The city of Lincoln is a favourite of mine. On our latest visit we parked in Lucy Tower, a pay and display multistory car park, which is unusual. It is very well located next to a lake, called Brayford Pool. It is a lovely area with a small harbour and several restaurants (predominantly Italian) on the water’s edge.
To reach the high street we walked along the water, taking the shortcut through the cute historic little alleyways. The whole of Lincoln is full of historic buildings, cobbled streets and old nooks and crannies. Of course it is the cathedral that is one of the biggest draws to the city for many tourists and it dominates the skyline, partly due to it sitting at the top of a road which is quite a steep climb, aptly named Steep Hill. It is such a huge and magnificent building it’s quite hard to take it all in.
Opposite the cathedral is the castle, which appeared to be closed on this occasion. We have been in the grounds before when we went to the Christmas market, which is held there every year. We went in 2011 when it was so busy we had to be herded around the city centre like cattle as the castle grounds were so full no one else was allowed in until some people left. Since that year I hear it has not been as busy as that, so it should be a nice place to visit again in the Christmas season.
There are many cafes and shops on Steep Hill. The independent business’ give the area a local and unique feel, such as the old sweet shop and the grade II listed former public house The Harlequin, which is now a bookshop. There are plenty of cafes too, which is always a plus point for us. Although one we have visited before smelt overwhelmingly of air freshener, had outdoor toilets and their food and drink wasn’t too good either. But you can’t expect everything to be perfect!
Continuing the walk down the hill you arrive on The Strait, which is where the restaurants begin and some chains appear, including Patisserie Valerie which we have never been in, but whenever we see one we always have to peer in the window at the fancy cakes on display.
Once on the high street, which not so uniquely is called High Street, you have an abundance of shops, fast food joints and more restaurants. It is separated by the beautifully old archway called the Guildhall. On the other side there is a shopping centre called Waterside which has an almost foreign feel on the inside, as there is a lot of space compared to the amount of shops, which actually gives it a bit of an airport feel too. Lincoln has a decent array of shops, so is good to visit for shopping as well as its history and culture.
Where The Wildings Are 
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