Wold Newton and Caistor 10th August 2025

Cycling UK Louth Sunday Ride to Wold Newton and Caistor 10th August 2025:

Following a cloudy and very windy day on Saturday, Sunday’s ride would benefit from a taste of Summer with plenty of sunshine, top temperatures of about 25 Degrees Celsius and light winds.

Meeting up at Louth’s Meridian Leisure Centre were Tim Newbery, John Rickett, Paul Linder, Steve Croton, Ty Harness, Alan Hockham and Martin Wood refreshed after his holiday. We had planned to meet up with Sven Livesey at North Elkington. A great turnout.

Departing Louth we’d wind our way through Fairfield Industrial Estate, a short but necessary section of the A16 and then the rural lanes via the Dales to North Elkington. Strange that even on a fine Summer’s Day you can encounter road rage.

Approaching Boswell Farm at about 400 ft AMSL we’d be greeted by Sven, all seven of us now bowling along to Salters Lane, passing by a patchwork of cereal fields either recently harvested or soon to be shorn by the ‘Mega’ threshing combine harvesters kicking up clouds of dust.

Arriving early at Wold Newton we found room in the ‘shed’ and enjoyed the usual fine fayre of delicious cakes and unlimited cups of tea and coffee. 

Departing around 11 am we would now continue across the Wolds via Thorganby, Croxby and Rothwell. Road surfaces particularly uneven and potholed near Rothwell.

Not too far now to Caistor where today’s venue would be the Arts and Heritage Centre which was formerly a Primitive Methodist Chapel, which itself was built on the site of weaver’s cottages.

Caistor has a rich and varied history. Dating to at least Roman times when it was a fortified settlement or ‘castra’ – the origin of its later Saxon name ‘Ceastor’. The market town was hugely important in medieval times as a centre for the wool trade which lasted into the 19th Century. Even as late as 1858 it held the largest sheep fair in England and “when they were coming to the fair, the drovers and their sheep stretched the full length of the ‘High Street, from Horncastle to Caistor”. Following 1066, Caistor was also a Royal Manor for 500 years. The Lord of the Manor was once Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth I. She sold it to pay for the much grander Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. 

Having consumed a rather fine mix of cauliflower soup, beans on toast, salads and a cheese scone medley, participants would reluctantly mount their bicycles for the next stage of the journey to Wold Newton where there’d be an option of making this a three pit stop ride. 

We’d return to Rothwell via the same outbound route. Onwards through Cherry Valley passing by signs advertising feather pillows and bedding. There used to be a very active Road Racing Club sponsored by Cherry Valley with Ian Dalton being one of its shining lights. 

Our route would continue to ‘undulate’ through pretty villages of Swallow, Beelsby and Hatcliffe, the latter boasting a rather fine clear chalk stream running along the roadside backed by cottages whose gardens were in full summer bloom, a visual treat. 

Gastronomic treats were to follow at Wold Newton Village Hall where a selection of cakes was still available although there’d been a huge demand in the morning. Sven had declined the calorific indulgence and had returned home. Great to see that the Village Hall Trust has completed the purchase of the Village Hall from the Diocese of Lincoln.

John would peel off at Fotherby with others arriving back in Louth about 3.15 pm. 45 miles for the Louth contingent although Ty wasn’t done yet and would accompany Paul for the journey to Alford, both eventually clocking up about 70 miles. A perfect day.