Fiskerton to Lincoln Cathedral following the Viking WayA few weeks ago when I did Cadney to Cathedral, I didn’t actually follow the Viking Way to get to the Cathedral, I walked with a good group of friends, who voted to reach Lincoln following the riverside path from just outside Fiskerton. It was a lovely day, with great company and a lovely way to reach Lincoln, but I wanted to find out for myself what it would be like if you followed the Viking Way to go from Fiskerton to the Cathedral. After parking up in Fiskerton, I walked round to Fiskerton Church, it was very busy, I introduced myself and said what I was doing, I had my t shirt on again, and some of the ladies, said they had seen some of the other walks on Facebook. They have a monthly coffee morning, and I just happened to have picked the same day to call in. A spoke to Linda, and asked if she was the church warden, she said, I would be if we had one, she told me she was church warden for 15 years, but had stood down, you could tell she was still very much involved. It was great to meet them all, and as the church was open I signed the visitors’ book. Church no. 23. I then set off to follow the Viking Way speaking to some more ladies who were leaving church as I set off. I spotted the Viking way sign pointing up a lane, and headed that way. There was a signpost that not only had the Viking way posts, but a sign saying Cherry Willingham 1. I followed the footpath out into countryside and got my first glimpse of Lincoln Cathedral on the horizon. The path was easy to follow and I soon reached Cherry Willingham. You go through a very quiet estate of bungalows, before reaching shops and a village green. There is a signpost pointing to Le Grand Luce 373 miles away, a quick check later, and as I thought, Le Grand Luce is twinned with Cherry Willingham. I spotted Church Lane, and did a quick detour to see Cherry Willingham church, church no. 24. After heading out onto the countryside paths again, I got a photo of A Viking way post with Lincoln Cathedral in the distance behind it. Not long after I came across some fencing where someone had sprayed ‘Banksy divides us’. You can only reach there on foot, so someone must have taken spray paint with them to write this. A little bit further and I could see Lincoln Cathedral again as I started to leave the countryside behind and approach the city. I had to walk over one of the big bridges spanning the bypass, looking to my right it said I was near Wragby Road roundabout. The reassuring Viking way signs kept appearing, alongside this I checked my OS maps regularly too. There were some Viking Way signs, especially on Nettleham Road, that I have driven through before and never noticed them until I did the route on foot. I walked through the St Giles estate, wondering what it would be like, verdict: lovely. The paths pass through the backs of people's gardens and all you see is their fences. I met a few friendly people who chatted or just said hello to me. I found a bench in an open grassed area, and paused here for a drink and a snack. I noticed through here, that there was often just a Viking way sticker on a post, to confirm you were still heading in the right direction. As I passed the edge of King George’s field, I spotted the Cathedral again in the distance. A bit further along, I noticed a building called Nightingale, which belongs to the Masons. It is opposite here you turn off onto a different road. I passed another church, the parish church of St Nicholas and St John, Lincoln, I didn’t go to see if it was open, but it was church no. 25. I am getting the hang of following my plotted routes, and the regular Viking Way signs are always a welcome feature. I reached the Newport arch, and I knew I was getting close to my destination. Along Bailgate, around the corner and there was Lincoln Cathedral in front of me again. A lady visiting with her family kindly took a photo of me in front of the Cathedral. I went in, paid my fee, (which is then valid for a year), and went to look for the tapestry display, there are 26 huge tapestries displayed. The exhibition is called ‘threads through the bible’, and it finishes on the 31st August. Well worth a visit. In another part of the Cathedral there was an art exhibition on, I treated myself to a lovely print of the cathedral with wildflowers in front, a memento to remind me of ‘Cadney to the Cathedral’. Then I found the Cathedral café, sat outside and enjoyed a cup of tea and a piece of flapjack, it is a fantastic spot to enjoy having something to eat. As I sat there, the peregrine falcon was swooping overhead around the cathedral. After my rest I went outside to wait for the bus to take me downhill back to the bus station, to get back to Fiskerton. As I was waiting with another lady for the bus, we started chatting. We got on the bus together, I told her why I was there, and about the walks I had been doing, she sat with me. Her name is Anne and she lives in Horsham, I told her I lived in Howsham, and we commented how similar the place names are. Anne kindly passed me a £10 note, and said that it was for my charity walk. I had another lovely day again, saw wonderful views, and met lovely people, this had been such a positive experience. A final bit, The ladybird. My sister Hayley passed away nearly 14 years ago, although we knew it was coming, as she had cancer, it still hits you so hard. She left three teenage children, who have grown into three fantastic adults, I am very proud to be an auntie to. One day, not long after she had died, I was having a difficult day, there was a church service, which I attended. During the service two ladybirds landed in front of me, on the shelf, and just walked up and down in front of me, distracting me from my grief all through the service; those little creatures really helped that day. Since then, if I’ve done any crafty items, I usually add a ladybird on the design. Ladybirds have often appeared again, often when I have been feeling low. When I finished the second day, Monday, of Cadney to the Cathedral, at that point I had no one to walk with me for the next two days, as we sat down on a bench waiting for our lift to arrive a ladybird landed on me, and walked up and down my arm, next thing I got a text from James, did I still need someone to walk with me on Tuesday? Then, that evening I attended a church meeting, and Paul met me. If I still needed someone to walk with me on Wednesday, he would do part of the walk with me. Today, I finished the walk, sat outside the cathedral in the café area, and another ladybird landed on my arm, and stayed there wandering up and down for ages, no hurry to fly away. Is this all a coincidence? Maybe, but I love getting ladybird visits, btw, my favourite china mug, has ladybirds on it too. If you have read all the way to the end, thank you, I hope you enjoyed reading all the Cadney to the cathedral stories.