No this is not an advertisement for the dodgy 80’s pop duo. And nor is it a celebration of the early 90’s Pet Shop Boys single either! In fact, “go west” is  usually the philosophy we follow when booking holidays in the UK.  Not this time though. This time we went east. Wrong choice.

Don’t get me wrong – Lincolnshire is beautiful;  sprawling countryside, golden sandy beaches, a cathedral, castles. All the things we love. But there was one thing missing. Sunshine!

It seemed like the rest of the UK was bathed in an early Summer heatwave. My Facebook newsfeed soon filled with beach selfies and tales of sunburn. Even friends visiting the west coast of Scotland spent the bank holiday on the beach in swimwear!!! And to make matters worse our usual haunts (Devon, Cornwall, South Wales) were faring particularly well. Doh!

So we did what we always do – we wore layers and took waterproofs everywhere. For a while we defied the gale force winds, heavy clouds and torrential rain and got out and about despite the weather. Suntans are unhealthy anyway 😂

The weather actually wasn’t too bad for the first coupe of days. It was about 8 degrees cooler than our beloved Cornwall but the sun did make a few appearances. We even managed to soak up a few rays while lounging in the grounds of the magnificent, 15th century, red brick Tattershall castle. The superb views from the rooftop across Tattershall Lakes country park were well worth climbing the 147 steps to the top. The sun came out long enough for us to sit on the grassy banks of the moat while filling our faces with homemade flapjacks and cookies from the nearby church café.

Day 2 saw us visiting Lincoln. The city was a real surprise. I’m now not sure what I expected but I think it can be summed up in two words – “not much”. But I was very wrong. It is a city where old meets new. The cobbled streets lined with independent boutiques and gift shops lead to the castle and cathedral. At the other end of the city there is a modern waterfront development and shopping centre. There’s something for everyone.

By day 3 the “good” weather was just a dim and distant memory. Following very little sleep due to the weather battering our touring caravan, we decided to pay Skegness a visit. It was a grey, cold, wet and windy day which didn’t really show Skeggy in it’s best light. But, to be honest, the old British seaside towns aren’t really for us. In fact, both Ad and I hate arcades with a passion. So we didn’t hang around too long in Skegness.

 

It was downhill from there. The weather got steadily worse – windier, wetter and colder. We barely slept due to the wind rocking the caravan every night. It got harder to find things to do – walking and cycling were both out due to the vile weather. By Thursday we’d had enough. We paid a quick visit to the Mablethorpe Seal and Wildlife Sanctuary, packed up and came home to the much better weather!!

So when you ask “How was your holiday?” please be ready for the “No it was rubbish!” reply!