Dogging in Lincolnshire: area guide

The lie of the land in Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is one of the biggest counties in England and one of the least crowded. Lincoln is the only city, set on a gap in a limestone ridge above the River Witham. Other main towns are Grantham, Boston, Spalding, Stamford, Sleaford, Gainsborough, Louth and the seaside resort of Skegness. Scunthorpe and Grimsby are on the Humber side, and they are covered in the North Humberside guide.

The land is mostly flat. In the south and east are the Fens, a huge area of black farmland, straight drains and big skies. The Lincolnshire Wolds, a protected AONB, rise in the north-east as chalk hills and quiet valleys. Between them, the coast runs along the North Sea, with long beaches, dunes and marshes. The ridge known as Lincoln Edge runs north and south through the middle.

Distances are long and towns are small, so people often drive an hour or more for a night out. Visitors come from Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Peterborough, and holidaymakers fill the coast in summer. With so few street lights between the villages, the county feels remote even when a town is close.

Getting about safely

There is no motorway in the county. The A1 runs along the western edge past Grantham and Stamford. From there the main roads fan out: the A52 and A16 head east to Boston, Skegness and Louth, the A15 runs north from Peterborough through Sleaford and Lincoln, and the A46 links Lincoln to Newark. Many A roads are single carriageway, and they back up behind tractors and caravans, especially on summer weekends on the way to the coast.

Rail is thin. Lincoln has trains to Newark, Nottingham, Grantham and Peterborough. The Skegness line runs from Nottingham through Grantham and Boston, and Grantham is on the East Coast Main Line for London and the north. Many local services stop early in the evening, and some lines have only one train an hour or fewer. Look up the last train before you travel, not after.

Fenland roads are often straight and raised, with deep drains alongside and no barrier on the edge. A slip on a wet or icy night can put a car in the water. Fog on the flat land is thick and quick. The coast and Fens can flood in tidal surges and after heavy rain, and low roads near the Wash and the Witham can close. Wind is stronger here than inland because nothing slows it. Mobile signal is patchy between villages.