South Scarle

We left the north of England and headed south. It was a long, long drive, and, again, we got in too late. Those two drives, more than anything, confirmed my notion of staying in one place when we return. Sitting tight and exploring an area, then moving on after a week or so, is a much better plan than this command raid we did on Britain!

But, again, our innkeepers were terrific and forgave us for interrupting their sleep. They cooked us a wonderful full English breakfast the next two days, pointed out a great pub for dinner, made sure we didn't miss Lincoln Castle (and we might have) and were, in general, wonderful. Their inn was in a small town which reminded us of the small town we left for the month. Both mornings we were awakened by horses clip-clopping down the street, taking their riders for a morning constitutional. It was very relaxing.

The first morning, a Saturday, we stayed in a bit, did a little laundry, and tried a walk. It rained, so we headed out for some adventures. Our first led us to the town church, built by the Normans just before 1100. Some of the original stonework and art is still there, in bits and pieces. Between persecutions of Catholics and the English Civil War, however, the 15th through 17th centuries weren't very kind to English churches, though, and it can show. This particular church was lovely, and the congregation runs a small farm store in an outbuilding on the grounds. Local cheeses, jams, baked goods, meats, produce, etc, are sold there. Armed with bread, cheese and popcorn, (it made sense at the time) we headed into the town of Lincoln.

Lincoln Cathedral was established just after the Norman Conquest of England. The Romanesque building was damaged by an earthquake in 1185, and the Gothic portions of the building were constructed. the bishop of Lincoln must have been cooperative with Henry VIII, as the Cathedral and Monastery were not ruined during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during Henry's reign. The buildings are more complete than similar structures in the rest of Britain, and are very interesting. The Cathedral houses a copy of Magna Carta. In fact, when King John and his barons hammered out the thing, it was copied by monks at Lincoln. They sat in a room, 85? 43? of them (oh, heck, I can't remember everything) and it was dictated to them. Copies were then sent to all parts of England. Only 4 survived.

We ended our day with a pub supper at the Lord Nelson.
We ate in front of the fireplace. Yes, we'll be back someday!