A Weekend in Lincoln

Lincoln Has a Better Train Service Than Ever, but What About Sundays?

I had been invited to a special service at Lincoln Cathedral to celebrate, or at least to mark, the 150th anniversary of the founding of the erstwhile Theological College there which I had attended from 1980 to 1983 but which had been closed for some years now. There would be a chance to meet some old friends from those days (although I knew not who or how many) as well as some people I knew who had been there before or after me, so I leapt at the chance to go. As it happened, my wife would be at the cathedral on the day before, attending the first meeting of the newly-elected Diocesan Synod. As we had little else on that weekend we decided to make a weekend break out of it, and as, for various reasons, we, and especially she, had used our car rather a lot recently, we would go by train and relax properly. We booked two nights at the newly-refurbished White Hart Hotel in Bailgate, where we had stayed briefly a few months earlier, and I ensured that there were suitable train services. This last was especially important because we would be returning on a Sunday evening, after the early-evening service and the socialising over refreshments which would follow it, not knowing how long we should wish to stay to that.

On Sundays the roughly-hourly East Midlands train service via Sleaford and Spalding does not operate; it is Monday-Saturday only, so there would be a much-reduced choice of trains, all going on the LNER route via Newark and Grantham. However, it all looked fine, with trains back at a couple of suitable times in the evening which would allow enough flexibility, and with Super Off Peak tickets we would not be at all restricted.

So we set off from Stamford on a Friday afternoon and during our change-of-train at Peterborough bought tea (well, it was tea time!) to drink on the East Midlands Railway train to Lincoln. This service now uses decent trains with comfortable seats but still does not have any on-board catering, so we either have to take our own or buy at the station. Arriving at Lincoln we made our way across to the bus station and took the next bus up to the Cathedral, about a five-minute wait for a five-minute ride. It was then a short walk to the White Hart where we checked in and unpacked in our cosy and well-appointed room. We booked dinner in the hotel for the first night and really enjoyed the meal, served by friendly and efficient staff.

Breakfast at the hotel on Saturday morning was another matter: despite being almost the first to arrive when the dining room opened we were almost the last to be served, and my wife had a meeting to get to. I had given up and hurriedly eaten a croissant when my poached egg finally arrived - I managed about half of it when we had to rush off. Not good, but a chat with the duty manager elicited not just an apology but a substantial discount on the total bill which made everything look all right again and, sure enough, the following morning we were very well served indeed and we shall look to stay at the White Hart again when we need a hotel in uphill Lincoln. To be fair, the breakfast service was difficult that morning because a large party all needed to be ready at once, and there was also a wedding party all wanting time to get ready for the big event. And us ... and they didn't start until quite late on Saturdays so we all arrived in a short time - but still, we could have been served in order of arrival.

I went off around the city centre shops during the meeting, and in the afternoon attended a service at the cathedral marking thirty years since the first ordination of women priests in the Church of England (brilliant sermon!) while my wife went round the city centre shops. In the evening we went to an Italian restaurant in downhill Lincoln and then found a bus back up the hill at bedtime - not so easy as bus services thin out substantially after the evening peak, but it was OK provided we used the timetable (I use the live departures on Apple Maps on my iPhone) rather than just turn up and wait as we can do during the day. It was essential to get a bus (or taxi otherwise) because my current health condition would not easily cope with climbing the hill - anyone who thinks Lincolnshire is flat needs to see Lincoln.

Sunday morning breakfast could not have gone better, then we attended the morning Sung Eucharist at the Cathedral, had a rather less-then-usual Sunday lunch after the gastronomic delights of the previous two evenings and made our way back to the Cathedral for the special afternoon Evensong. It was good to meet some old friends and acquaintances, as well as some newer and current ones who had been at the college after my time. Two former members of staff who are now retired bishops were present, one of them preaching.

We had spoken to everyone we knew and exchanged contact details with some with whom we had lost touch and it was time to make our way home. The vergers had kindly stowed our luggage in their vestry and once I had recovered it we said our farewells and walked to the station. We'd had a choice of a departure which had a short wait at Newark and a long wait at Peterborough, or one that had a long wait at Newark and a short wait at Peterborough: we took the former, a long wait at Newark being a daunting prospect. Peterborough station is drab enough but Newark Northgate can be grim on an autumn night! In the event we arrived at Peterborough and decided to call a private-hire cab to take us home - this cost us an extra £25 but we were home before the long wait at Peterborough would have ended! We really do need a more frequent service between Peterborough and Stamford, or maybe we just need more Sunday services everywhere - the options for coming home were very sparse compared with the outward trip. Nevertheless, it was a great weekend, and I maintain still better than taking the car, with no restriction on drinking wine with friends and no trying to drive in the dark while tired after doing so much.