edge bear diagonally left across the field to a gap and bridge in the hedge to the left of the farm sheds.
- 14Walk straight across the next few fields to a road.
- 15Cross the road and take the footpath opposite by bearing slightly right towards the houses on the hill (Wellingore) and a bridge.
- 16Cross the bridge and bear slightly right to a gap in the hedge and road.
- 17Turn left along the road for approx. 300m
- 18Turn right onto a restricted byway and after approx. 100m turn right along a restricted byway to walk uphill into Wellingore village.
- 19At the road walk straight ahead to the green. Turn right and then left onto Vicarage Lane to a crossroads. Cross the road (A607) with care to church and starting point.
The walk uses a mixture of surfaced paths, tracks, field paths and roads. There are stiles and you may encounter livestock.
more information
Starting point:
All Saints church
junction of Hall Street and Cliff Road (A607)
Wellingore
LN5 0HP
Grid reference: SK 982 565
more about the trail
Viking Way
The Viking Way is a long distance - 147 mile way-marked trail spanning from the River Humber through Lincoln to Oakham in Rutland. The route is signposted with an icon of a Viking helmet on a yellow disk.
