Castle Bytham to Colsterworth

15.4 miles 

With a good distance to trek, I set out early and shortly crossed under the East Coast Mainline railway at Creeton. On the 3rd July 1938, a couple of miles south of this point, the steam locomotive Mallard reached 126 mph and set the current world steam speed record. 

Image: Grimsthorpe Castle, photo by Nicola Burford.

I joined The Drift and made my way, via Swinstead, to Grimsthorpe Castle. Set in extensive parkland this impressive building has had a long and varied life. Sited at one corner of the castle is King John’s Tower, part of the original defensive structure built around 1300. The tower had many owners over the years who extended it into a significant house. In 1516, it came into the ownership of the Barony of Willoughby de Eresby and the family are still responsible for it today. The elegant Baroque front, the last project of Sir John Vanbrugh, was attached to the older house. The effect today is a little like Hampton Court, where distinct architectural styles merge together. In 1910, the 2nd Earl of Ancaster with his American wife Eloise inherited Grimsthorpe. After years of neglect they embarked upon a programme of restoration, both inside and out. In 1978 the Grimsthorpe and Drummond Castle Trust was established by the 3rd Earl and his daughter to protect Grimsthorpe’s heritage. From the grand Vanbrugh Hall to the rich State Drawing Room, Grimsthorpe is elegant but warm, with a notable collection of thrones used in the House of Lords by such dignitaries as Kings George IV and Edward VII and the desk on which Queen Victoria signed her coronation oath. Outside there are a number of gardens to visit. My particular favourite was Topiary Squares with magical shapes evoking Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. ‘Eat me’ came to mind and I headed for the outdoor café for lunch. I lingered, perhaps a little too long, in the sun munching a brie and cranberry sandwich. This was perfectly idyllic! 

Heading westwards I left Grimsthorpe and followed country roads through rolling fields. I arrived at a small industrial estate on Honey Pot Lane not far from my stop for the night at Colsterworth. Behind the estate is a strange but significant site of the old RAF North Witham base in the midst of Twyford Wood. Here are to be found eerie, abandoned concrete runways that were used on the night of 5th June 1944 when aeroplanes took off for Normandy with Pathfinders as passengers, who would become the first American troops to land in France on D-day.