Activities By Location- in local area Woodhall Spa (a pleasant 1 mile walk/cycle away) Large village and popular inland tourist resort with a unique charm and much to interest visitors. Several high class hotels with restaurants. Many good ‘eateries’ and shops, including an excellent bakery/delicatessen and supermarket. Jubilee Park – open air swimming pool (Lido!), bowls, tennis, café and gardens. The Pinewoods – a 19 acre amenity woodland in the centre of the village, managed by The Woodland Trust. English Golf Union headquarters and Hotchkin Golf Course, the best inland course in UK. Kinema-in-the-Woods a characterful three-screen cinema – with one having unique back projection system and rising organ. Cottage Museum and Tourist Office. The Woodhall Spa Country Show held annually in May and '40's Weekend' in mid-July. Kirkby-on-Bain (a 1.5 mile walk/cycle away) Small village with good local pub serving meals. Lake fishing. Kirkby Moor – Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve, heathland and woodland (part of this reserve is adjacent to Oaklea). Ostler's Plantation - Forestry Commission woodland. Tattershall/Coningsby (a 5 mile drive/cycle away) Tattershall Castle (National Trust). Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Visitor’s Centre. Country Park and Water Sports Centre – water skiing, jet skis, lake fishing... Horncastle (a 6 mile drive/cycle away) Quaint small market town specialising in antique shops. Good eateries and large supermarket. Heated indoor swimming pool. Large garden centre. By Activities - locally and further away Walking Woodland walks in our own 16 acre arboretum and woodland garden. Forestry walks in 300 acre Ostler’s Plantation – entrance is almost opposite Oaklea. The Pinewoods – stroll through this 19 acre amenity wood in the centre of Woodhall Spa. The Viking Way long distance footpath route runs through Woodhall Spa. Cycling Road Bikes – this is the heart of England’s cycling country with a safe network of quiet country lanes and ancient tracks to explore... Woodhall Spa is on the Lincoln to Boston ’Water Rail Way’ and the Hull to Harwich Cycle Route for the more adventurous cyclists. Mountain Bikes – we are adjacent to Ostler’s Plantation, managed by the Forestry Commission, which has miles of off-road tracks and routes over abandoned bomb shelters (ex-RAF Woodhall Spa) ideal for gentle mountain biking. Swimming Woodhall Spa open-air heated Lido – 2 miles. Horncastle indoor swimming pool – 6 miles. Fishing Lake fishing is to be found in Kirkby-on-Bain - 1.5 miles and Tattershall Country Park – 5 miles. River fishing on the River Witham – 3 miles. Sport Golf - Woodhall Spa is an important national golfing centre. It has the best inland golf course in the UK and is also the home of The English Golf Union. Bowls & Tennis – both within easy reach at Jubilee Park, Woodhall Spa. Jogging – lots of routes to follow on or off road. The Woodhall Spa 10k Road Race - held annually in early June. The Woodhall Spa Triathlon - held annually in late May. Horse Riding - Coningsby Riding School - 5 miles. Cadwell Park Motor Racing Circuit – car and motorbike racing – 15 miles. Market Rasen Racecourse – horse racing – 23 miles. Nature Conservation We are adjacent to Kirkby Moor Nature Reserve, and close (walking distance) to Moor Farm Nature Reserve and Roughton Moor Wood Nature Reserve – heathland and woodland habitats managed by The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. Chambers Farm Wood, near Wragby is part of the famous Lincolnshire Limewoods, some of the best preserved ancient woodland in the UK. Visitor Centre – 13 miles. Snipe Dales Country Park - follow the nature trails in this 210 acre park and reserve - 10 miles. Gibraltar Point near Skegness is a popular and important bird-watching area with its coastal conservation habitat – 26 miles. The Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is only a short drive / cycle away – it starts just north of Horncastle. Heritage Woodhall Spa is an enchanting Victorian Spa with many interesting sites - visit the Tourist Office and Cottage Museum to find out about local attractions (phone: 01526 353775) - 1 mile. Horncastle is a quaint small market town specialising in antique shops – 6 miles. Working windmills all selling their own and local produce – Heckington (8 sail) – 9 miles, Sibsey Trader (6 sail) – 9 miles and Alford (5 sail) – 18 miles. Tennyson Trail - born and raised at Somersby village, house and church to view – 10 miles. Louth is a popular large market town - St James’ Church, considered by Sir John Betjeman to have the finest spire in England – 18 miles. Boston Stump – tallest parish church in England - 20 miles. Doddington Hall - house and gardens, Lincoln – 20 miles. The City of Lincoln has a wealth of attractions – its Norman Castle with exhilarating views, the finest medieval Cathedral in England ( The Westminster Abbey scenes from the ‘The Da Vinci Code’ filmed here in 2005 ), the brand-new and much lauded ‘Connections’ Museum, the Usher Art Gallery, the ‘Steep Hill’ with its antique and book shops and restaurants, the redeveloped Brayford Pool area with its new University and riverside cafe atmosphere – 20 miles. Lincolnshire Wolds Steam Railway - locomotive rides from Ludborough station on selected dates - 23 miles. National Trust Properties Tattershall Castle is a medieval fortified and moated red-brick tower with 6 floors to explore and spectacular views from the top – 5 miles. Gunby Hall is a fine red-brick house, dating from 1700, with Victorian walled gardens – 20 miles. Belton House, Grantham is a large country house with magnificent interiors, gardens and parkland (‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Tom Jones’ filmed here) – 28 miles. Woolsthorpe Manor, Grantham, home of Sir Isaac Newton – 35 miles. Aviation The famous 617 Dambusters Squadron was based at RAF Woodhall Spa and remnants of the runway still exist in Ostler’s Plantation. A large memorial to 617 Squadron is sited at Woodhall Spa crossroads. A special Dambuster’s room with memorabilia and part of Barnes Wallis' ‘Bouncing Bomb’ can be seen at the Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa. Thorpe Camp, a small museum and visitor centre at Tattershall Thorpe, is a fragment of the former RAF Woodhall Spa – 4 miles. RAF Coningsby – the home of The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, hosts a superb museum and visitor’s centre. We are privileged to sometimes have spectacular displays by the Lancaster, Spitfire, Hurricane and Dakota over our grounds. Also home to the Typhoon (Eurofighter) – 5 miles. RAF Scampton – home to the famous ‘Red Arrows’ display team – 22 miles. Scopwick War Graves – pay your respects at the well-tended graves of lost aircrew, including that of Pilot Officer John Magee, died 1941 aged 19 in a Spitfire crash, author of evocative poem ‘High Flight’ – ‘Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth...’ adopted by pilots the world over and often read on Remembrance Day – 9 miles. Coast We are 25 miles away from a long length of sandy coastline with numerous popular resorts. Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve, Skegness – coastal conservation - 26 miles. Local Shows Woodhall Spa Country Show is held in May each year – 1 mile. Revesby Country Fair is held on the first Sunday in August each year – 6 miles. Carrington Rally (Steam Engines) is held on May Bank Holiday weekend each year – 12 miles. Heckington Show (largest village show in England) is held on the last weekend in July each year – 18 miles. Lincolnshire Agricultural Show is held on the Wednesday and Thursday of the 3rd week of June each year – 20 miles. Newark and Notts County Show is held in early May each year - 28 miles. More information and precise dates can be found by visiting www.woodhallspa.org and www.woodhallspa-online.co.uk or the relevant websites.