< PreviousCHURCH LANE LITTLE BYTHAM40 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYLINCOLNSHIRE WALKSCASTLE BYTHAM VILLAGECASTLE BYTHAM PONDThe massive ramparts at Castle Bytham originated as a stronghold of the Saxon Earl Morcar(commemorated by nearby Morkery Lane) and were probably surmounted by a woodenstockade, the first stone castle being built by the Normans around AD1085. Local defiance ofHenry III resulted in its destruction on the king’s orders after the War of Bytham in AD 1221,and though rebuilt was finally overthrown during the Wars of the Roses. Much survives(recycled) as today’s cottages! Although the site is private our route still provides someimpressive close-up views. To the castle’s southwest were extensive fishponds, one stilldistinguishable today as the village cricket ground; the large flat area in front of the nowderelict pavilion. I found St James’s church locked but if you can gain access there is inside anancient wooden ladder inscribed “This ware the May Poul – 1660”.St Medard’s church at Little Bytham enjoys an extremely rare dedication (possibly unique inEngland) to a C6th French bishop and together with some surviving Norman stonework hasan exceptionally fine Priests doorway in the chancel south wall.The walk twice crosses the abandoned Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, formerlyan important cross-country route linking the midlands with Great Yarmouth. It openedpiecemeal from 1848 onwards, some being built by other minor railway companies laterabsorbed by the M&GNJR. The section near the Bythams opened in 1893 and closure wascomplete by 1959.Holywell, with its picturesque lakes, is surely one of south Lincolnshire’s undiscoveredbeauty spots. The name derives from the Old English for a “well of good omen”, perhaps“health” or “healing” in this case. The Regency fronted hall is barely glimpsed through theparkland trees, as is Holywell’s redundant St Wilfred’s church, now the halls private chapel.At the Rutland boundary we see the Clipsham Medwells Quarry opened in 1903 by theMedwell family and now owned by Stamford Stone Company. The local limestone is ofthe Middle Jurassic period (200 million years old) and being very hard it weathers well. In1928 stone from here was used to repair the Houses of Parliament.NOTES.There is limited roadside parking at the start. On the road sections use vergesand pavements where possible.THE ROUTE.Cross the road to a footbridge by the entrance to Castle Farm and in thefield beyond turn left to a stile in a hedge. Then climb the next meadow followingEXPLORINGON FOOTCASTLE BYTHAM, LITTLE BYTHAM & HOLYWELLThe “Cotswold-like” countryside of Lincolnshire’s farsouthwest is our destination for this delightful June walk.Lincolnshire040-041:Layout 1 20/5/13 10:35 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY41LINCOLNSHIRE WALKSSt JAMES'S CHURCHCASTLE BYTHAMRIVER GLEN LITTLEBYTHAMCASTLE BYTHAM RAMPARTSEAST LAKE HOLYWELLnumerous white marker posts to another stile in the top left-hand corner.From it turn right downhill over two more stiles to reach a derelict cricketpavilion. Now turn left. [Alternatively reach here from the start byheading back into the village and taking the first left along St Martins.]Continue uphill to a waymark at an old hedge, bear half right and aftera second hedge veer left to a stile in a third. Keep forward with a hedgeon your left to a track and there go right to meet a road. Now turn left forapproximately a mile to enter Little Bytham. First head to the church, thencross into Church Lane opposite and at the bottom cross the footbridge bythe ford. Now turn right alongside the Glen Brook and at the nextfootbridge and ford keep ahead on a track.After 200 yards leave this, bearing left through a metal gate. A grassy tracknow leads beneath the old railway to a footpath fingerpost. Double backsharp left here and at the field corner, go right. Stay by the right-hand edgeof the next field to its far corner and a nearby stile. Climb that to follow afenced path to a handgate and past a garden to a gate at a track. Cross to asecond gate (and cattle grid) and proceed downhill with woods on your leftto another waymarked gate by a house before following its access track tothe road at Holywell.Turn left down to a bridge above the weir between the lakes and continuealong the road bearing right at the first two junctions and then ahead at thethird. After a further mile turn right onto a signed quarry track opposite theRutland county border sign.In 150 yards zigzag left then right to pick up the public footpath uphill(we are walking the county boundary here) through woods and at thehilltop – with spectacular quarry views - keep