Legbourne to Authorpe - Louth Cycle Route 2

(S/E) Start from the car park and picnic site on Louth Road, Legbourne (TF 360 847) and turn left onto the A157 towards Louth.

(1) Turn left at the first bend and continue towards Little Cawthorpe.

(2) Follow the road around a right hand bend and cycle up the hill. Keep on this road, ignore junctions, and cycle uphill out of the village. Climb uphill to Muckton Bottom, then follow the road to Muckton to take a rest in the churchyard.

(3) Continue out of Muckton village and along to Authorpe Grange - look at the surrounding woodland. Keep on the road until the crossroads at Authorpe Grange.

(4) Turn left to Authorpe. Cruise downhill, with fine views over the middle marsh and the coast. Continue round the bends, over the disused railway line and into Authorpe village. Continue along through Authorpe.

(5) Turn left at the junction, signposted Castle Carlton and Louth.

(6) Continue along and round the bend, onto Rats Pen Lane.

(7) At the main road junction, cross the road and continue towards Castle Carlton. Continue straight on into Great Carlton to the junction at the end of this lane. Look out for the left hand turn to Little Carlton.

(8) Take the left turn to Little Carlton. Continue through this pretty village and past the disused watermill.

(9) Take a left turn at the junction, signposted Legbourne. Continue on this lane to eventually meet a junction with the busy main road.

(10) Turn right at this junction and cycle all the way through Legbourne. Past the village look out for the car park on your left and the end of the route.(S/E)

Cycling is a great way to keep fit and appreciate the countryside. These easy to read leaflets provide useful information on mileage, approximate timing and gradient.
A simple map and points of interest are included – for those times when you need to catch your breath, admire the countryside or explore the area.

Good cycling code :
• Always follow the Highway Code and Countryside Code
• Be safe and be seen – wear a helmet and high visibility clothing and use lights
• Keep your bike roadworthy and carry a puncture repair kit
• Be courteous to other road users
• Take plenty of water and have a drink regularly
Route starts from the car park and picnic area on Louth Road, Legbourne (TF 360 847). Please check for parking restrictions.

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 rolling chalk hills of the AONB have been inhabited since prehistoric times whilst the appearance of the countryside today has been greatly influenced by past and present agricultural practices.

The Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service helps to protect and enhance the landscape through partnership projects with local landowners, farmers, parish councils, businesses and residents of the Wolds.

Places of interest/refreshments:

Legbourne Post Office and Shop
Tel: 01507 354947

The Royal Oak 'The Splash', Watery Lane, Little Cawthorpe
Tel: 01507 600750 www.royaloaksplash.co.uk

Hedgehog Care, Authorpe - Lincolnshire's famous little hedgehog hospital
Tel: 01507 450221 www.hedgehogcare.org.uk

Tourist Information: Tel: 01507 601111
Email: tourism@e-lindsey.gov.uk
www.lovelincolnshirewolds.com
FB@LoveLincsWolds X@LoveLincsWolds IG LoveLincsWolds

Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service, Navigation Warehouse, Riverhead Road, Louth,
Lincolnshire, LN11 0DA 01522 555780 www.lincswolds.org.uk
aonb@lincswolds.org.uk X@LincsWoldsNL FB@LincsWoldsNL

Muckton Churchyard
This pretty little churchyard lies at the centre of the village. The small church that once stood here had been rebuilt in 1878 but was declared redundant and removed in the early 1980s. The churchyard is still in use, with graves regularly tended and cared for. There is a bench in this tranquil and beautiful spot which makes an ideal place for a quiet break. The roofed gate that forms the entrance to the churchyard is known as a lychgate, look for the dedication plaque that reveals the appropriate name of its maker.

Woodlands
The land here on the eastern edge of the chalk has a covering of clay left by the retreating ice sheets, providing ideal conditions for trees to flourish. Some of the surrounding woodland has remained under tree cover since 1600, allowing traditional woodland plants such as bluebells, wood sorrel and viloets to thrive undisturbed and earning it the title of ancient woodland.

Rats Pen Lane
The wide grass road verges on Rats Pen Lane are a haven for a variety of insects, small mammals and in summer are coloured with a variety of wildflowers. The verges are within the Roadside Nature Reserves scheme run by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust in conjunction with the Lincolnshire County Council. They are managed to ensure they continue as an example of unimproved grassland that once was widespread through the county.

Legbourne Medieval Village
As you cycle through Legbourne back to the car park, take a look at the fields in the village. Here lies the remains of the medieval larger settlement of Legbourne - only visible as lumps and bumps in the fields but depicting the outlines of medieval crofts (yards) and tofts (house platforms). Unlike deserted villages, which were abandoned totally, Legbourne survived at a reduced size, before thriving once more as a present day village.

The Carltons
The three settlements of Castle, Great and Little Carlton are all cycled through but what does the name Carlton actually mean? Well, the first part is from the old Norse language, karl, meaning a free peasant and the second part is taken from Old English tun, meaning settlement, farm or village. So, the name Carlton means settlement of the free peasant. The remains of a motte and double bailey castle can be found at Castle Carlton, it was founded in the 12th century, forming part of the estate of Hugh Bardolf. You can only approach on foot and dense tree cover makes it hard to see the original layout of the castle. The motte was the central mound that carried the castle's main tower or keep, the baileys were the surrounding walls. The Normans introduced the design and it is thought that at one time there were over 1,000 of this type of castle across the country.

Legbourne Pump
The village pump that stands in front of the church was built by Canon J Overton in 1877 in memory of his mother. The pump was the principle supply of water to the village until 1953, when mains water finally came to the village.