This is a delightful walk taking you high into the Wolds. There are fine views to the coast and back to Louth with St James's Church spire visible for miles. Walking along tracks and paths, this really does give a flavour of hilly Lincolnshire.
Technical sheet
n°2288260
A Louth walk
posted on 17/07/19 by Lincolnshire Wolds. Last update : 09/02/24
(S/E) From St James’s Church, walk along Bridge Street. (A)
(1) Continue up the hill, Grimsby Road, until you reach Fanthorpe Lane, just before a petrol station. Turn left into Fanthorpe Lane. When you reach the bypass, cross with extreme care. Continue on the metalled track, then grass track and across fields until you reach a road. (B)
(2) At the road, turn left and continue past Acthorpe Farm. As you go past Linford Wood, you are at the highest point of the walk at 340 feet. Follow the road until you reach South Elkington village.
(3) Turn left at the road and follow the tarmac footpath towards Louth.
(4) Turn left at the public footpath and follow it uphill across a field into Cow Pasture Wood. Once through the woodland (C), follow the path over the grassland, keeping the trees and hedge on your left, passing Pasture Farm to the bypass.
(5) Carefully cross the bypass, then go over the stile into the field. Cross the field with the hedge on your left and past the old buildings. Follow the track right down the drive and turn left at the road.
(6) Ignore the next road on the left and follow Westgate over the bridge and back to St James's Church, your starting point.(S/E)
Waypoints
S/E : km 0 - alt. 30 m - St James Church
1 : km 0.94 - alt. 54 m - Towards Grimsby Road
2 : km 2.5 - alt. 61 m - Acthorpe Farm
3 : km 4.94 - alt. 79 m - Footpath towards Louth
4 : km 6.08 - alt. 59 m - Public footpath towards Cow Pasture Wood
5 : km 7.57 - alt. 51 m - Bypass
6 : km 7.84 - alt. 34 m - Westgate
S/E : km 8.39 - alt. 30 m - St James Church
Useful Information
Maps: OS Landranger 122 and OS Explorer 282
Parking: Numerous car parks throughout the town – please check for parking tariffs.
Terrain: Mainly on good tracks and paths. Some sections may be muddy. Some roadside walking and
crossing Louth bypass.
Refreshments: Cafes and pubs in Louth, shop in South Elkington.
Toilets: Public toilets on Eastgate, behind the New Market Hall and at the Bus Station on Church Street.
Stiles: A few. Many are stock proof and therefore maybe difficult for some dogs.
The Lincolnshire Wolds is a National Landscape, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1973. Covering an area of 558 square kilometres or 216 square miles, the AONB contains the highest ground in eastern England between Yorkshire and Kent, rising to over 150m along its western edge. Rolling chalk hills and areas of sandstone and clay underlie this attractive landscape.
The Lincolnshire Wolds has been inhabited since prehistoric times and the appearance of the countryside today has been greatly influenced by past and present agricultural practices.
A Countryside Service helps to protect and enhance the landscape through partnership projects with local landowners, farmers, parish councils, businesses and residents of the Wolds.
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
(A) Have a look at the sculpture of a man trying to make sense of the words on a line, depicting the Greenwich Meridian line. This is part of the Louth Art Trail. As you cross the bridge over the River Lud lookout for the marker high on the building adjacent to the bridge. This marks the height of the water during Louth flood in 1920.
(B) The tiny hamlet of Acthorpe was once a much larger place. Its name implies that it once was a farm either specialising in or using, oak trees. The oak provides both home and food for the greatest variety of insects of all our trees. If you look carefully at the twigs or leaves, you may see some strange growths called galls. These are not harmful to the tree but are home to a small insect. An insect lays its eggs inside the leaf or twig and as the larvae develop the gall is formed. Look out for oak cherry gall or the oak spangle gall on the underside of the leaves.
(C) The true Scots pine is perhaps the most ancient of all British trees. It has grown here for the last 1-2 million years, disappearing only during the most severe glacial periods and returning when conditions improved. It is distinctive from other pines with its red bark, visible at the top of the trunk.
Reviews and comments
4.3 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Clarity of route description 5 / 5
Clarity of route map 4.4 / 5
Walk interest 3.4 / 5
dianecoc
Overall rating :
4.7 / 5
Date of walk : 26/08/22 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good Walk interest : ★★★★★ Very good
A very enjoyable walk. Nothing too difficult & we found the instructions easy to follow which made this a great day out. First time in the wolds, the great weather helped too! Maybe quite muddy in wet weather.
andreeburtt
Overall rating :
4 / 5
Date of walk : 04/08/22 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good Walk interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Beautiful in parts but too much of it was on busy noisy roads
andreeburtt
Overall rating :
4 / 5
Date of walk : 14/08/22 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good Walk interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Lovely parts to the walk but there was too much of it on the side of a very busy noisy road.
Chrisrrobbo
Overall rating :
4.3 / 5
Date of walk : 01/05/22 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good Walk interest : ★★★★☆ Good
First visit to what USA charming part of the world.
The walk itself was quiet, with some fantastic panoramic views of the Vale of York, so pick a day with decent visibility.
A good mix of pretty dry terrain and reasonable slopes - 'Moderate' is accurate for the walk, and it was very pleasant.
A couple of minor deviations over the fieldscwhich were a much my fault as the directions, but the map is pretty good.
PS. Parking was a bit busier than expected: The village is basically a residential street with driveways and some elderly residents, so bear that in mind when parking up.
Mick d
Overall rating :
4.3 / 5
Date of walk : 24/02/20 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good Walk interest : ★★★★☆ Good
