East Kirkby

East Kirkby is a small village at the foot of the Lincolnshire Wolds, a few miles north of Spilsby and roughly midway between Horncastle and the coast at Skegness. It's the kind of place that would pass unnoticed on a map of Lincolnshire were it not for the airfield on its edge, once home to RAF East Kirkby and the Lancasters of 57 and 630 Squadrons during the Second World War. The runways are long gone under farmland, but the control tower and a handful of wartime buildings survive, and the sound of a four-engined bomber still occasionally rolls out across the flat fen and wold-edge fields.

The surrounding countryside is classic east Lincolnshire: big skies, arable fields, drainage dykes and quiet lanes threading between villages with Domesday-book names. It's not a landscape that shouts for attention, and that is rather the point. Visitors come here for one thing above all, then find themselves staying to explore the wider Wolds and the market towns nearby, a part of England that sees a fraction of the visitors of the Dales or the Cotswolds despite being just as full of history.

Top things to do in East Kirkby

The village itself is tiny, but it sits within easy reach of some genuinely significant sights, with one right on its doorstep.

• Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre — Built on the former RAF East Kirkby airfield, this is the world's largest Bomber Command museum. Its centrepiece is Avro Lancaster NX611 "Just Jane", which performs taxi runs down the original runway with all four Merlin engines running, alongside a de Havilland Mosquito and a North American B-25 Mitchell. The centre was founded by Lincolnshire farmers Fred and Harold Panton in memory of their brother Christopher, killed on a Bomber Command operation in the war.
• The Red Lion, East Kirkby — A pub that has stood at the village crossroads since 1841 and was the local for RAF East Kirkby airmen during the war. An old round oak table inside still bears names carved by aircrew from 57 and 630 Squadrons before they flew.
• Spilsby — A handsome small market town about two miles away, birthplace of the Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin, whose statue stands in the market square, with a scatter of independent shops and cafes around its historic core.
• Horncastle — Known as Lincolnshire's antiques capital, this Wolds market town has dozens of antique dealers packed into its old streets, plus the remains of a Roman wall near the church.
• Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty — Rolling chalk hills rising just to the north and west, laced with quiet lanes, bridleways and villages that make for some of the best gentle walking and cycling country in eastern England.
• Gunby Estate — A National Trust house and walled garden a short drive away near Burgh le Marsh, with parkland walks and a kitchen garden that supplies its own tearoom.

Getting to East Kirkby

East Kirkby lies just off the A155 between Spilsby and Coningsby, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire. By car it is around 30 minutes from Skegness and the coast, about 40 minutes from Lincoln, and roughly two hours from London via the A1 and A17. The nearest mainline railway stations are at Boston and Grantham, both around 40 minutes' drive away, since the branch line that once served this part of Lincolnshire closed decades ago; a car is by far the easiest way to explore the village and surrounding Wolds.

Best time to visit East Kirkby

The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre runs its taxi days for the Lancaster mainly between spring and autumn, so April to October is the best window for visitors keen to see and hear "Just Jane" under her own power. Summer brings warm, dry weather well suited to walking the Wolds and exploring nearby market towns, while a bright autumn morning has its own appeal among the fenland dykes and stubble fields. Winter is quieter, with shorter days and a bleaker beauty to the flat surrounding land, but the museum and pub remain open year-round for those happy to wrap up.

Where to stay in East Kirkby

Accommodation in the village itself is limited, but the Red Lion offers holiday lets alongside its pub and campsite, putting guests right at the heart of the village. Wider choice opens up in nearby Spilsby and Horncastle, which have small hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts, while the coastal resorts of Skegness and Chapel St Leonards, half an hour away, offer a larger range of hotels and self-catering options for those who want easy access to the beach as well as the Wolds.

Food and drink in East Kirkby

The Red Lion is the village's hub, serving pub food and local ales in a building whose wartime history is written into its own furniture. Beyond the village, Spilsby and Horncastle both have a decent spread of cafes, tearooms and traditional pubs, and the Gunby Estate tearoom makes for a pleasant stop after a walk in its walled garden. This is not an area of Michelin ambition, but honest, unfussy Lincolnshire cooking is easy to find nearby.