Things To Do In Horncastle UPDATE

With Horncastle being a small Lincolnshire market town (pop. ±6000), oppurtunities for holiday trippers may seem limited. If your visit's for antiques, then you're sorted, especially with the   free town map leaflet available at most dealers. Scenic Walks Hikers, Walkers or Cyclists generally come prepared, and there are maps and walk booklets of routes around the town available at the library. Set in the Wolds, footpaths on all 4 sides quickly lead to fields, woods, fresh air and views. Within the town itself, an interesting educational day out can be had on the   Blue Plaque Trail. Highlighting the past history of the town, you may find yourself taking double the time to complete the walk, as the architecture of old buildings, rivers of fish and ducks, shops and antiques take your attention. The Joseph Banks Centre grew from refurbished medieval cottages on   Bridge St to the West of the town, and features a botanical victorian walled garden at the rear. This fledgling   Arts and Crafts Centre has a gift shop and more information to the man linked with Botany Bay, Australia. More Gardens can be found by putting LN9 into the search on the   National Gardens site.   On the corner of Bridge St., opposite the Fighting Cocks, the WiFi Internet can be used to good effect to investigate further whilst having a coffee break. Cutting up Prospect St allows a walk through to Tesco, and perhaps an impromptu picnic on the river side benches next to the River Bain. Spirit of Lincolnshire Another gift shop to the community is down Manor House street past the Norman church and 13th Century pad of the Bishops of Carlisle to the HQ of the   Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. With it's circular river walk, momentos and info, it's a real bonus for the town, just off the Market Place. The Grade 2 listed Norman   Parish Church itself has been appealing for funds, but is still open, generally in the mornings, for viewing of local history, and I have a small series of photos showing it's attractive cleanliness and   spritual benefits. A little of my small change shrapnel finds it's way through the alcove gate for the ladies to find when they open the church up. In the shady, quiet, grounds are thatched cottages, the Workhouse, Dispensary, and  William Marwood's cottage across the road nearly swallowed by the four storey Bank Buildings. Fresh Air Picnics Around the corner, the library has interesting local history information, WiFi and local souvenirs with the Tourist Information. Across the Jubilee Way, there's a scenic walk by the Waring river on the old towpath down to the liesure centre, and out across the bridge footpath at the other end to West St., and thence back into town past West Street's Antiques. A much longer walk up Lincoln Road would bring Crowder's Garden Centre into range after 10 minutes. Diagonally opposite is   Ash Buckingham's

painting studio, and a footpath down to the Bain area, that doglegs right, left, right before coming back into the town, past Elmhirst Lakes, down Prospect St. Round about now, I'd be heading for an ice cream from a Tea Room or Sweet Memories on North St, the nostalgic tuffy shop. No doubt alcohol will be an attraction to none drivers, and the  Licensed Horncastle page covers all the bases in the town.
A further oppurtunity for Churches, is the rescued Trinity on Spilsby Rd to the East. Currently an extensive antiques emporium, it remains in the same condition as at it's service time, and has an old eagle lectern from St Mary's, donated originally from Scrivelsby.   Benches in the grounds, give another convenient place for a picnic, with the Memorial Gardens just around the corner on South St featuring landscaped beds, and one of the few Korean Memorials in the county. The Mermaid Fish and Chip shop across the road is handily placed for refreshments.
 
 Local Butterfly Photos & Cards 

Therapy Shopping!

I already covered Bargain Shopping, Restaurants and Pubs, Antiques and the Market, but the varied small shopowners in the town deserve a mention for resisting the faceless conglomerates. There's a    Rise , an old joke about the town, that you can get whatever you want in Horncastle, as long as it's second hand and 100 years old..., that's true, but the varied nature of what can be bought in the town can be surprising. There's an undercurrent of craft, hobbies, aromatherapy, soft furnishings, fruits and flowers and ladies clothes that's perhaps unrivalled in towns of similar size. Combined with a rural Garden centre, two building centres and a horticultural engineers showroom or two, and the mix becomes practical, verging on the romantic idyll.
Traders such as the Trinity Church on East St.; Kerfuffle back in Great Expectations, the Hobby House on North St.; Touchwood Oak and Horncastle Furnishings in the Bullring; the Country Stile and Joseph Banks Centre off the market, all ensure a plentiful supply of aromatherapy, candles, cushions and knik knaks, enough to soften any abode.
There are also several ladies salons in the town with tanning beds and beauty treatments, or at least hair styling, with one at every point of the compass. And, yes, to mention a stereotype, Poyntons Shoes allow a bit of shoe-shopping for the stressed out creature clutching her bank-card. Gift wrapping, ribbons and cards can be found at both newsagents, and the bespoke card shop now in Fosters photography on the High St.. Further pampering maybe had with Reiki, Hot Stones, Candle waxing, acupuncture, et al in the Old memorial Hospital on North St. Others are run semi-privately and a  Google search will bring up those actively seeking customers via facebook or their own little websites.
One of the largest Feng Shui companies is located at Tetford,   Aura-Soma, although they seem to only sell through national contacts. Not so Far East is the Yoga Studio at High Toynton, which may be an aid in poise and relaxation. Graces Boutique, North St., offers a wider range of interesting clothing, handbags & accessories for the style-conscious side of the town, with the   Fleece Ct. area in general friendly to female shopping. While the ladies are being attended to in the salon, or shopping, on Saturdays or Wednesday evenings, one of the oldest football clubs in the country,   H.T.F.C., or their reserves, may be seen playing just down South St. Outside the town, many of the general Lincolnshire  attractions can be found in the tabs menu. To visit any of these, it's worth thinking of making Horncastle, at the centre of the county, your base for a few days.

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