Fancy a delightful stroll around Cherry Willingham, Reepham and Fiskerton this July?
This month’s Viking Way at 50 walk takes you east of Lincoln for a six‑mile loop linking three villages, each with deep historical roots in the county. This month’s strolling sojourn is an easy route to join from any of the villages mentioned, and it gives you a good feel for this part of the Viking Way without having to take on the full 149 miles. So it’s a perfect short walk.
Cherry Willingham is the largest of the three villages and sits right on the edge of the city. The village has been around since Norman times and still has that mix of old and new that you get in places that have grown steadily over the centuries.
Reepham is older still. It appears in Anglo‑Saxon charters as Refham and its name means the ‘Reeve’s homestead’. The walk then heads out towards the area once occupied by RAF Fiskerton. The airfield opened in 1943 for Lancaster squadrons and nearly 2,000 personnel were based there during the second world war. It closed in 1945, but the landscape still carries the traces of what was once a busy wartime site.
Fiskerton itself sits close to the River Witham and within the Lincolnshire Limewoods. This is one of the most important areas of small‑leaved lime woodland left in Britain. Between Fiskerton and Cherry Willingham the route joins the Viking Way, with (on a clear day) long views back towards Lincoln Cathedral.
Fiskerton church
If you’re doing this walk with the family, make sure you grab some of the free I‑Spy sheets or tick off items from the 50 Things to Look Out For. They’re a good way to keep younger walkers involved. Maps, directions and activity sheets are all available on the Viking Way page at Visit Lincolnshire, so check it out before you head off on the ramble.
And! If you’re taking part in the Viking Way badge challenge (head to Visit Lincolnshire for all the details on this newly-launched bit of badging brilliance), this six‑mile loop can count towards your total. Walk 50 miles for a bronze badge, 100 miles for silver and all 149 miles for gold.