Route: Donington on Bain
Area: Lincolnshire Wolds
Date of walk: 18th March 2026
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 6.3 miles
Ascent: 250 feet
Weather: Sunny, cloudless and warm
The Lincolnshire Wolds is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on account of its rolling hills, hidden valleys, gentle streams and unspoilt villages. It’s a wonderful location for a quiet country walk, especially on a cloud free day such as today. We started today’s walk from the attractive village of Donington on Bain, where there is roadside parking along the main street near the village church (please park considerately). We walked through the village and just beyond the Black Horse Inn we turned left at a public footpath sign to join a track. This took us gently uphill to the top of the wold, about 140 metres above sea level, which is the equivalent of the Himalayas as far as Lincolnshire is concerned
We followed the ridge line of the wold through a series of agricultural fields, with fine views over the Bain Valley along the way. Skylarks hovered overhead, providing a lovely soundtrack as we followed the easy track. Eventually we arrived at the hamlet of Gayton le Wold and passed by its small brick Victorian church. This was the far point of the walk. The official public right of way passes through a field which was occupied today by cows with calves. The farmer had helpfully provided a short detour around the field. We entered into another field where there seemed to be no path at all, despite the existence of a public right of way clearly shown on the OS maps. We followed the course of the right of way, aiming just right of the giant Belmont transmitter mast in the distance and towards the right hand corner of the field
Beyond the field we joined a lane which is along the route of the long distance Viking Way. After a short stroll along the lane we forked off to the left to head towards the deserted medieval village of Biscathorpe. We passed by an attractive cottage next to St Helen’s Church, which was built by the owner of the nearby manor to replace a decaying medieval building. From here we walked down to the bank of the River Bain where we crossed a footbridge and continued beside the river. The river has been dammed at one point to form a lake, a magnet for gulls – there were hundreds of them here
Beyond the lake we passed by the attractive mill at Donington on Bain and then walked through the village back to the start of a very pleasant walk
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The start of the walk from Donington on Bain as we pass by St Andrew's Church, dating back to the 12th century
Every good village has a pub near the church, and Donington on Bain is no exception. We carry on through the village and will turn left shortly
Having turned left beyond the inn, we follow a track up the wold
Horseshoe Plantation
Looking back over the Bain Valley
We continue through Horseshoe Plantation to the top of the wold
We arrive at a junction and turn left to walk along the wide ridge
We follow a track across the wold with wide but rather hazy views across the rolling countryside
The start of a very gradual descent into the Bain Valley...
We pass through the hamlet of Gayton-le-Wold and its small church. It was completely rebuilt in red brick in 1775 and then underwent a full restoration in 1889
Manor Farm, Gayton-le-Wold. The public footpath is beyond the farm but the owner had kindly arranged a short signed diversion in order to avoid cows with calves
We pass by the 'official' path
Looking back to Gayton-le-Wold as we pass by a pond
The only merit of this photo is to point the way through a pathless field. My guess is that when the crop is more mature the farmer will cut a path to avoid trampling. Head slightly to the right of the giant Belmont transmitter mast and towards the right hand corner of the field
We emerge onto a lane which is part of the Viking Way
The Bain Valley on our right
We leave the lane to continue along the Viking Way to Biscathorpe
We cross a bridge over a chalk stream as we arrive at the site of the ancient village of Biscathorpe...
The historical village is merely a site, but there are a few nearby buildings. We pass around this cottage next to the church
St Helen's Church, which was built by the owner of the nearby manor to replace a decaying building. The gates were padlocked and it appears that the church can't be visited
We cross a footbridge over the River Bain, and will follow its banks back into Donington
The River Bain has been widened here to form a lake and is now a haven for many types of birds
Hundreds of common gulls in the adjoining field
We pass by the mill at the edge of Donington on Bain
We follow the road back into the village
St Andrew's Church again, and the end of a fine walk