ahead on a fenced path. Aftera footbridge pass a plantation to reach another bridge in a hedge. Cross thearable field ahead passing close to a waymarked electricity pole to anotherfootbridge in a hedge gap. Now walk out towards another pole with awaymark and past a dilapidated barn. School Farm on the OS map.Maintain your direction up to the next field corner and a footpath sign at aroad.From another footpath sign opposite and veer slightly right, aimingbetween two pairs of distant conifers. On reaching them footpath signpoints along a short walled track - an old railway bridge. Follow the pathround Castle Bytham cemetery into a surfaced lane that passes the oldschool (1814) and the church to emerge beside the Castle Inn. (The Fox &Hounds is 60 yards leftwards.) Finally cross the road to steps beside a busstop and head down Castlegate back to the start.by Hugh MarrowsFACTFILESTART: Castle Bytham : at bottom of Castlegate near the villagepond. (GR989187)SAT-NAV: NG33 4RJOS MAPS: Landranger 130 (Grantham) • Explorers 247 & 248 DISTANCE: 7¼ miles • 11.5 kilometresREFRESHMENTS: Castle Bytham – Castle Inn • Fox & Hounds040-041:Layout 1 20/5/13 10:35 Page 242 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYLINCOLNSHIRE WILDLIFEWhile you’re at it, you’d better say thank you tothe Thorne family of Wragby too. This year they’recelebrating 100 years of helping beekeepers tosupport bees by making and selling a vast range ofequipment not only in this country, but also theworld.The business started almost by accident, whenfounder Edgar Thorne was asked to make a fewhives for the Wragby School headmaster.Today his legacy is still based near Wragby, andis the largest company of its kind in the UK, andone of the largest in Europe. Its hives andequipment are used at Prince Charles’ Highgrove,at Buckingham Palace and Clarence House – not tomention 2,000 hives sent to Iraq, 800 to Oman,and protective clothing to Japan.The family firm has come a long way since 1913when Edgar built hives alongside all sorts of otherjoinery work and eventually house-building too.But it was with Edgar’s son Les at the helm thatbeekeeping moved more firmly up the agenda. Hewas keen on modernisation, suggesting to hisfather that electricity should replace steam inpowering machinery, and that theymight do better with atelephone.Today thecompany employs90 people, tentimes as many as anyone else in the business inthe UK, and the saws in its workshop sound likehundreds of thousands of bees as they fill palletafter pallet with thousands of hive parts.In 2010 it moved to a 32-acre site just up theroad from Wragby to Rand in what must havebeen the largest-ever private beekeepinginvestment in the UK. They have customers fromall walks of life. “What beekeepers have in common is an affinitywith nature, no matter what their age,” says GillSmith, Les’s daughter. “Though Dad always used to say that womenmade better beekeepers because they weregentler!”The Thorne family dynasty continues withEdgar’s great-granddaughter Rebecca Coleman,who now works in the business. Can it last foranother 100 years? Says Gill: “Who knows? Ourmain hope is that people and governmentscontinue to respect and support the world ofbeekeepers. But for now we just hope for somehalf-decent weather in 2013.”Bee lucky!Every time you bite into a crunchy English apple or some sweet runner beansout of the garden, say thank you to the bees – because it’s their journey fromflower to flower that created the fruit.Bev Jackson works onthe saw that cuts thetimber for the outerwalls of hives.Gill Smith is proud ofthe Thorne familybusiness at Rand nearWragby. 100 yearsafter the firm wasfounded, they’re just afew miles up the roadfrom their firstpremises.A tiny insect on its own, the honeybee is part of a colony with acollective intelligence; which can find nectar and turn it intohoney; can navigate by the sun, and, in complete darknessand in silence, tell others where to find food and water by theway it dances amongst them.042-043:Layout 1 20/5/13 10:37 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY43Fancy that!•The Latin name for the western honeybee is Apis Mellifera.•Television newsreader Bill Turnbull has been a beekeeper for 20 years, •Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Everest, learned the skill from his dad who gave up journalism to be a professional beekeeper, and Conan Doyle had his character Sherlock Holmes take up the hobby inretirement.•Leading beekeeping expert and writer David Cramp took up the hobby when his wife gave him a swarm of bees in a duvet cover as a birthday present 25 years ago.