International Bomber Command Centre

Distance49.6 miles / 79.8km
GradeModerate
Ascent1207ft / 371m
Time240 minutes @ 12mph / 19km
Bike SuitabilityAll bikes
Start / FinishMarket Rasen Market Place
RefreshmentsAt Rand there is Thorne Beehive Factory that has a delightful café and gift shop which is open Monday to Friday. In Bardney there are two pubs that sell food, the Heritage Centre and The Open Door café. The International Bomber Command Centre has an excellent café with a wide range of food. At Nettleham there is a choice of three pubs, a coffee house and a café. A little further on in Scothern there is the Bottle and Glass pub and a café in the garden centre. Market Rasen has a number of pubs and cafés.

This ride is is to the International Bomber Command Centre a famous landmark on the outskirts of Lincoln. The route mainly follows quiet county lanes and there is 15 miles / 24km of traffic free riding and shared cycle paths. The International Bomber Command Centre was opened to the public in 2018 and offers world class facilities that includes a fabulous café to refuel in. Be sure to visit the spire and the walls of names while you are there.

The route follows the Water Rail Way between Bardney and Lincoln, a route featured on a number of rides on this site, as well as uses the wide shared pedestrian / cycle path that runs along side of the Lincoln Eastern Bypass. There is only one hill of note and that is alongside the Bypass.

International Bomber Command Centre Spire and Walls of Names

The Route

The route starts at the market place in Market Rasen.

  1. From the cobbled square ride eastward until you reach the main crossroads in the town.
  2. At the traffic lights turn right towards Linwood. Keep on this road for 3.3 miles / 5.3km. When passing through Linwood you may see the prefabricated corrugated iron Methodist church, sometime called “the little pink church” which is now disused.
  3. When the road bends around to the right at the crossroads continue straight on towards West Torrington.
  4. After 1.8 miles / 2.9km turn left to Holton-cum-Beckering. Keep on this road until you reach the T-junction.
  5. At the junction turn left to through the village and then take the first turning on the right to Wickenby.
  6. Keep on this road for 1.5 miles / 2.4km before turning off towards Rand. On the way to Rand look out for Thorne’s where beehives are made. There is a pleasant shop and café open during the working week, but sometimes it is necessary to book a table
  7. Caution! When you reach the A158 turn left. You need to travel down this busy road for about a quarter of a mile / 0.4km and then turn right to Goltho.
  8. Follow this quiet lane to the end and then turn right to go towards Apley. On the way you will have passed the St George’s Church hidden in a small copse of trees.
  9. At the next T-junction turn left to head towards Kingsthorpe. This roads winds its way around the edge of the Bardney Limewoods National Nature Reserve, which is one of the ancient Limewoods in the area and have been coppiced since at least the 11th century.
  10. When you reach the B1202 turn right and then take the next right to head towards Stainfield.
  11. Keep on this road for 2 miles / 3.2km. On the way you will pass St Andrew’s Church which is said to be designed by Sir Christopher Wren during a time that he spent at Stainfield Hall. On this road you cross over two cattle grids.
  12. After the second cattle grid turn left towards Bardney and follow this road until you reach the next T-junction where you will turn left again.
  13. After going over the former railway bridge turn right and ride into Bardney. When you reach the the junction next to The Old Angel Inn turn right towards Lincoln. In Bardney there are a couple of pubs that serve food, The Open Door café and Bardney Heritage Centre where you can refuel.
  14. Just as you get to the traffic lights near the Heritage Centre turn right to pick up the Water Rail Way, this is on the Sustrans NCN1 route. You will stay on this traffic free path for the next 7.5 miles / 12km.
  15. Ride under the Eastern Bypass and then cross over the Sincil Dyke using the bridge. Follow the path as it makes its way up to the main road.
  16. When joining the shared pedestrian and cycle path turn right and go to the roundabout. Using the central islands cross over the road and begin climbing.
  17. At the next roundabout keep on the path and turn right. There is a shared pathway along this road though it is not particularly wide but it is ridable. Being close to Lincoln the traffic increases at this point so unless you are a confident rider it is best to use the path.
  18. Continue on this road until you reach the next junction turn left on this. You will see a sign pointing to the International Bomber Command Centre. If you have used the path be careful as there is no drop kerb at this point. A few metre from the junction is the entrance to the Centre. The driveway is small gravel so care will need to be taken when riding down to the centre.
  19. After visiting the centre and refuelling at the café, retrace the route back to the bypass.
  20. At the bypass turn left to continue retracing the route. This time you have the pleasure of going down the hill to the next roundabout. Be aware that the path forks about 200 metres before the bridge and you need to take the right hand branch. This will be going downhill and under the bridge.
  21. You will travel along side of the bypass for 3 miles / 4.8km and crossed over 2 roundabouts before your reach a footbridge over the bypass. This is not the one immediately after the second roundabout but a little further along the way. Use the footbridge to cross over to the other side of the road and continue following the path to the A158.
  22. Caution! When you reach the A158 you need to turn right to Nettleham. This road is often very busy as it carries traffic towards the coast so patience will need to be practiced to cross it safely.
  23. Follow Greetwell Lane into Nettleham and at the the T-junction turn right, then at the church turn left. As you turn you will pass over the beck that runs through the village, which is particularly idyllic in the spring and summer months as the resident ducks raise their young next to it. Follow the road through the village and keep on it until you reach Scothern 2 miles / 3.2km further on. You are now on the Sustrans NCN1 route which you will be following for the next 10 miles.
  24. At Scothern follow the road past the church and at the junction turn right. Keep on this road through the village for nearly a mile and then turn left to Stainton, Snelland and Wickenby. There is a Route 1 sign to guide you.
  25. Keep on this road going over the railway bridge at Stainton by Langworth and at the end of the road turn left again.
  26. The Route 1 signs will guide you over the railway crossings at Reasby and Snelland as you work your way to Wickenby.
  27. When you reach the church dedicated to St Peter and St Lawrence in Wickenby turn left. At the bottom of the hill cross over the manned level crossing and pass Wickenby Woods on the left.
  28. Take the next turning on the right signposted to Linwood. Follow this quiet country lane to the end and then turn left towards Middle Rasen.
  29. Keep on this road for nearly 2.5 miles / 4km until you reach Middle Rasen. At the crossroads turn right onto the A631 and then used the filter lane to turn right again onto Gainsborough Road.
  30. Follow this road back to the starting point.
Wall of Names and Lincoln Cathedral

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42876195