From the hut you can walk north, south and west and end up in a pub, or seeing something of interest.
There is a full Ordnance Survey map of the area in Little Oaks, and sections of it scanned out in the welcome folder so you don't have to cart the whole map around !
You will notice “blue” in the names of a few locations around the area. In the 18th Century, Buckminster Estate paid their staff in local blue coins. These could be traded in the Blue establishments. Hence you have the Blue Cow in South Witham, and the Blue Dog in Sewestern.
South Witham is a Domesday Book village, known then as Wimme
a. Out of our fields and turn right (South bound) the footpath is clearly marked and takes you across the fields, and interestingly across the site of the Witham Knights Templar. Dating back to 1164, this site once contained a complex of a great court house, barns, chambers, chapels. 18 buildings have been identified, and today only remains of the mill pond, water mill and fish ponds are left.
b. However keep walking past and the footpath takes you into South Witham, and the Blue Cow is on the High Street.
c. Amongst its popular pastimes include the Breakfast Challenge – do it if you dare!!
a. Out our fields and turn left (North bound)
b. Head into the North Witham village and take the lane out past the church.
c. This walk is mainly on the roads, but you won’t see much traffic until you get into Colsterworth!
Again the White Lion is on the High Street, along with a “Happy Shopper” and Co-Op.
a. Whilst you are in Colsterworth, pop over to see Isaac Newtons home at Woolthorpe Manor, where a famous apple hit him on the head, and he apparently shouted “Eureka”
b. The Apple tree is there still – but no apples !! Still it’s worth a visit just to see it.
a. There are various ways to get here – You can take the road, however it is quite fast as locals use it a fair amount.
b. Alternatively, go out our fields as if you are heading to South Witham, and at the Pill Box cross the post road and join the foot path.
c. The first 100 yards is used as a dog walkers paradise, so watch your step, but after that it clears and you can walk for miles across the fields and into Sewestern
a. A bit of history and a very good walk.
b. You can walk to it, but we recommend you take the car to the car park signed on the map.
c. During the second world war this was known as “RAF North Witham” – yes our sleepy village had it’s own rather important airfield.
d. Most of the time is was an RAF and USAAF distribution and maintenance field, so seemingly not so important.
e. However on the eve of D-Day, 200 “Pathfinders” from North Witham were the first to arrive in the Normandy and Cherbourg theatre, aboard their C47 and glider fleet. In total 20 North Witham aircraft flew into Normandy to drop their Pathfinders to secure bridgeheads for the next days operation.
f. You can today, still see the control tower, and walk the main runways and taxi ways – although some of it is being removed for nature conservation, it is an excellent place to wander and remember the brave men of the past.
g. See https://aviationtrails.wordpress.com/2022/02/13/raf-north-witham-leading-the-way-into-normandy/
a. Another history lesson and great walk.
b. Again you can walk to it, taking in the Blue Cow and the walk across the fields previously documented. Or you can take the car to the car park.
c. This is a second world war ammunition dump.
d. RAF 100 maintenance unit was stationed here during the war, and the unit was responsible for supplying bombs, ammunition and oxygen to the flying stations.
Today you can see where the Nissen Huts were that acted as storage units, and walk the concrete roadways from the days of the trucks going in and out, supplying Lincolnshire bomber command with their needed ordnance
a. Not an official walk for most of it.
b. However if you go out of our immediate field, you have around 300 acres ahead of you that can be walked around. This year, most of it is laid to sugar beet, and will grow until it is harvested in 2025. Keep to the headlands, but enjoy walking the sugar beet and fallow fields around Little Oaks.
Remember these are cropped fields, so please keep dogs close to hand or on the headland, so that young crops are not damaged.