•Every hive contains tens of thousands of bees – but all are the offspring of the hive’s one and only fertile female. •Male bees are called drones, and do nothing to help run the hive except to fertilise new queens. The downside is that the workers –all female – turn them out of the hive to die at the onset of autumn.•Bees maintain a temperature of about 33 degrees centigrade around the queen, no matter what the weather’s doing outside the hive.•And bees never sleep.Playinghis aceThe wickedly cold winter of 1963 wipedout most of the UK’s bees, and Les Thorneimported large numbers from America tohelp re-stock the country. At Heathrow the long journey had beentough on the bees, which were gettingstressed and needed refreshing with water.Customs officials wouldn’t be hurried andwouldn’t let Les tend to them – until heforced their hand by holding up apackage of anxious bees and explainingthat if he couldn’t look after them,he would let them out and clearthe airport.042-043:Layout 1 20/5/13 10:38 Page 244 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFASHIONTaifunTaifun offers some feminine,trendy silhouettes whichprovide the freedom todevelop your personal style.Selected materials and youngcuts give every garment thatspecial character.044-055:Layout 1 20/5/13 12:03 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY45FASHIONPRINTScharmingBold prints are a hot trend this summer.Digital technology has meant geometricshapes and contemporary floral designscan make a real statement. If you’rebrave you can work to look from head totoe, but if you don’t want to stand outtoo much, pair them down with a plainseparate. Let your clothes do the talkingthis summer!Bold prints are a hot trend this summer.Digital technology has meant geometricshapes and contemporary floral designscan make a real statement. If you’rebrave you can work to look from head totoe, but if you don’t want to stand outtoo much, pair them down with a plainseparate. Let your clothes do the talkingthis summer!PRINTScharming044-055:Layout 1 20/5/13 12:03 Page 2Top Left: Noa NoaNoa Noa offers sprawlingbotanical prints oncharming cardigans. Thislight and sweet knitwearis just perfect for thewarmer months.Above: OuiOui’s ethos is for fashionthat’s playful, colourfuland innovative – and thebold shapes and coloursare perfect to stand outthis summer.Far Left: MasaiMasai’s summercollection is a riot of printand colour in fabulouslyflattering shapes andgreat fabrics. The sleevelengths from 3/4 to shortand vest styles will takeyou through whatever thesummer throws at you!Left: LauRieIn LauRie’s summercollection, front andoverall prints are nicelyadapted in colour andmood – and are inspiredby both the botanic andthe graphic world.044-055:Layout 1 20/5/13 12:03 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY47Step into the season feelingfabulous in our beautiful LauRieand Masai Spring/Summer collections. For effortless stylingCome and Browse.Be beautiful with Vitage beautyand Mii make overs.Open from Monday - Saturday 9am -5pmTelephone: 01522542085131 Burton Rd Lincoln LN1 3LN45 Steep Hill, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN2 1LUTel: 01522 536035www.lottiesatik.co.ukExclusive women’s wearSituated within the historic Bailgate. 88c The Bailgate, Lincoln LN1 3AR01522 787709noanoalincoln.co.ukSummer collections now instorePETER SCOTT1 THE BROADWAYWOODHALL SPA 01526 353935Open 7 dayswww.peterscottshoes.co.ukLighterReflexibilityRoomierShock absorbing044-055:Layout 1 20/5/13 12:03 Page 448 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFASHIONat Eve & Ranshaw, 1 Market Place,Louth. Tel: 01507 601200Gabor, Caprice &many more Spring/Summer Collections now instoreHotterVan Dal Caprice Gabor Marco Tozzi HB ZodiacoMarc CainExpressive prints,refined materials,sophisticated coloursand linings define thecasual yet luxuriouslook of Marc Cain’ssummer collection.NümphNümph, available atLottie’s Atik ofLincoln, promiseclothes with soul andpersonality and theprints trend thissummer certainlyoffers that044-055:Layout 1 20/5/13 12:03 Page 5Bold asbrassLINCOLNSHIRETODAY49FASHIONBold asbrassComplement the prints of this summer’scollections with a bold accessory – or if you’re toonervous to take the plunge, opt for an excitingaccessory to add a focal point to a more restrainedoutfit. Whatever you go for you’ll find plenty ofexciting options across Lincolnshire.Top: GantIn Gant’s summercollection, fabrics arecomfortably cool like cottonpoplin and satin, heavily washedfor a relaxed worn-in feelMore accessoriesLeft: OuiA few well-placed accessories can contrast perfectly with thebold shapes that are on trend this summer.Above: Noa NoaNoa Noa’s latest collection offers some bold pieces that canadd contrast to any outfit044-055:Layout 1 20/5/13 12:03 Page 6Next >