Stickney

Stickney sits at the heart of the Lincolnshire Fens, a long, narrow village strung out along the A16 roughly eight miles north of Boston and ten miles south-east of Horncastle. Its name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Stichenai', thought to mean 'stick island', a reference to the settlement's slender shape between two drainage streams. That linear layout is still obvious today: houses, farms and the church trail along the road through flat, big-skied countryside that has been worked for grain, vegetables and livestock for generations.

This is proper Fenland: dead-straight drains and dykes, wide arable fields, and a horizon interrupted only by the odd church tower, farm building or line of pylons. It is not a destination with a long list of visitor attractions, and it does not pretend to be. What it offers instead is genuine rural Lincolnshire, a base for exploring the Wash coast, the market town of Boston, and the quieter lanes of the Wolds, at a fraction of the crowds and cost of better-known holiday areas.

Top things to do in Stickney

Stickney itself is small, so most days out mean venturing a short drive into the surrounding Fens and Wash coast. Here is a realistic list of what is actually worth your time.

• St Luke's Church — the village's 13th-century Anglican parish church, a Grade II listed building rebuilt and restored across the 19th century, with a rebuilt tower dating from 1900 and notable stained glass, including a memorial window to Mary Jane Lovell, founder of a society for the blind.
• RSPB Frampton Marsh — around a 25-minute drive south towards the Wash, this reserve on the coast between the Welland and Witham outfalls has a visitor centre, three bird hides and several kilometres of flat, accessible footpaths, with avocets, redshanks and skylarks in summer and huge winter wildfowl flocks.
• Boston Stump (St Botolph's Church) — the famous 272ft tower of Boston's parish church dominates the Fenland skyline for miles and is well worth the short drive into town, along with Boston's market place, Guildhall museum and riverside.
• Maud Foster Windmill — a working seven-sailed windmill in Boston, one of the tallest working windmills in England, with a shop and tea room.
• The Water Rail Way — a flat, well-surfaced cycling and walking route following the old railway line and River Witham between Lincoln and Boston, ideal for an easy family ride if you are happy to drive to a access point.
• Stickney village walks — the flat, quiet lanes and drove roads around the village make for easy, gentle walking or cycling through open Fenland scenery, with big skies and plenty of birdlife along the dykes.
• Historic connection to Paul Verlaine — the French poet briefly taught French and drawing at a school in Stickney in 1875 before moving on to Boston, an unexpected footnote in the village's history that local history enthusiasts enjoy tracking down.

Getting to Stickney

Stickney lies directly on the A16, which runs between Boston and Louth via Spilsby, making the village easy to reach by car. Boston, around eight miles south, connects to the A17 and A52 for routes towards Lincoln, Sleaford, Skegness and the A1. Horncastle is about ten miles to the north-west via the A16 and connecting roads.

The nearest mainline railway stations are in Boston and Lincoln, both roughly 30-40 minutes away by car; the branch line that once served Stickney itself closed in 1970. A local bus service runs through the village on the Boston to Spilsby route, useful for reaching Boston's shops, station and bus links without a car. The nearest airports are Humberside and East Midlands, each around an hour and a half's drive.

Best time to visit Stickney

Spring and early summer bring the Fens to life, with oilseed rape turning the fields bright yellow, hedgerows greening up, and RSPB Frampton Marsh busy with breeding avocets, redshanks and skylarks. Summer offers the longest days for walking and cycling the flat lanes and drove roads, along with warm, dry weather typical of this relatively low-rainfall corner of England.

Autumn brings golden light over the harvested fields and the first arrivals of winter wildfowl on the Wash coast, while winter is prime time for birdwatching at Frampton Marsh, when thousands of ducks, geese and waders gather on the mudflats and saltmarsh. Whatever the season, the flat, open landscape means Stickney can feel exposed to wind and weather, so pack accordingly.

Where to stay in Stickney

Accommodation in Stickney itself is limited, reflecting its size, and most visitors base themselves here for a rural, self-catering escape or use it as a stop on a wider Lincolnshire tour, staying in cottages, farmhouses or bed and breakfasts in and around the village. For a wider choice of hotels, guest houses and larger self-catering properties, the market town of Boston, eight miles south, offers considerably more options, as do villages along the coast towards Skegness.

Food and drink in Stickney

The village pub is Ye Olde Red Lion, the only public house in Stickney, popular locally for a drink and home-cooked meals in a rural, unpretentious setting. Beyond the pub, Stickney has a small convenience store covering everyday essentials, but for a wider choice of cafes, restaurants and supermarkets, Boston is the nearest town with a proper range of options, easily reached along the A16.