Iona is on the Trail

Trip 16: Lindsey Touring Park,Market Rasen.

We made quick time to the campsite but because we could not arrive before 2pm we stopped at a layby and had our lunch and a cuppa.

We were given the choice of 2 pitches so we chose one near the entrance. The campsite is long and narrow with about 27 pitches each with it’s own water supply. The facilities are spotless and well laid out with washing facilities as well as showers and toilets. If you have a dog there is a dog walk area fenced off and a seperate off lead section.

Once we were settled in and I had got the van level we decided to go for a short walk. We met Ian the owner on the way out and he quickly told us where to go from the campsite. We walked around Legsby wood and then found the Linwood Warren and more footpaths.

Once we got back to Iona we had been out for an hour. 

The campsite has a few caravans but they all seem to be seasonal because none are connected to the electric, so we appear to be the only guests. It is very quiet with only the odd car from the golf club next door.

We did get a display by three of the Red Arrows earlier. Ian thought they may be two new replacement pilots.

Tea tonight is a Gordon Ramsey style shepherds pie that Sue had pre made. 

Day 2:

Today it is cloudy without the sun but we are going to walk to Willingham Woods and see what they are like.

We walked down the road past the golfcourse and we found a path into the woods. There were no private signs but scattered about the tracks were pheasant feeders and water troughs. We made our way towards Willingham woods and at a junction of the path and a forestry track we met a bloke on a bike who stopped to chat. After a bit of banter about my Fulham cap and his team which was Leeds, he told us the best way to go and sure enough we found the main road and the cafe and car park for the Willingham woods.

We stayed on the main track which was signposted Lindsey Trail. A couple of miles into the walk and we came to an old barn that was used by the Woodland Trust, we continued on the track for some distance and then headed into the wood by a small path. This route wound all through the woods and eventually came out at the back of the old barn. The wood is full of Toadstools of different types and sizes. We have never seen so many on our walks before now.

It was about lunchtime so we headed for the only bench we had seen; here we sat and ate our packed lunch.

We continued after lunch by heading back the way we came with a couple of small diversions in the woods. We met a polish man who was collecting mushrooms. He must have known what he was doing but to be honest we did not recognise any in his bucket. The rest of the walk home was uneventful apart from when we walked by the golfcourse and here Sue found a Golf ball at the side of the road. She kept it until we walked past a practice green where she threw the ball down. We reached the campsite and our walk totaled just over 6 miles

Day 3

Today we again prepared for a walk, but this time our destination was Legsby Woods. Sue made us a pack-up and we set off just after 11.00am. We followed a path into Legsby woods. We soon came across signs about the Forectry Work but we were told to ignore them by a local man that we met yesterday. We walked all around the wood, avoiding the Forestry workers and their equipment. 

We soon exhausted our options so we left the wood and after a short detour along the legsby road we headed into Dog Kennel Wood. We walked past Sheila Brookes house, we knew Shiela from our carriage driving competition days but not well enough to call in on her. We walked some forestry roads and then came upon a trail we recognised. We found a fallen tree in the sun so we stopped and ate our lunch before continuing along paths we knew from yesterday.

Once back on the road we headed home but we made a short detail to check out a dead sheep that a dog walker had asked us about this morning. Sure enough there was a dead sheep although we had not seen it when we walked by earlier. When we got back to the campsite I spoke to Ian the campsite owner about it and he phoned a man who knew the owner of the sheep.

Our neighbour was going into the town to Tesco’s to get some bread for himself and some carrots for another camper. He asked if we needed anything and Sue asked him to get some Garlic that she had forgotten. he was soon back with some garlic but he would not accept any money for it.

Ian came over to update us on the phone call about the dead sheep and he told us how the campsite has been developed.

Day 4:

Time to leave after a good stay. Sue left our neighbour a note and a bottle of my favourite beer as a thank you for the Garlic he fetched us. This is a site we will come back to with more to explore.