Newark-on-Trent to Lincoln
A fascinating historic route through Robin Hood country
Follow the route - Newark-on-Trent to Lincoln
Newark-on-Trent to Southwell
> From Newark-on-Trent take the A617 and then an unclassified road left to Upton and Southwell.
Visiting Southwell
Visitors to this market town are taken by surprise as the spires of the magnificent Minster suddenly come into view above the rolling countryside. This 12th- and 13th-century building, with a Romanesque nave and transept, is the mother church of Nottinghamshire and replaced an earlier Saxon church. Charles I spent his last few hours of freedom at the Saracen’s Head Inn, just along the road, and another famous visitor, the poet Lord Byron, often stayed at Burgage Manor nearby.
Places to stay near Southwell
Southwell to Edwinstowe
> Take the Oxton Road west to Oxton, then join the A6097 north which becomes the A614, and finally turn left on to the B6034 to Edwinstowe.
Visiting Edwinstowe
Edwinstowe is an old colliery village, and it was at St Mary’s Church that Maid Marian is said to have married Robin Hood. The massive and ancient Major Oak, named after Major Rooke, a local 18th-century antiquary, is claimed to be the oldest tree in the forest. Nearby is the Sherwood Visitor Centre, where there are walks, nature trails, exhibitions and amusements.
Places to stay in Edwinstowe
Edwinstowe to North Leverton with Habblesthorpe
> Return via the A6075 to the A614 heading north, then turn right on to unclassified roads to Bothamsall. Turn left along the B6387, crossing over the A1 before joining the A638 north to Retford. Take unclassified roads east from Retford to North Leverton with Habblesthorpe.
Visiting North Leverton with Habblesthorpe
Dutch-style houses give this village a flavour of Holland, which fits in well with the flat, fenland landscape. A windmill, three storeys high and still in working order, stands above the plain, but is dwarfed by the vast cooling towers of the power station to the north along the Trent valley. Further south is the village of Rampton, surrounded by rich farmland criss-crossed with drainage ditches, used to reclaim the area from marshland.
Places to stay in North Leverton with Habblesthorpe
North Leverton with Habblesthorpe to Dunham Bridge
> Continue south along unclassified roads then join the A57 east to Dunham Bridge.
Visiting Dunham Bridge
Prepare to pay when you cross the River Trent, as a toll is levied here – a rare occurrence on British roads. The A57 out of Dunham runs alongside a major drainage ditch which dates from Roman times. Further along, Doddington brings you back into Lincolnshire. The landscape round here has been drained and cultivated for hundreds of years, and this delightful village has a fine Elizabethan hall as its focal point, with impressive ceramics. A medieval scold’s bridle is among many other curiosities.
Places to stay near Dunham Bridge
Dunham Bridge to Lincoln
> Continue on the A57, then turn right on the B1190 to return to Lincoln.
Visiting Lincoln
The triple towers of Lincoln Cathedral are visible for miles around. Closer inspection reveals a structure of bewildering design and complexity set amid an architecture history as good as anything in Britain. Roman ruins, Viking artefacts and cobbled medieval streets that date from Norman times are the elements that bought the makers of The Da Vinci Code here for filming, but which have served the local people and visitors for centuries.
