Living Around Horncastle Lincs.

The town has it's fair share of visitors, and often they'll be inquisitive as to what it's actually like living in the town rather than just vacationing. I have to say that probably has alot more to do with one's personal circumstances than the bricks and mortar surrounding one. I came for the Holiday feel of being a short bus-ride from the sea; the fresh air, quietness and reasonable jobs situation has been a bonus. So the menu(s) of this bloglet give clubs, societies & accommodation for the town and focuses on the East Lindsey area of Lincolnshire for attractions, for those who don't want to spend their vacation driving around Britain's largest county. The tourist information, located in the   library at the front of the town crossroad, is open all year round (except Tuesdays & Sundays, and Wednesday afternoons) and sells local souvenirs. They always have a knowledgeable, helpful, member of staff on hand and are the source of most of the tourism information in the town. The free local event maps take up several displays, with local shopper bus timetables, National Express booking (448 Grimsby-London) and bookings for the  Red Lion Theatre behind the pub. There's generally internet access, and it's also a WiFi hotspot together with hotels, some pubs and Bentons Coffee on West St. A recent addition are £1 map vending machines on the market and West St and by the public conveniences, although these are just  simple maps - with the town layed out on a N,S,E,W plan, it would take a special type of tourist to get lost.  East Lindsey Council also deal with issues thru a help-desk at the library, scanning documents for Manby, with interview rooms for sorting caseloads. The  Citizens Advice Bureau is now re-located elsewhere, the Horncastle branch inexplicably closing, as did the Jobcentre in 2006. 01507 Area Code    Antiques Shopping is open 7 days a week.   Postcode:LN9 The  Horncastle News is the local paper, and seems to be available by subscriber, if you need copies sent. Banks & Post Office in Horncastle There are 4 banks - LloydTSB, Barclays, Natwest & HSBC, all with High St addresses. Further atm's are on Tesco car park and at the mini store in the Bullring. I used to bank with the Yorkshire and it was strange to move 60 miles closer to Yorks only to find no bank of theirs! In the communities around, they're facing an uphill struggle to keep facilities after Ram raids on atms, austerity and post office closures. The Barclays used to be much bigger, and it may be only a matter of time until counter services are just a memory. Luckily the banks do their own independent footfall research and will stay on while there's hay to be made. Located at the rear of the market is the Post Office which is a bureau d'change together with the banks and the (Co-Op) travel agency. Owned by the  Co-Op, the building's exterior was recently refurbished, although it's not as old as those surrounding it. The taxi rank can be seen in front, and there's usually one of the Haltham Taxis knocking around. Nature The term 'YellowBelly' has several possible origins, but I favour the Celtic root. To some extent, the disposition of the people is friendlier than any I've met, similar to the   Good 'Ol Boy, fun loving attitude, of their many cousins who shipped out to America in the Plymouth Colony days. Lacking the brashness of the Lancs, Yorks & Scottish natives, whilst still retaining the relaxed nature of country-philes. It's easy to spot new residents from the Capitol commuter belt, or urbane Midlands, with their angst laden flittings. The roads up here don't exactly lend themselves to furious business like other areas of Britain, so the average Yellowbelly can be found tooling around at 55mph and 25mph like their cousins across the Pond. Lincolnshire has some   famous folk, for what is essentially an agricultural backwater. Recently the grade II listed Saint Mary's church quickly raised funds for the roof repairs, and should be back at it's former glory for 2012..., er, . . . The   East Lindsey Messenger gives more of a flavour of the local area. Tourist Attractions   The whole district is an official Outstanding Area of Natural Beauty. It may not shout at you like the bingo and slots of 'Skeg Vegas', but historic castles, countryside, antiquity shopping and specialist establishments like Museums, Cadwell Park, RAF collections and Wildlife sancturies, sit nestled larger than life in the Wolds. I highlight many of these their under 'attractions', with more in various posts. Walking and cycling away from the A52 and A16 is made that little bit safer on the Wold, with specialist tracks like the Viking Way and the newly opened Woodhall cycle route being vehicle free. A new cycle shop on the market was settling in well, and taking over the long time trade of Mrs Goodchild's, but has since moved out of town, but still repairing and delivering locally. The library and these Lincolnshire websites give many leaflets for local hikes, walks and rambles, and I must say, the lack of intrusive rock and gravel combined with the rarity of sheep, give walking in Lincolnshire a more appealing grassy nature. Be warned though, the hills here are every bit as challenging as those of Derbyshire, but with coastal sea air and gulls for company.   The Antiques shopping is the speciality of the town, and I deal with the traders available in the Antiques post, suffice to say that it probably caters for a wider range of clientele than towns like Stamford or Louth, which can focus on higher priced markets to the detriment of the fun, collectable hobbiests. With three dedicated book shops, and antiquite books for sale with the emporiums, it's hard not to find an interesting read about the town. Home adornments feature high amongst the shops and are high lighted in the attractions post. General bargain shopping and the market traders also have a post of their own, with every shop having it's speciality and selling point. Location I highlite Horncastle's link with the seaside in a couple of posts, and I think it's always been a favourite location of those in the know to holiday 20 minutes inland, far from the madding crowds. Tattershall and Woodhall's tourer parks, the large hotels like the Rodney and Petwood (among many), and the holiday cottages, bare witness to this fact. With the astounding prices at some of the coastal resorts, it can actually work out more economically viable to come inland for the quality over quantity locations. The air is fresher off the fen and has lost some of it's Scandinavian 'bracingness' by the time it reaches the town, twenty miles inland. Facilities here still have that 'consumer in charge' feel, and aircraft hanger supermarkets struggle with planning permission, whilst smaller, friendlier business premises are plentiful. Even the jewel of Skegness shopping, the Hildreds Centre, is made up of small corner shops, rather than humungous escalator mazes. This holds true for much of the shopping experience, with special deals and haggling quite common up here, whilst the larger customer base makes that a rarity in the cities. The HQ for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is quietly tucked away down the Church Lane behind Heron, and has a small shop for momentoes. On the Industrial Estate to the South two of the biggest employers, the   Polypipe Civils plant and Mortons Print, quietly ply their trade, remaining very competitive nationally and within Europe for what they do, keeping Britain very much on the map in trying economic times.

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