Skegness & Lincolnshire – Talk to me.

Bagged a static for a week commencing tomorrow, in wonderful Skegness. I’m recommendations for stuff to do. We are a couple, a 6yr old girl and a 1yr old girl. We’re planning some lazy mornings, afternoons sitting on the beach (not necessarily when it’s sunny) playing with the kids. There’s a funfair and some amusements. What else would people suggest that is good?
We’d like to get away from the masses out into the Lincolnshire countryside as we’ve never visited this area before. We are national trust members. Is there any forests/lakes with pushchair friendly walkes? Adventure play grounds for a picnic and play? Little villages/towns with tat shops? I’ve heard Mablethorpe is good. Where’s the history? Castles are cool. Etc etc.
All bikes will be left at home 😥 so there’s no point suggesting ride routes.

Thanks all.

I lived in Lincoln for a couple of years so its worth a day visit to see the cathedral etc. Only small but quite picturesque.

The closest NT property is Gunby Hall, about 5 miles out of Skeggy, there’re some walks in the grounds, not sure how pushchair friendly they are though, they did put a route up on facebook a few weeks ago so worth looking for that. Tattershall Castle is a bit further inland and worth a visit.

MrsMomo is originally from Burgh-le-Marsh near Skegness, as a kid she never went to the beach there, they always went up the coast, Anderby Creek and Trusthorpe are both nicer from what I remember and usually much quieter.

Just south of Skegness you have Gibralter Point nature reserve, really nice place for a walk around.

Yo’re not far from Alford which is a nice little market town and Louth which is similar but slightly larger again.

Lincoln (my hometown) is definitely worth a visit when you’re passing, I’m looking out of the window at the cathedral and castle right now.

There’s a few nature reserves, Gibraltar Point & Donna Nook but they are basically just sand dunes and salt marsh.

Other than that I can’t remember much it’s a while since I’ve been there. There’s always the horrid touristy tat places down the seafront if you can stomach it.

I’ve heard Mablethorpe is good.

Whoever told you this was taking the wee wee! 😀

Place we like…
• Skeggy is cleaner and nicer than it’s reputation. And Outdoor Embassy pool is nice on a sunny day.
• Gibraltar Point (as said above) – very peaceful.
• Anderby Creek for the beach.
• Bateman’s Brewery – http://www.bateman.co.uk/visitors+centre
• Alford and Louth nice
• Cadwell Park if you like a bit of motorsport.
• Chapel St. Leonard is decent in an old fashioned way.
• Scalextrix/Car Museum – https://www.on-your-marques.com/
• Skegness Stadium – if you like a bit of banger racing! https://skegness-stadium.info/

splendid. Thanks for taking the time to type out those responses lads, I appreciate it. I like the sound of the brewery, not the sure the wife will. 😀

No worries!

Little kids love Skegness Seal Sanctury too…

home

…not huge but you can spend a couple of hours there.

That outdoor pool is heated too, winner.

Huttoft beach is worth a visit, you can park right at the beach for free so you don’t have to drag all your beach gubbins too far.
Louth is nice as well and worth a look around.

Had many happy holidays in the area as a kid.

Ingoldmells has lots funfair, roller coaster, candy floss, amusements, arcades, petty crime, social deprivation type stuff going on if that is your thing.

Have an explore on Streetview….. This scene is almost art. I love the guy selling knock off cigarettes from upturned breadcrates.
https://goo.gl/maps/sSs6qzGTXzA2

Know the area well and can recommend tattershall castle
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/tattershall-castle

Also the battle of Britain memorial flight is based next door at coningsby and is worth a look if the kids wouldnt be bored!

Have a look at Louth and its market and you can tie it in with a walk around Hubbards hills which the kids will enjoy.
http://www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/article/1927/Market-Days
http://www.hubbardshills.co.uk/

Finally if you fancy a bite eat next to one of the best beaches in the area go to Sandilands. Much quieter and nicer beach than many in the area and the Fat Seagull deli is kid friendly, inexpensive and probably the best food in the area at the moment for Lunch

http://www.suttononsea.info/fat-seagull/index.html

Well, Skeggy must have changed over the years

Mablethorpe – hmmm.

However, the Seal Sanctuary there is quite nice, with lots of other animals to have a look at and close to the beach.

Big bucket of 2ps in the arcades and accept you will never win 🙂

Also Lincoln as above – Castle and cathedral are worth a look. There is also the new Knights Trail to go around http://www.knightstrail.com

Tattershall Farm Park

As mentioned above, the quieter beaches are nicer. Gibraltar point has recently had a new visitor centre built and is a nice place.

Snipe Dales nature reserve is good, but a little way inland (towards Horncastle)

Enjoy.

I haven’t been but Viz has taught me a great deal.

As a kid i cycled to Skegness, 65 miles in a day, with rucksack and every intention of staying overnight. I arrived, had a look and chose to ride back straight away rather than stay.

My wife’s parents live in Skeg Vegas.

Seal sanctuary then get the hell out the place…

This time of year it’s just the rough bits of Derby & Nottingham-on-Sea.

The beach at Anderby Creek is surprisingly nice and was quiet when I went there (although it was Feb half term so might be different on a sunny bank holiday)

Went to a caravan destruction derby at Skeg Vegas stadium which was a good laugh.

