Greetham

Greetham is a small hamlet in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, sitting quietly around three miles east of Horncastle, just north of the A158. It is easy to miss on a map, and that is rather the point: this is deep, unhurried countryside, where the flat Lincolnshire farmland begins to fold into the first low hills of the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. High Toynton lies just to the west and Fulletby to the north, both similarly small and rural.

Since 1987, Greetham has shared its parish with neighbouring Somersby, forming the combined civil parish of Greetham with Somersby. The Domesday Book of 1086 records Greetham as a substantial settlement for its time, with 56 households, 300 acres of meadow, a mill and a church under the lordship of Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester. All Saints' Church still stands today, a Grade II listed building dating from the 12th century, though it was partly rebuilt in 1903 and has since lost its south aisle and tower.

Top things to do near Greetham

The surrounding Wolds and nearby Horncastle offer far more than the hamlet's size would suggest.

• Somersby — the neighbouring village that shares Greetham's parish, and the birthplace of Poet Laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson, who was baptised at St Margaret's Church. The wooded brook he wrote about still runs through the village.
• Horncastle — a historic market town three miles west, known nationally as a centre of the antiques trade, with sections of Roman wall still visible and the 13th-century St Mary's Church at its heart.
• Lincolnshire Wolds AONB — the rolling chalk hills begin just east of Greetham, offering some of the county's best walking and cycling away from the flat fens further south.
• Cadwell Park — the well-known motorsport circuit near Louth, a short drive north, hosts motorbike and touring car race meetings through the season.
• Sir Joseph Banks Centre — in Horncastle, a small museum commemorating the Lincolnshire-born botanist who sailed with Captain Cook.

Getting to Greetham

Greetham sits just off the A158, the main road linking Lincoln to Skegness, making it straightforward to reach by car from Horncastle, Lincoln or the Lincolnshire coast. There is no railway station in the village; the nearest mainline stations are at Grantham or Lincoln, both around 40 minutes' drive away, so a car is really the only practical way to reach this part of the Wolds.

Best time to visit Greetham

Late spring and summer show the surrounding Wolds at their best, with green hedgerows and long evenings for exploring on foot or by bike. Autumn brings quieter roads and golden farmland colours, while Horncastle's antiques shops make an appealing rainy-day diversion whatever the season.

Where to stay near Greetham

Accommodation in Greetham itself is limited, but Horncastle and the wider Wolds villages offer a good spread of small country hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts, making the hamlet an easy base for touring the area.

Food and drink near Greetham

Greetham has no pub or shop of its own, so most visitors head into Horncastle for its market-town mix of independent cafes, tea rooms and traditional pubs, or to the surrounding Wolds villages, several of which have well-regarded country inns.