Linmet two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Linmet here.

Walked from Metheringham to Lincoln. An excellent route, mostly following the waymarked Spires and Steeples Trail. Most of the route is on good paths, quiet roads or pavements, and it is easy to follow though a couple of the alleyway paths, notably in Branston, could do with better waymarking.

From Metheringham, we head north along a good pavement towards Dunston, using a well marked field shortcut as the village nears. The path between Dunston and Nocton is surfaced and very straight. Beyond Nocton there is a short section with no pavement on a road which is moderately busy, but we soon leave it left on another path that leads directly to Potterhanworth. Another path heads diagonally through the fields past a holiday park with a cafe to the Lincoln-Sleaford railway, but the level crossing that once went straight on here is long gone, and we follow the railway north to a very quiet lane with a bridge under the railway.

Potterhanworth Road is also fairly quiet, and a good field path takes us over to Branston. Here a little attention to the map is required - there is no Spires and Steeples sign at the start of Villa Close and the route out past the church is also unsigned. We cross the High Street and head out along Paddock Lane, which leads to an obvious footpath that goes out past new housing development into the fields. Here we turn left and cross a footbridge, then follow the beck right, past a farm and over a footbridge. The Spires and Steeples Trail now uses a concessionary path to reach Sheepwash Lane south of the beck rather than using the old path through cow pastures.

The route through Heighington is a little indirect but more interesting than heading straight down Sheepwash Lane, and the Spires and Steeples Trail continues to lead us to the river Witham, where we join the Water Rail Way cycle track which follows a wide tarmac path between the South Delph drain and the river. On the approach to Lincoln part of the route is on roads, but these are quiet at least on a Saturday afternoon.

Eventually we reach the busy Melville Street, where the footbridge that used to allow walkers to stay on the south side of the river has been demolished, so instead we are forced south along the pavement to use the pelican crossings opposite the bus station. We stay north of the bus station past a car park to reach Sincil Street, from where the rail station is in sight.

There are pubs and shops in Branston and Washingborough, and a pub just off route in Potterhanworth.

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