The Lincolnshire Wolds are a range of low hills in Lincolnshire, England. The hills run roughly parallel with the North Sea coast, from the Humber Estuary just west of the town of Barton-upon-Humber in North Lincolnshire, towards the flat Lincolnshire Fens in the south-east of the county as far south as the East Lindsey village of East Keal. The Wolds form the highest land in eastern England between Yorkshire and Kent.

Natural England define a Lincolnshire Wolds National Character Area covering an area of . During the last ice age (Devensian), ice encroached upon the Wolds from the northeast and entered the Humber gap from the east but did not cover the Wolds, hence there is no Devensian age glacial till on these hills. However, an earlier ice age left extensive spreads of till across the central and southern areas. Sections of the main scarp, notably at Saxby All Saints and between Nettleton and Walesby have been subject to landslip.

Geography

The Wolds comprise a series of low hills incised by characteristic dry open valleys.

thumb|View from Red Hill in August

The Lincolnshire Wolds can be divided into four distinct areas:

{| class="wikitable"

!Hill

!Height

!Prominence

!Grid reference

|-

|Wolds Top

|168 m (551 ft)

|162 m

|TF121964

|-

|Pewlade Hill

|152.2 m (499 ft)

|36 m

|TF254827

|-

|Flint Hill

|141.5 m (464 ft)

|42 m

|TF278765

|-

|Castcliffe Hill

|139 m (456 ft)

|57 m

|TF301734

|-

|Park Hill

|139 m (456 ft)

|31 m

|TF289767

|-

|Warden Hill

|113 m (371 ft)

|67 m

|TF346736

|-

|Spellow Hills

|103.2 m (339 ft)

|56 m

|TF405728

|}

Waterways

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Name

!Length

!Source

!Source Elevation (m)

!Mouth

!Mouth Elevation (m)

!Notes

|-

|River Bain

|

|Ludford

|130

|River Witham, Dogdyke

|2

|Partly concurrent with the Horncastle Canal south of Horncastle.

|-

|Great Eau

|

|

|

|North Sea, Saltfleet Haven

|0

|

|-

|River Lud

|

|

|

|North Sea, North Coates

|0

|Also known as the Louth Navigation due to its canalisation.

|-

|River Lymn

|

|Belchford

|91

|North Sea, Gibraltar Point

|0

|

|-

|River Rase

|

|Tealby

|118

|River Ancholme, Bishopbridge

|6

|

|-

|River Waring

|

|Belchford

|100

|River Bain, Horncastle

|28

|

|}

National Landscape

The Lincolnshire Wolds were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1973, and adopted the "National Landscape" branding in 2023. The Wolds AONB covers 560 square kilometres, and is managed by the Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service.

The Wolds AONB cuts across the council boundaries of Lincolnshire County Council, East Lindsey District Council, West Lindsey District Council and North East Lincolnshire Council. and farmers are being encouraged to diversify into the tourism industry. The roads of the Wolds are particularly popular with motorcyclists, and the area is home to Cadwell Park, one of the UK's top race circuits.

The area is also popular with walkers: the Viking Way long-distance footpath runs from Barton-upon-Humber in North Lincolnshire across the Lincolnshire Wolds and into Rutland, and there is a youth hostel in the middle of the Wolds at Woody's Top near the village of Tetford.

References

  • <small>Precursor to the Natural England designation</small>
  • Lincolnshire Wolds
  • Cadwell Park