< Previous50 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFOOD & DININGThe Pyewipe is a beautiful and ideallylocated restaurant just twenty minutesfrom Lincoln’s Cathedral City, and locatedalong the Roman built Fossdyke Canal inpicturesque surroundings. It’s a restaurantwe’ve visited and enjoyed before, once byboat, but the Pyewipe has recentlyundergone a refurbishment and we werekeen to visit and see what had changed.We were quickly put at ease when wearrived and met with the Pyewipe’sfriendly staff, who saw us to a table in thenewly refurbished dining area. The décoris contemporary and modern, but stillmanages to hold on to the building’soriginal charm with exposed woodenbeam ceilings and low-hanging lights thatcreate a warm lit interior. The menus areextensive and pay particular detail to thePyewipe’s range of vegetarian options,which all too many restaurants considerlittle more than a formality. Four our starters I opted for the crispyhaggis, neeps and tatties with a wholegrain mustard and whisky sauce, whilemy partner chose the creamy garlicmushrooms nestled on toast. What wasimmediately apparent, apart from thegood service, was the presentation of thefood. It’s easy to see the added effort thatgoes into creating both a visual andculinary masterpiece, and the melt-in-mouth flavour of the haggis mixedperfectly with whisky sauce to create areal experience. My partner was quick topraise the mushrooms as well, delicious inall regards, and yet not so overpoweringas to conflict with our mains.Speaking of mains, I decided to go withthe slow roast shoulder of lamb with pestomash, roasted vegetables and minted lambjus, a traditional favourite of the countyand something I’ve had the pleasure ofsampling in many venues. The lamb herewas succulent and tender, with a fragrancethat was enough to set the taste budstingling even before the first bite. Thepesto mash was also a delight, sporting adelightful kick that helped give the meal alittle more character. It was a warm andhearty meal delivered in generous portions;a perfect choice for those cold evenings oreven just a lazy afternoon.My partner decided to go withsomething a little lighter, selecting thechicken strips in a creamy peppercornsauce served with white rice. Artfullydisplayed, the meal certainly didn’tdisappoint – boasting a unique flavourand delicious texture. The peppercornsauce was particularly good, being juststrong enough to remain recognisable,while not overpowering the other tastespresent in the dish itself. A definite winneron both our parts, and meals we would bekeen to sample again. It’s worth noting that the Pyewipe isgenerous in its portions, so we were ratherfull come the choice for desserts. That said,knowing our duty, we made a greatsacrifice and availed ourselves of a stickytoffee pudding with toffee sauce andvanilla ice-cream, and a baked whitechocolate cheesecake with a dark chocolatesauce. Both were wonderfully indulgentways to finish off what had already been afantastic meal, and the new surroundingsreally do draw out the best of the venue. It’s easy to see why the Pyewipe remainsone of our favourite venues to visit and thelatest refurb has only added to that. Tobook a table for yourself, you can visitwww.pyewipe.co.uk or call 01522 528708.The Pyewipe Inn, LincolnThe Pyewipe Inn, LincolnNestled in Saxilby,near Lincoln, thePyewipe is afavoured locationfor LincolnshireToday, and wewere quick totake advantage ofan opportunity tovisit this month. 50_Layout 1 19/03/2018 11:33 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY51LOUTHIn January, The Guardian ran a pieceextolling the apparent virtues of Louth,underpinned with the kind of sarcasticrhetoric and patronising tone we here inLincolnshire have come to expect from folksdown south. But that attitude isn’t allpervasive and certainly hasn’t stopped themarket town from becoming something ofa cultural hotspot. There’s an inexplicable cultural magicabout Louth, as if ley lines beneath our feetare leading great minds towards its cobblestones and side streets. Indeed, the townhas long fascinated multi-instrumentalistand progressive rock icon Robert Wyatt.Having made a name for himself in theinfluential group Soft Machine, Wyatt hascalled Louth home since the mid-eighties.This writer has passed the musician by onmore than one occasion as he made his© Shutterstock / Gill KennettLouth is one of Lincolnshire’sbest kept secrets, nestled awayfrom the hustle bustle of thecounty’s more urban quarters.The historic market town is itsown destination, rather thansomewhere you’re likely topass by on stroll or drive. YetLouth is positively thriving,with its popular marketplace,boutique stores, localbusinesses and, of course, itsvibrant art and music scene. HistoryMusicMarkets53 Á51-55_Layout 1 19/03/2018 13:02 Page 1The Law HousesolicitorsUncommon Wisdom. Common Sense.Words not usually associated with lawyers home, a death in the family or getting a divorce. Even if you only use a lawyer once, choosing the right one is an important decision. Many of our clients come to us because they have been sent to us, sometimes reluctantly, by existing clients who really like the way we work and our approach to