Walking

The Lincolnshire Wolds offer fantastic walking country - from open hilltops to sheltered valleys with hidden villages. There are footpaths, bridleways and quiet country lanes to explore. Many footpaths criss-cross the countryside as they do in most of Britain but to make life easy for the visitor specially defined walks have been devised.

Farforth

The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service has a series of 'Gateway' and 'Wolds Walk' leaflets available. Click here for more information.

Lincolnshire County Council has produced numerous walk leaflets for throughout the county. They are available by contacting Lincolnshire County Council, Development Directorate on 01522 782070 and are available via their website www.walklincolnshire.co.uk

West Lindsey District Council has brought out new 'Walkabout' leaflets for Market Rasen, Caistor, Gainsborough and Saxilby. They are available by contacting West Lindsey on 01427 676666 or e-mail tourism.info@west-lindsey.gov.uk

East Lindsey District Council has produced 'Three Towns Walk' leaflets which has been designed to link the 3 market towns of Alford, Spilsby and Wainfleet. They are available by contacting East Lindsey Tourism Unit on 01507 601111 or e-mail enquiries@poachercountry.co.uk

The Ramblers' Association Grimsby/Louth group have produced a set of walking leaflets called The Silver Lincs Way linking Grimsby & Louth and also circular walks. They are available at local tourist information centres or by contacting the Ramblers' Group grimsbylouth.ramblers@ntlworld.com

Natural England has a web site cwr.naturalengland.org.uk/ that you can find details and maps for more than 1800 walks, rides and areas of open access throughout the county and country provided under the Countryside Stewardship, Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Environmental Stewardship Schemes.

Walking Groups Lincolnshire Area Ramblers’ Association - www.lincolnshireramblers.org.uk With 11 local groups within the Historic County of Lincolnshire, there is sure to be a walk suitable for all. Check the website for the full groups and events listing. Lincolnshire Walking Group - www.lincswalkinggroup.org.uk A new local group of the Ramblers Association formed in March 2004 aimed for people in their 20 and 30s in Lincolnshire who want to get away from home or work and enjoy the countryside that surrounds them. Long Distance Walkers Association Lincolnshire Group - www.ldwa.org.uk/Lincolnshire The LDWA is an Association of people with the common interest of walking long distances in rural, mountainous or moorland areas. The LDWA have a varied programme of social walks around 20 miles at a reasonable pace and that it is advisable to make contact with the leader beforehand to confirm details. Check the website for events and further details. Louth U3A - louthU3A A local group who hold regular walks. Walking the way to Health (WHI) aims to encourage people, particularly those who take little exercise, to do regular short walks in their communities. They support over 525 local health walk schemes. Check the website to find your local walk www.whi.org.uk Walking in Lincs - walkinginlincs.co.uk All the information you need to get walking in the Lincolnshire countryside – from walks, books and groups. Walk 'n' Natter - WalknNatter Louth and District Seniors' Forum meet at the Meridian Leisure Centre every week on Tuesdays at 2pm. Walks are about 3 miles long or 5 miles (for the fitter people!) and take about 1.5 hours. We then return to the Leisure Centre for a cup of tea/coffee or a cold drink!

Walking in the Wolds. Hugh Marrow invites walkers to join him on 20 interesting walks that take you through the stunning Lincolnshire countryside. With clear, easy to follow routes you will enjoy walks that include both beautiful scenery and places of historical interest. Full of helpful hints about places to take refreshment, interesting historical information for landmarks along the way and walks that can be enjoyed through out the year. For more books by Hugh Marrow visit www.atheart.co.uk
Viking Way Long Distance Footpath is 147 miles long and is a linear walk starting at the Humber Bridge south bank viewing area from where it heads westwards along the Humber bank and passes underneath the bridge. The name of the route reflects the influence of Danelaw in the eastern counties of Britain and throughout its length the Viking Way logo of a Viking helmet appears on waymark signs. The Viking Way guidebook is available to download from http://microsites.lincolnshire.gov.uk/countryside/visiting-the-countryside/walking/viking-way Information on accommodation is available from www.visitlincolnshire.com

Walking close to cows:

The incidents of people being attacked by cattle are very rare, however following recent incidents and press coverage, please see the advice below when walking in fields with cattle in.

Please do not let the very low risk of cattle attacks put you off enjoying the Lincolnshire Wolds countryside, villages and great views.

There are a few Do’s and Don'ts to follow when walking in a field with calves.

Try not to get between cows and their calves.

Be prepared for cattle to react to your presence, especially if you have a dog with you.

Move quickly and quietly, and if possible walk around them.

Keep your dog close and under proper control.

Don’t

Don't hang onto your dog. If you are threatened by animals - let it go as the cow will chase after that.

Don't put yourself at risk. Find another way round the cows and rejoin the footpath as soon as possible.

Don't panic! Most cows will stop before they reach you. If they follow just walk on quietly.

Don't forget to report any problems to the highway authority.

The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service cannot be held responsible for third party websites.