Mablethorpe 8th July 2026

Cycling UK Louth‘s Wednesday Wander to Mablethorpe 8th July 2026...

With John Rickett missing out on last weeks ride to the coast, a request for a ride to Mablethorpe was accepted with options of a number of venues for refreshment.

Meeting up at Louth’s Leisure Centre were John Rickett, Harvey Wright and Tim Newbery. Chris Owen had arranged to meet up with us near the Cockeringtons.

Skies were partly cloudy and a gentle easterly wind was already developing by the time we departed at 10 am. Temperatures on the coast were predicted to be a very pleasant 22 Degrees Celsius.

En route to Red Leas we did indeed meet up with Chris as well as seeing several other cyclists which included a couple from Lindsey Road CC enjoying sections of good quality surfaces as far as Three Bridges. In contrast, the road onto Gayton Engine is now increasingly potholed. 

Chris joined us as far as All Saint’s Theddlethorpe allowing us to catch up on his latest news, at which point we left him to explore the church whist we carried onto the North End with a decision to stop at Sea View Café. Arrived at 11.15 am.

Great views out to sea and we noted a number of visitors swimming in high tide conditions. A refreshingly cool breeze made for a perfect break whilst consuming mugs of coffee, cold drinks, scones and bacon baps.

We discovered an informative interpretation board (part of the Mablethorpe Coastal Trail) at the car park giving details of the history of smuggling along this stretch of coast. The principal haunts of these smugglers were coastal hamlets such as Grainthorpe and Saltfleet with gangs from Louth known to be particularly adept in the practice. ‘Gaps’ along the coast became branded by their notorious users and a stone’s throw from The Sea View Café was ‘Oliver’s Gap’, ironically appearing on some Admiralty maps. Having been hidden in the dunes here, a decayed barrel of tobacco was unearthed in the early 20th Century, its location having been lost by the smugglers.

11.45 am and time for our return, an easterly wind aiding our travels for the rest of the journey. Stain Lane would take us past Stain Hill, an altitude of 9 m AMSL. This former ‘island’ of glacial clay till in the Outmarsh was once the site of settlement from as early as Roman times with a moated manor along with the Church of St. John the Baptist in the medieval period.

Through the Carltons and Legbourne Furze, the final stretch along the tree lined Stewton Lane gave welcome shade, although by now, skies had temporarily clouded over. Arrived back at the Leisure Centre at 1 pm having covered 33 miles.