clients. We are upfront and there are no unwelcome surprises or hidden extras realistically. Above all, we are exceptional at what we do. We have years of experience and the common sense to use it well. www.thelawhouse.comPlease get in touch with me, Jennifer Norman at 01507 499355 or you can email me at: jnorman@thelawhouse.comLooking after your pets atBlack Sheep VetsTel: 01507 609929Black Sheep Vets is anindependent veterinarypractice in Louth ownedby veterinary surgeonRichard Carter assistedby Vet nurse SarahHolesworth and vetnurse assistants BeckyShort, Karla Brown andChloe ChaferFor emergencies out ofhours in evenings andweekends, Black Sheep vets isnow sharing this service withJames Street Vets. Clients willcontact their usual vets in anemergency and be directed tothe vet and practice on callWe have been located at our new premises for over a year now2 Eastfield Road, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 0LQEmail: info@blacksheepvets.co.ukWebsite: www.blacksheepvets.co.ukOpening hoursMonday - Friday 08:30 - 18:00Consulting 08:45-14:00 and 16:00-18:00Saturday 09:00-11:30 Consulting 09:00-11:30We’re never farfrom a raincloud or three!!Be prepared tobeat the Aprilshowers withSuper StylishJoules Rainwearat Eve & RanshawLouth’s Department Store1 Market PlaceLouth LN11 9NTTel: 01507 602902www.eve-ranshaw.co.ukEstablished 178151-55_Layout 1 19/03/2018 13:02 Page 2LINCOLNSHIRETODAY53LOUTHway around town. Despite its growing number of famousvisitors, few could put into words exactlywhat it is about the town that fascinatesthem. Only that it does. Among its morenotable visitors are Winston Churchill,Downton Abby writer Julian Fellowesand Icelandic pop eccentric Björk.Funnily enough, Björk was in town whileworking with Wyatt where she enjoyedthe local market and cafés. If you’re lucky enough, you mighthave caught sight of actor WarwickDavis wondering about town. Davis,famous for his stints in Star Wars andHarry Potter, is often found visitingrelatives in the area as his wife,Samantha, is a yellowbelly herself.Regular readers will have spotted apicture of Warwick in the back of ourMarch issue, after two Louth localsspotted the venerable actor waiting for ahaircut. Louth is steeped in the arts and, unlikeother market towns, has a real sense ofculture about it. The Playhouse Cinema,with its art deco frontage, was convertedfrom a Victorian chapel in the 1920sand, despite numerous refurbishmentssince, the establishment still retainssome of its original fittings. The cinemaoperates a mid-movie intermission,which offers cinemagoers a moment ofreverie, or at least enough time to snaffledown an ice cream. As well as packingin the punters with the typicalblockbusters, the cinema offersindependent and art house films, as wellas live-streams of ballet and theatreperformances. The community is very muchintegrated in the arts, with thecommunity-owned Louth Playgoers’Riverhead Theatre attesting as much.54 Á© Shutterstock / ShaunWilkinson51-55_Layout 1 19/03/2018 13:02 Page 354 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYLOUTHButcher Lane • Louth • LincolnshireTel: 01507 604029 • www.striacroft.co.ukLincolnshire Jewellers, Engravers & GoldsmithsEstablished 1978Wide range of high quality Diamond, Gold andSilver Jewellery, Watches, Clocks and Giftware.In house Jewellery Repairs, Engraving, Valuations and Insurance. Watch Repairs. Above all we ensurethe highest quality of productsand services. Based on Victoria Road, the theatre puts onan eclectic mix of shows, appealing to allaudience members, with ample choice forchildren and more introspective options foradults. But for many, nothing quite sums upLouth’s vibrant arts community like theindependent record shop – Off The BeatenTracks. Stepping inside is a great way togauge the town’s musical scene, withnumerous local bands and musicians andthe nearby Pump House Recording Studio.What’s more, it’s always busy, particularlyon Saturday mornings where folks of allages come in for the diverse selection ofvinyl and CDs. Although record shops arefew and far between these days, Off TheBeaten Tracks is enjoying the recentresurgence in vinyl and maintaining acrucial part of Louth’s cultural identity. Since the building of a canal in the1770s, Louth has been a thriving marketcommunity which continues to this day. Itsweekly market is awash with local produce,crafts and vendors offering a cross-sectionof the town’s most delightful offerings.Little wonder that in 2012 the town won‘Britain’s Favourite Market Town’ in BBCCountryfile magazine Awards. The Georgian and Victorian architecturegive the town much of its distinctivecharacter, particularly its backstreetsnestling chocolatiers and traditionalsweetshops, but it’s the variety ofindependent retailers that prove to be sucha draw. From artisanal bakeries and butchershops, to the cheese shop and numerous eateries, Louth isevery bit as welcoming as it is immersive. For many visitors,the speciality shopping is the biggest draw. As well as its rangeof craft and clothing shops, there’s also plenty of unexpected.The indoor market, for example, offers a range of quirky andunusual stalls. For anyone after a gift for friends of