Starting from the quiet hamlet of Bag Enderby, this 2 miles walk explores the different aspects of the Wolds landscape, passing through Somersby, Tennyson's birthplace and home for the first twenty eight years of his life.
(S/E) Leave the churchyard past the noticeboard and former rectory, Ferndale Manor, on your left. Follow the path alongside the thatched Ivy House Farm on your left, with the old dairy and quarry on your right.
(1) Follow the footpath through the fields to Somersby, passing over 4 sets of stiles. As you cross these fields and pastures, enjoy views of the rear of Somersby Grange and Somersby House.
(2) Continue on the footpath through the farmyard and onto the lane where you turn left. St Margaret's on your right is a 15th century church, with plenty of information on Alfred inside. Almost opposite the church is the castellated Somersby Grange and to its right, the cream coloured Somersby House, Tennyson's birthplace.
(3) Carry on down Bridge Road to the bridge over the brook. Turn around and view old redbrick Gamekeepers Cottage built next to the ancient Holywell Wood before you head on back up the hill, the way you came. Cross the stile on your left opposite Candleshoe Cottage, viewing Holywell Wood as you walk along to the farm cottages on Tetford Road. Holywell Wood is not accessible now but the Tennyson children played here.
(4) Emerge onto Tetford Road and turn right, passing Somersby House Farm and left at the grassed triangle in Somersby, continuing along the leafy lane to Bag Enderby. At Bag Enderby turn right by the Poet's Tree, passing various farm cottages before returning to the church.
Waypoints
S/E : km 0 - alt. 58 m - Churchyard
1 : km 0.46 - alt. 49 m - Somersby Grange
2 : km 0.97 - alt. 55 m - St Margaret's Church
3 : km 1.47 - alt. 46 m - Bridge Road
4 : km 2.12 - alt. 58 m - Tetford Road
S/E : km 3.37 - alt. 57 m - Churchyard
Useful Information
Maps: OS Explorer Map 273
Parking: Parking on the grass in front of Bag Enderby church.
Terrain: A mixture of footpaths, bridleways and quiet lanes - may be muddy in places.
Stiles: A few.
Refreshments & Toilets: White Hart Inn, Tetford (2.5 miles) with its Tennyson settle, or the George & Dragon and the two tearooms at Hagworthingham (3 miles).
The Lincolnshire Wolds is a National Landscape, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1973. Covering an area of 558 square kilometres or 216 square miles, the AONB contains the highest ground in eastern England between Yorkshire and Kent, rising to over 150m along its western edge. Rolling chalk hills and areas of sandstone and clay underlie this attractive landscape.
The Lincolnshire Wolds has been inhabited since prehistoric times and the appearance of the countryside today has been greatly influenced by past and present agricultural practices.
A Countryside Service helps to protect and enhance the landscape through partnership projects with local landowners, farmers, parish councils, businesses and residents of the Wolds.
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
