Walk FactsIntroductionAccommodationManor CottageThe Manor, TimberlandLincoln LN4 3RZTelephone: 01526 378388
Daisy Cottage B&B29 Heath RoadScopwickLincoln LN4 3NUTelephone: 01526 321716
Clifton HouseChurch Lane, TimberlandLincoln LN4 3SBTelephone: 01526 378810
RefreshmentsRoyal OakHigh Street, ScopwickLincoln LN4 3QTTelephone: 01526 320285
The Penny Farthing Inn4 Station Road, TimberlandLincoln LN4 3SATelephone: 01526 378359
Blankney lies between Metheringhamand Scopwick beside the B1188 onthe edge of Lincoln Heath. To theeast the limestone dip slopegradually declines until at Car Dykeit meets the Witham peat fens.
Blankney village is at the centre of alarge estate originally granted toWalter De Aincourt by William theConqueror for service rendered atthe Battle of Hastings. It remainedthe principal family seat for 400years until in 1466, it passed bymarriage into the hands of theLovell family.
After the War of the Roses, the estatewas purchased by the Thorolds and itpassed, again by marriage, into thehands of the Widdrington familyduring the reign of Charles I. It wasacquired by the Chaplin family in1719 who held it until 1892 when itwas sold to cover debts to the Earl ofLondesborough. The 2nd Earl builtthe first Blankney golf course in 1909.
Though St Oswald’s Church and thehall (demolished in 1965 after atragic wartime fire) are older, the‘modern’ estate village with itspicturesque limestone cottages, golfclub and cricket ground is largely thecreation of the Chaplin family.
Places of interest to visit nearby
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EastHeckington
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Go Stepping Out!
Whilst great care has been taken in compilingthis information into this leaflet, NorthKesteven District Council cannot be heldresponsible for any errors, omissions oralterations contained within it. The inclusion ofan establishment within this leaflet does notimply any official recommendations by NorthKesteven District Council.
Stepping Out
Walk
14
North Kesteven District Council Heart of Lincolnshire
www.countrysidenk.co.uk
Distance 3.8 miles/6.1 kms
Blankney WalkWalk LocationA circular walk through opencountryside and pasturelandaround the picturesque villageof Blankney.
Starting PointsBlankney Car Park and PicnicSite. (Grid Ref: TF 077 607).
ParkingBlankney Car Park and PicnicSite. (Grid Ref: TF 077 607).
Public TransportFor information call the Travelineon 0871 200 22 33 or visitwww.lincolnshire.gov.uk/busrailtravel
Walk Length3.8miles/6.1kms in length andat a leisurely pace the shorterwalk will take an hour and thelonger variation two hours.
Type of WalkThe walk is generally on goodfarm tracks and pathways.There are stiles on this walk.
Ordnance Survey mapsExplorer 272 and Landranger 121
Many of the paths have been providedby the goodwill of local landowners.These are marked by Highways Actsigns. No special permission is neededto use these paths, but walkers areasked to help to ensure a continuedwelcome by only using the waymarkedpaths and keeping dogs on a lead.Where paths cross pasture young stockmay be present. If you have a dog withyou please make sure it is under firmcontrol in these sensitive areas.
For more Stepping Out walks, further information on local attractions oraccommodation, please call or visit:Sleaford Tourist Information Centre, Money’s Yard, Carre Street,Sleaford, Lincs NG34 7TW Telephone: 01529 414294Email: [email protected] www.heartoflincs.comDownload all the Stepping Out walks by visiting www.countrysidenk.co.ukwww.countrysideaccess.gov.ukwww.visitlincolnshire.comwww.spiresandsteeples.com
��Blankney Walk1. From the car park, walk through
the picnic site and walk along theedge of beech woodland. Beforeyou leave the picnic site look toyour right to see a beautifullyrenovated bridge which used tocross the carriageway leadingto Blankney Hall. Follow thepath along the edge of thewoodland until you reach a stileon your left.
2. Cross over the stile and followthe way marker into pasturebeyond. St Oswald’s Church canbe seen on your right. Cross asecond stile and a stream andcontinue straight on.
3. Follow the path as it hugs thefield edges, keeping thehedgerow on your left until theway markers lead left towards anarea of woodland.
4. Turn left here, with the hedgerowon your right, and follow thistrack until you reach thewoodland.
5. Turn right and follow along thefield edge path with thehedgerow on your right andwoodland to the left, pass thebench and follow the way markerwhich leads off to your right.
(For a shorter route continuealong this track which takes youleft around a small group of farmbuildings, and then straight onrejoining the public footpath atPoint 10 - this walk isapproximately 2.15miles/3.5kmslong)Turn immediately left along thefield edge path with the largehawthorn hedge on your left andcontinue until you reach a gap inthe hedge.
7 Go through the gap and followthe public footpath, now with thehedge on your right, along agrassy path. Continue on untilyou meet a farm track.
8. Turn left onto this track which willtake you onto a metalled roadknown as Acre Lane. Turn leftonto Acre Lane and follow it toScopwick Lowfields Farm. Withcare, pass through the farmbuildings and follow the footpathas it bends right along the edgeof the field until you reach aT junction.
9. Turn left at this junction andfollow the public footpath pastmature blackthorn bushes andover a low wall bridge until youmeet a further junction of paths.Turn left at this junction and
Reproduced from OS Mapping with the permission of the controller ofHMSO c Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes crowncopyright and may lead to civil proceedings. OS Licence 100017926.2009
continue along the publicfootpath.
10. Follow the public footpath withthe hedgerow on your right untilyou cross a stream
11. After crossing the stream turnimmediately left over the stileand walk across pasture back tothe car park, keeping the streamon your left.
B1188
B1189
KeyCar ParkBlankney WalkAlternative Stepping Out Route
To Lincoln
To Sleaford To ScopwickTo KirkbyGreen
Blankney
Hall Farm
Ash Holt
The Brickyard
ScopwickLowfields Farm
Farm Buildiings
Catton’sHolt
Railway
WarreningRabbits were introduced into Britainby the Normans who bred them forfur. They were segregated inwarrens to produce furs of pureblack, grey or silver. Rabbitsrequired feeding as they quicklyconsumed all the natural vegetation,even at the normal stocking rate offive rabbits per acre. They werestarved to death in pits baited withfood so as to avoid damaging theirvaluable furs. In Lincolnshire in1800 a warren of 2,000 rabbitswould require three cart loads ofturnips a day, in addition toquantities of clover, hay, threshedoats and barley grown in nearbyfields. Rabbit meat was cheap andeven the poorest families couldafford to eat it.
Farming on the heathAfter the Dissolution, sheep farmingdeclined on the granges and muchof the heath probably reverted to itsnatural state of ling (heather) gorseand furze. However, by the end ofthe 17th Century many acres of theun-enclosed heath were given overto rabbit warrens. Traces of thesewarrens, which featured miles oflimestone or turf walls topped bygorse bushes to segregate therabbits, can still be seen.
Lincoln Heath was enclosed in1799 and the warrens did not longsurvive. By 1830, as demand forcorn rose and arable farmingbecame more profitable, themanaged farms of the BlankneyEstates were still rearing sheep butincreasingly growing corn alongsidetraditional root crops.
The largely arable landscape ofgrain, maize and rape we see todayis less than 100 years old andalready there are signs of change.Grass is being grown to producechlorophyll for industry, and poppiesfor pharmaceuticals. Who knowswhat the Heath will look like in2050? Global warming and theneed to secure food and energysupplies locally may transform itagain.
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