family,there’s no better place. For locals, however, there’s no shortage of clubs andsocieties to get stuck into. From martial arts and photography,to singing and fitness, it’s no exaggeration to say that there’ssomething for everyone. For any interested in history, Louth Museum is one of thetown’s biggest visitor attractions. Made up of four galleries, a51-55_Layout 1 19/03/2018 13:02 Page 4LINCOLNSHIRETODAY55LOUTHThe Masons Arms Hotel isthe perfect location tocelebrate your wedding Your wedding is unique and choosing theMasons Arms Hotel will give you the useof all our beautiful facilities within theGrade II listed building. Positioned in the centre of Louth, thecapital of the Lincolnshire Wolds the Masons Arms Hotel has alicense for ceremonies and the ballroom seats up to 70 guests for asit-down meal and up to 110 for your reception. We believe that no two weddings are the same and that is why wepride ourselves on designing your wedding around your personalrequirements. Contact the Hotel to find our more:Cornmarket, Louth, Lincolnshire, LN11 9PYTelephone: 01507 621200reception@the-masons-arms.com • www.the-masons-arms.com classroom/library and a gift shop, the museum is an award-winning insight into days of old. The Town Gallery showcasesobjects made or used in Louth, and boasts the largestnational collection of the works of Victorian woodcarver andartists Thomas Wilkinson Wallis of Louth. The display rangesfrom detailed birds and foliage in lime-wood to oakfurnished, to a Punch and Judy cabinet and a gargoyle. TheMezzanine Gallery emphasises more recent history, with aninteractive story of the devastating Louth Flood of 1920. One building stands above the others in puncturing thetown skyline. The tower of the parish church of St Jamesstands some 300 foot over the town, and is one of the moststriking and famous landmarks in the immediate area. It alsohas the tallest Church of England parish church spire in thecountry. The gothic architecture and intricate stained glasswindows can be seen from almost all parts of the town. As well as its architectural allure, illuminating history andshops, Louth is also home to some stunning natural beauty.Hubbard’s Hills is perfect for a picnic and delightful at anytime of the year. With refreshments on offer, a play park forchildren and the infamous stepping stones across the water,Hubbard’s Hills is a major draw for locals and visitors alikeand it’s easy to see why. Suffice it to say, the aforementioned Guardian pieceseemed to miss much of what makes Louth such a draw forfamous faces and place of pride for residents. Though we’rehappy to wax lyrical about the market town for hours, there’sonly one way to experience it for yourself – get out there.51-55_Layout 1 19/03/2018 13:03 Page 5LincolnshireheritageexploredWe are lucky to have Gibraltar Point! The areaonly narrowly avoided development as a seasideresort in the early 1930’s when, out of a proposed800 houses, only three were actually built – thoughthese survive! The County Council then, with greatforesight, used their own ground-breaking Act ofParliament (the Sandhills Act of 1932) to buy up190 acres of land for £12,000, which wasimmediately designated for general public access.It then came under military occupation during thewar.The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust (LWT), initiallyknown as the Lincolnshire Naturalists Trust, wasfounded in December 1948 dedicated to both theconservation and preservation of the county’swildlife. Within a few days of its formation theLWT agreed with the LCC to manage the GibraltarPoint reserve and took over the following yearwith a small field station, bird observatory andthe construction of a Heligoland trap to assistwith research into bird migration, also renovatingthe nearby former military hut. Gibraltar Pointtherefore has a unique status as the LWT’s firstreserve and today remains one of their flagshipreserves. At the time it was unusual in that fromthe outset the LWT’s policy was to activelyencourage the public to visit.In 1952 however, the reserve’s viability wasthreatened by the prospect of a large caravansite on adjacent land, something that was onlyaverted by a public enquiry in 1953, followed byan appeal and finally compulsory purchase ofthe land in question; again, by the LCC.Meanwhile the reserve was badly affectedduring the 1953 floods, but once the sea bankwas repaired work began on creating the firsthide and freshwater mere of 2½ acres near theWest Dunes. (A further 1½ acres were added in1974.) The old coastguard house and look-outtower on the reserve had been built in 1859, atthat time overlooking the sea, but by 1923, itwas far inland and had fallen into disuse. It hadbeen enlarged during the military occupationand the Trust commenced leasing it as aWith spring arrived we headoutdoors to exploreLincolnshire’s premier heritagenature reserve at Gibraltar Pointand discover its history.56-57_Layout 1 19/03/2018 11:50 Page 1coast a centuryand a half ago. The reserve isbounded by Tennyson’s “Brook” from theWolds around Somerby, which herereaches the seas as the River Steeping, andthe Wash foreshore. The many otherhabitats include fresh and salt watermarshes and meres, grassland, scrub anddunes amongst which Mill Hill providesthe reserves highest point and consequentfine views over the Wash to Norfolk.To learn more essential reading shouldbe Ted Smith’s “Trustees for Nature” – thestory of both Ted’s extraordinary life andthat of the LWT – and the late DavidRobinson’s “Lincolnshire Seaside”.With its fascinating history GibraltarPoint still makes an important contributionto Lincolnshire’s natural heritage.