I got the 6:25am train from Retford to Lincoln and walked up to Lincoln Cathedral to the start. Anyone who has walked up Steep Hill in Lincoln will know it's a good hill for warming up the quads! It was a fresh, sunny morning - ideal for running through the Lincolnshire countryside!
I set off back down Steep Hill, immediately taking a wrong turn before correcting myself, followed by two more wrong turns. It wasn't a great start! Once I got to the river, I found myself in my comfort zone as I headed towards Washingborough along the river path. This is where I noticed the first 'Steeples & Spires' signage. Washingborough lead to Branston which lead to Potterhanworth. The biggest routing issue I had was just before Potterhanworth. The GPX I was following took me to what was once a sty heading over the railway to Hanworth Holiday Park. This no longer exists, so I had to go back on myself and follow a road round to a footpath that lead me back on track. It was roughly a mile added onto the distance.
After this, it was just about ticking off villages and churches, via the roads, fields and footpaths. The 'Steeples & Spires' signs really helped me along the way. It was pretty well marked and I got into a nice habit of looking for them when I was unsure. My final navigational mistake was when I got to the River Slea with around 4 miles to go. I messaged my partner to say I wasn't too far off finishing and whilst doing so, missed the sign on a bridge crossing over to the other side of the river. Another minor mistake that was quickly corrected. From there, it was just about plodding on down the river into Sleaford and onto the Market Square to finish.
The route was great! With the dry weather we've had recently, I probably should've ran it in road shoes rather than the light trails that I went for. There were a few longer sections on roads or paved paths, but also the trails were bone dry. I would recommend others giving it a go! After grabbing some lunch at a cafe on the square, I got the train back to Lincoln and another train back to Retford to spend the afternoon in the garden with my kids. It was a great day!
Throughout the run, I carried and drank 2x 500ml soft flasks of water with carb/electrolyte mix and consumed 2 satsumas, 2 GU chocolate gels, a pack of sour watermelon sweets from Lidl and 2 date bars, also from Lidl. Because of the nice weather, there was no need to carry extra clothing, but I did also carry my trusty first aid kit, because you never know! It was an easy distance to run unsupported.