I think my son summed the place up nicely when he was 4. “It looks like all the happiness has left” (was out of season mind)

Louth is lovely-well worth the trip,and for pushchair friendly walkstry Hubbards Hills- the kids can splash in the river and get wet!

If you like antique shops, try Horncastle – a small town but has loads of antique places,and a few other bits.

Tattershall is definitely worth a visit for the castle. Lots of water based activities at Tattershall Lakes just next to it as well (wake boarding, inflatable assault course etc)

Lincoln is also nice – top of taown for castle, cathedral and expensive shops, bottom of the hill for more normal shopping. Dont try and walk with kids and a pushchair thought – steep hill is called that for a reason!

In Skeg itself there isn’t much that hasn’t already been mentioned, although the aquarium is surprisingly good (although small).

The Lincs coast has loads of lovely beaches – a few mentioned already, but Mablethorpe North End (where the seal sanctuary is) is a really nice sandy beacj with big dunes for the kids to play in, and way quieter than Skeg/Mabo. Mablethorpe itself isn’t really worth a special visit – not much there apart from a few amusement arcades.

There’s also the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park (formerly known as the Parrot Zoo), not actually been even though it’s only about a mile and a half from us, but would be nice for a 6 year old perhaps? About 10 miles south of Skeg, at Friskney, signed off the A52.

This time of year it’s just the rough bits of Derby & Nottingham-on-Sea.

You forgot Leicester.

I’ve ridden there twice (90 miles ish).
Had a beer got the train straight back. Absolute dive.

I forgot, there’s also the Bubble Car Museum at Langrick, near Boston. My 7 year old nephew loved it, very intrigued that cars could be that small.

I spent every summer from birth until about 16 in Thorpe Culvert, just up the road from Skeggy. Good times and many, many fond memories.

Skeggy is OK, all covered above.

Ingoldmells much like Skeggy.

Mablethorpe is, to me at least, very depressing. Lots of 99p shops and families out on a coach day trip just to sit all day in a different pub getting pissed on cheap cider and shouting at their bored kids.

Chapel-St-Leonards has a nice quiet beach. There’s an Italian restaurant there which is rather good too.

Sutton’s in Wainfleet is worth a visit for an evening fish supper, and there are a couple of decent pubs there.

As above Alford is quite nice for a walk round, as is Louth and Boston

Gibraltar Point is a nice, wild place. Very, very bleak on a bad day, lovely on a good day.

Don’t know if Donna Nook still has the scheduled bombing and strafing going on, but I remember sitting on the front bumper of the car as a kid watching tornadoes doing bombing runs and A10 using the GAU8 cannons. Brrrrrrrrrrrrp!

The beach at Sandilands is also nice. We used to stay at the Grange & Links, but that was 35 years ago!

The North Shore hotel in Skeg is also good, or was, again the last time I was there was 25 years ago.

I’m stunned that Hubbard’s Hills has a website! I love that place. Can get a bit busy in holiday times mind.

another lincoln dweller here and the posts above seem pretty accurate (apart from the ‘ive heard mablethorpe is good’ comment).

skeggy/mablethorpe/ingoldmells to me are really tacky, loud music, amusements, chav central, my idea of hell (think smaller blackpool). good for people watching tho thats for sure!
as mentioned above, the beaches are actually really good, with quieter areas such as sutton on sea, anderby creek, huttoft etc.

avoid boston, awful place unless you like docks.

youre also close to the lincolnshire wolds, lovely scenery and villages so you could google that area see if anything appeals. louths a decent market town and worth a visit.

yep, lincolns not a bad city at all, if its sightseeing you want then head for the uphill area (bailgate) for castle/cathedral/quaint shops. itd be around hour and quarter drive if thats a consideration.

just one town that came to mind that hasnt been mentioned yet (apologies if it has) is woodhall spa. its a lovely little town with old fashioned cinema with a wurlitzer organ, films with half-time breaks, i think you’d enjoy a look round there.

EDIT: for evening entertainment, er….prepare yourself 😀

I live on the coast, not far from Donna Nook / Mablethorpe.

As has been hinted at, both Mablethorpe and Skegness will be rammed on a bank holiday weekend, but will quieten down as the week progresses. It can be a bit rough and ready, as has been said, but it has its charms. The beck in Mablethorpe does a cracking carvery, despite its chav appearance, but I would avoid this Sunday as it will be rammed.

Sutton on Sea is nice; the beach is good and the place is a a bit less run down than Mablethorpe. The Dolphin chippy does a cracking sit down haddock special. The millennium cycleway that runs between Mablethorpe and Sutton is a nice family friendly cycle / long walk.

Donna Nook is pretty in the sun, if you like nature and if you venture that way, the Axe & Clever in North Somercotes is good for food and real ale; a proper country pub, has a play area, although I’m biased as its my boozer. 🙂

Drop me an email if you need any specific local info, I’m sure between me and my mates we can point you in the right direction.

Hope you have fun!

If anyone has a spare large MTB available and fancies leading me out on a decent local ride of an evening in the week I can ask the wife?
I don’t mind a HT, would have to be large though. 🙂 could maybe do something 7-9.30