Horncastle, Coningsby, Tattershall and Woodhall Spa

Population: 9,504.

Market Day: Horncastle: Thursday and Saturday.

Farmer’s Market: Horncastle: Second Thursday in month.

What to See: Remains of Roman walls, St Mary’s 13th-15th century church. Antiques shops. Kinema in the Woods, Cottage Museum, Dambuster’s Memorial, woodland walks. Battle of Britain Memorial Flight/heritage centre. Tattershall Castle.

It may be dubbed as the 'Best Antiques Town' but there’s more to it, a kind of satisfying Englishness that prevails in Horncastle. This is country living at a manageable pace.

You cannot visit Horncastle without attending the weekly markets that take place every Thursday and Saturday. The farmers market is also well worth a visit. Here you can buy Lincolnshire local produce including plumbread and poacher cheese. Standing between the Rivers Waring and Bain, the walls of the Roman town can still be seen.

A flourishing town in the Middle Ages, and again with the coming of the railway, look back comfortably on the past as you stroll around the dozens of antique shops, packed with curiosities and furniture from bygone ages. The fine 18th & 19th century buildings hold a surprise or two. The King’s Head has an unusual legacy; it is one of the country’s original mud and stud construction pubs, few others exist. The Old Grocers shop, now a newsagent, was the business of a certain Mr Henry Lunn, later the successful travel agent.

Meanwhile, searching for coal brought us the Spa; there was no coal but the waters that came pouring forth proved profitable, being rich in natural salts and elements, so setting the foundations for one of the great popular Victorian spa resorts that is Woodhall Spa. As the Spa fad faded, two world wars kept the town busy.

Grand houses became hospitals, and the Dambusters were based nearby, as were numerous regiments and battalions. Golf is one of the major attractions and for the keen golfer the Hotchkin Course (ranked one of the world’s 20 best courses) has tested many top ranking golfers. The National Golf Centre is home to the headquarters of the English Golf Union. Jubilee Park is an ideal base for walking, cycling or touring and it also offers tennis, bowling, a heated outdoor swimming pool, children’s play area, putting and cricket.

The unique Kinema in the Woods near the old Spa building is well worth a visit. It is one of the few back projection cinemas in the country an even offers entertainment on an original Compton Organ. The Kinema was an old pavilion before becoming a cinema and during the last war it was affectionately known as the ‘Flicks in the Sticks’.

Visit the Cottage Museum, which houses the Tourist Information Centre and you can discover more about the village, its Spa history and its involvement in WW2. Tattershall, despite its relatively compact size, still has a wealth of attractions to offer visitors. Its castle, run by the National Trust, and the former home of Lord Curzon, is a beautiful 15th century red brick tower with spectacular views over the Lincolnshire countryside.

The village is also home to a leisure park with watersports and fishing facilities and beautifully riverside walks currently being restored to allow boasts to pass right into the town of Sleaford. Finally, Coningsby is home to the Battel of Britain Memorial flight and features the BBMF heritage centre, a must-visit local attraction for all aviation enthusiasts just a stone’s throw from the village’s quirky one-handed clock!