Checkpoint Numbers & Names
Lincolnshire 1 – Lincoln
Having family spread around around the country does have it’s advantages – there is always the possibility that I can take a bike away with me and visit a few checkpoints at the same time, and this was to be my first. Also and most significantly it was also to see the completion of my first question card having visited ten checkpoints.
So, setting out early before breakfast from Ruskington I took the quiet B1188 through the country lanes and villages of Dorrington, Digby, and Scopwick, taking the right hand fork just after Scopwick to continue on the B1188.
The general perception of Lincolnshire is that it’s all completely flat with no hills, however this is a bit of a misconception as there are plenty of hills around, and it was quite evident after a mile or two that there was a gradual uphill gradient and this was to continue through Metheringham and Branston and for almost the whole of the way into Lincoln itself.
Lincoln lies in a bit of a valley and the decent in to the city was a welcome rest after the long gentle climb of the previous fourteen miles. The checkpoint itself is in the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral, which can be tricky to get to completely by bicycle because it’s surrounded by a busy road network so it was time to dismount and walk the last half mile or so to the cathedral.
Lincoln itself has a wealth of attractions that will keep you there all day, including the cathedral, the castle, and the old jail. There is also a huge array of shops etc that you can explore. When I visited there was a temporary attraction in place known as the Knights of Lincoln in operation which consisted of a number of statues of knights on horses decorated in various colours, the idea being to walk around the whole city visiting each knight, a bit like a mini version of the BCQ!
Whilst getting to the checkpoint I stumbled across a cycling themed knight called ‘Pedal Pride’, kitted out in the Tour de France king of the mountains polka dot jersey, bearing a British Cycling badge and pictures of cyclists around the base.
Having found and photographed the checkpoint it was now time to turn around and head back as I was on a deadline to be back for lunch!
Taking a slightly different route back I rode along the bank of the River Witham for a while and then south through Washingborough and Branston where I crossed the B1188 that I cam in on, and then rode through some authentic farming country using the very quiet lanes that judging by the mud deposits on the ground the farmers also use.
After an all too quick and quiet spell it was back to Sproston and the B1188, that I had travelled out on, back to my starting point in Ruskington just in time for Sunday Lunch.
All in all a good mornings cycling – if you’re planning on visiting Lincoln on your BCQ journey then I would suggest allowing plenty of time to explore the city as you could spend all day there and not see all there is to see – fortunately I’ve had plenty of chances over the years to visit most places.
Miles Cycled – 34
Checkpoints Visited – 1
Total Miles Cycled – 239
Total Checkpoints Visited – 10
Click here to download a gpx file for this ride