“Conservation” and “Preservation” remainthe watchwords of the LWT to this day asit continues to play a major role ascustodian of Lincolnshire’s rich wildlife.And furthermore, later this year will seeboth the LWT and the Gibraltar Pointreserve celebrating their 70th anniversary! by Hugh MarrowsLINCOLNSHIRETODAY57Meanwhilethe Trust had beenable to obtain the freehold of anadjacent 60 acres of land, known asTennyson Sands, where there is now anextended lagoon, reedbeds, new hidesand grassland converted from arable land.The current area of the various habitats atGibraltar Point now extends to some1,000 acres.More recently further development wasforced onto the LWT by the December2013 tidal surge which caused extensivedamage to the visitor centre and café.However this setback was seen as anopportunity and a completely new visitorcentre and café were planned. The oldcentre was knocked down in April 2015and replaced with a new ultra-modernbut sympathetically designed buildingraised on stilts to avoid future flooddamage. This was opened in the spring of2016 and then officially in October of thatyear by the TV naturalist Simon King. In a sense the reserve still continues togrow by coastal accretion. A goodillustration of this is to remember that thewest dunes by the approach road and theold coastguard house overlooked theresidential fieldcentre in 1958, aninitiative that sooncreated the need for afull-time warden; onebeing finally appointedearly in 1961. The fieldcourses proved so popularthat a residential tutor wasalso needed and one began workin 1967; by 1969 over 5,000students attended and bothaccommodation and laboratory facilitieswere extended.Meanwhile in 1963 the first properInformation Centre was officially openedby Sir Peter Scott, but as both the LWTmembership, and the popularity of thereserve, continued to increase a newer,larger visitor centre also became necessary.By the early 1970’s Gibraltar Point wasattracting 150,000 visitors a year andreceived a visit from Prince Charles in1971. This second visitor centre wasopened in October 1974 by DavidAttenborough and the Wash Viewpointwas created in 1986. Meanwhile the fortunes of the LWT andthose of Gibraltar point went fromstrength to strength. Membership withinthe 1980’s decade went to 5,000 to 7,000and was 13,000 by the turn of the century.The next major development was theexcavation on the old saltmarsh of thesaline Fenland Lagoon with its two hides.1995 saw the addition of some 20 acres ofland near Sykes Farm to the west of theroad from Skegness - now known asJackson’s Marsh after the donor Mr GeorgeJackson – but it took until 2001 tocomplete the creation of new ponds andgrassland plus the building of a new hide.There had also been a further addition of afurther 40 acres of grassland in 1998.56-57_Layout 1 19/03/2018 11:50 Page 258 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYLINCS & NOTTS AIR AMBULANCEThe Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance has been providing emergencycare for many years, and is no stranger to the pages of LincolnshireToday. This month we caught up with them to see how the charity isfaring, and what others can do to support them.Lincs & NottsAir Ambulance58-61_Layout 1 19/03/2018 13:08 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY59LINCS & NOTTS AIR AMBULANCEWe are extremely proud and excited toshare some fantastic news for 2018; theLincs & Notts Air Ambulance is to extendits life-saving service to becomeoperational 24-hours every day!2017 was a fantastic year for ourCharity – we not only took delivery of ournew, state-of-the-art AgustaWestland 169helicopter, but we also began to carryblood on board for the first time. Theseadvancements have proven to be of greatbenefit to the pre-hospital critical carethat our clinical crew already providesevery day of the year. As a further reflection of ourcommitment to providing a first-classHelicopter Emergency Medical Service(HEMS) in Lincolnshire andNottinghamshire, our Board of Trusteesrecently approved the decision to extendour helicopter’s operational hours.Karen Jobling, CEO said: “Emergenciesdon’t stop at 7pm and nor will we.Thanks to our fantastic supporters, we arenow in a position to fund the extensionof our service and provide advancedclinical care to the people of Lincolnshireand Nottinghamshire 24 hours a day, 7days a week. This extended service won’thappen overnight, but the wheels arealready in motion towards the provisionof a 24/7 helicopter emergency servicefor the communities we serve by the endof the year.”As well as our state-of-the-arthelicopter, our Charity also has a RapidResponse Vehicle (RRV) which can quicklytransport a Critical Care Paramedic and60 Á58-61_Layout 1 19/03/2018 13:08 Page 2Next >