THE VIKING WAY (Part 1)

DAY FOUR 
 Allington to Skillington
(12.7 miles)

Yey !!!   At long last - a proper Lincolnshire sausage ... and some really scrummy home-baked bread for toast !

After breakfast we collected our gear from the 'drying room' and headed for the Village Store for provisions - sandwiches, crips and flapjack.

Once again we donned waterproofs from the start.  Although strictly speaking it wasn't raining, there was moisture in the air, and the dark grey clouds up above suggested that it could get very wet very soon.

Heading due West out of the village we soon picked up the Sewstern Lane once again to continue our journey - sometimes on a tarmac stretch, at other times on rutted, muddy tracks with overgrown soggy vegetation - but always heading South.   After a couple of miles we reached the Grantham Canal.  By this time it was raining quite persistently so we sheltered for a while under the bridge adjacent to the Rutland Arms pub (which was closed for business, but undergoing substantial refurbishment, judging by the number of tradesmen's vans, and steady stream of workmen in- and-out of the property) hoping that  a 'Wine Gum stop' would bring about a change in the weather.

Fat chance of that happening.    We waited for twenty minutes or so, but there was no sign of the rain easing and we were starting to get cold so we pressed on along the canal tow path.  At least it was flat and relatively dry going underfoot ...  

... which certainly ws not the case once we veered away from the canal to climb a steep and slippery path up towards Brewers Grave.   The Guide helpfully points out "Beyond Wolsthorpe the Viking Way comes onto the belt of Jurassic Middle Lias Ironstone which stretches southwestwards, across Leicestershire, and into Northamptonshire.  By the time Brewers Grave is reached the change in soil colour has become obvious" .  Not entirely sure the change in colour was our primary concern at that point ... keeping upright seemed of more pressing importance!

Today our lunch spot was a handy bus shelter on the road between Harston and Denton.   Handy, that is, for walkers trying to find shelter from the incessant rain ... but also it would seem handy for the dumping of copious volumes of rubbish.  It was also handily situated about ten yards from a hoofing great puddle on the road such that any vehicle passing might accelerate and swerve at just the right time to send a sheet of water flying in our direction.  Still, at least we got to sit in relative comfort for a while ...

After lunch we returned to our 'normal' Sewstern Lane-ing activities: steady climbs on wet, muddy tracks that often resembled streams rather than footpaths.   Mid afternoon we reached a very pleasant stretch of the Lane that has been designated as a SSSI - a Site of Special Scientific Interest - due to the special limestone flora.   As luck would have it as we reached 'The Drift' the rain finally eased off so we only got soaked from the waist down - yes, that sogy, floppy (but now scientifically important) vegetation struck yet again !

At Saltby Airfield we turned off the Sewstern Lane and headed for Skillington along lovely wide and mown field edges - a hugely enjoyable treat after spending most of the day slithering on mud or wading through wet knee-high grass !

The Cross Swords at Skillington was a dream come true.   Both landlord and -lady were really lovely (considering the state of us) and showed us to our very pleasant and comfortable room with (joy-of-joys !) a working radiator to dry out our soaked kit.    Better still - the evening meal was amazing, courtesy of our landlord and head chef Harold.   Wow - I can't wait for breakfast !!