Hello and welcome back to my blog😊.

Today, the Three Amigos met up and enjoyed an 8-mile circular walk from the Lincolnshire village of Nocton to Potterhanworth and then through Dunston returning to Nocton. It was a lovely sunny day, with normal summer temperatures, which was a joy following the record breaking temperatures set in last weeks blistering heatwave.

Nocton lies approximately 7-miles south east of Lincoln, and as none of us had been there before, we were looking to exploring new territory. It turned out to be a lovely little village. We parked on the road outside of the village hall – Chris had thought about parking in the village hall car park but a stern look from one of the village hall ‘guardians’ persuaded him this was not a good idea.

We set off walking through Nocton admiring the stone cottages along the way.

Groups of youngsters riding bicycles passed us by – they were cycling to the school in Potterhanworth, a rare sight to see these days. Part of our route would be along the Spires and Steeples trail which we had encountered previously whilst walking near Sleaford. https://oldblokewalking.blog/2026/04/14/exploring-sleaford-a-scenic-11-5-mile-walking-adventure/

Arriving into Potterhanworth we passed a converted water tower which was built in 1903 as part of an innovative water supply system from a borehole in a nearby field.

Taking a footpath we left Potterhanworth and crossed fields.

I was walking along, minding my own business, when an unexpected sudden gust of wind took my hat and deposited it, out of reach, over a barbed wire fence in an adjacent field. Damn!!

This was my expensive Tilly Hat. The fence was too high to just throw a leg over and clamber across, especially when there was barbed wire running along it. Myself and Mick went one way along the fence and Chris the other, to look for a way over. Chris found a way across without damaging legs and other vital pieces of anatomy and hopped over the fence- that was great, my hat was retrieved! The cursed field got its own back though, a hidden hole covered in grass toppled Chris over – thankfully, he had a soft landing!

We next headed through Potterhanworth Wood.

Soon, we arrived at the Car Dyke, a 85-mile ditch which runs along the western edge of the Fens in eastern England. The canal that runs down the east side of Potterhanworth wood is part of the Car Dyke. The waterway dates back to Roman times. There is evidence that it was used for transporting goods as well as land drainage. Today there was not much evidence of water, which is not surprising given the dry weather.

We found a wooden carving beside the Car Dyke but could see no explanation of why it was there. Does anyone know its history?

We reached a hamlet, quirkily called Wasps Nest, where there was a nice table and chairs. We took a break here. Apparently, the hamlet sits at 10 metres above sea level.

Along the way we passed a couple of farms that are owned by James Dyson – the hoover magnate. In 1919 some 8,000 acres of local fen and heath land became part of the farming empire of the Dennis family and their Nocton Estate was to become the centre of Lincolnshire’s largest (by far!) ‘Potato Railway’ for potatoes was their main crop – primarily grown for Smith’s Crisps. The estate manager was ex-army Major Webber who managed to procure vast amounts of narrow gauge track taken from WWI trenches around Arras and stored at an army supply base there. He had it shipped over and brought to Nocton.

Begun around 1919/20 the network of narrow gauge lines eventually extended throughout the estate for almost 23 miles. It remained operational until 1964.

We arrived into Dunston and then took a path towards Nocton. We passed the ruins of Nocton Hall.

During World War 1 the house was used as a convalescent home for wounded American Officers. During World War 2 it was used as an American Military hospital followed by the RAF. It reverted to private ownership in the 1980’s but following a fire in 2004 it has been left in its current state.

Arriving into Nocton we checked out the sundial that was designed to commemorate Queen Elizabeth 11’s golden Jubilee. The hours represent Noctons history through the ages while the base of the gnomon is inscribed the family name of each household in 2002.

Finally, there were more nice houses to admire in Nocton.

It had been a fascinating and enjoyable walk.

Happy Walking! 😊🚶