Day 8 Going to Lincoln

Sign to Wickenby..spot the veterans

Laying a wreath at Wickenby

Inside the museum hanger, to the restorer enthusiasts
delight!

Walter getting up close

Wendy Kuperus in the cockpit

An early start today-out the door and on the bus (sorry coach) by 8am. A very pleasant drive through the English countryside to Lincolnshire for a lunch at the White Hart Inn, a popular pub for the many RAF men and women in the area. The pub was built in the 1500s so plenty of character.

Built about the time of Elizabeth 1. The publican had a few stories about the war years, the number of times you could observe 2 bicycles parked up around a haystack (there was a WAF base just up the road), a local "land girl" married a German prisoner of war and they settled in the area after the war.

Did you know you can tell how old a hedge row is by how many varieties of plant are established in it.

Approximately 100 years of growth per species, so a hawthorn, elder and blackbeem hedge would be about 300years old!

After lunch we were off to Wickenby airfield  (did you know that town names ending in 'by' originate from the Viking era, according to Wally, who knows about all manner of things.

Small museum at Wickenby showed a slide show of the old airfield, which was a little emotional with discussion of crews that did not return. Some great memorabilia and also a hanger where they were building and repairing small planes. We laid a wreath at the Icarus memorial before leaving. Today we were joined by Phil, Jonathan's son, who also has a vast knowledge of things aeronautic.

Great to have him with us. We made our way to the beautiful town of Lincoln for the night, many well preserved medieval buildings set on the canal where in times past there were mills to mill corn and wheat.

Also an area of significance for Harry who used to come here for dances on his nights off and be involved in other agricultural activities - something about sowing oats or something he said.