Chaplin House B & B

Visit Lincolnshire Funding Shock

We were dismayed to learn that Lincolnshire County Council has decided to cut its funding to Visit Lincolnshire.  This seems such an ill thought out response to the need to cut budgets.  Tourism generates a lot of income for Lincolnshire, and it is government policy to promote and develop the tourism economy, so it is surely shortsighted to cut the funding to Visit Lincolnshire who do such a good job of marketing Lincolnshire as a tourism destination.

At Chaplin House B & B, we have benefitted hugely from our membership of Visit Lincolnshire: attending the conferences and training sessions, and the support from the staff, have all helped us to build our business up from nothing in 2004 to a thriving, award winning  B & B in 2010. 

• What do other tourism businesses think of the cuts? 
• And how can we best support Visit Lincolnshire in their fight for survival?

Frozen Jellyfish!!

We had a great Christmas break away from Chaplin House B & B and travelled up to Wentbridge House Hotel in Yorkshire.  On Christmas Day we went for a magical walk up the Went Valley.  The little river was partially frozen over and we came across these ice sculptures which looked all the world like frozen jellyfish.

There was such a depth of hoar frost covering everything that it looked as if it had been snowing.  The sun caught the ice crystals on the ground and vegetation so the whole landscape was sparkling.

Walking by Tennyson's Brook!

  Wonderful walk in the Lincolnshire Wolds this afternoon!  We set out from Hagworthingham in glorious sunny weather and headed off on an undulating walk across the wolds and were treated to views of buzzards, bullfinches and sparrowhawks as well as many small song birds - magical.  Bag Enderby was the half way point - we just love the place names round here as they make us think that hobbits probably live nearby!  And then back across 2 fords to Hagworthingham, a total distance of about 5 or 6 miles before we went home to Chaplin House for tea - a short 20 minute drive.

  Here's David closely consulting the map.

Just beyond this point, we entered the wood you can see in the background and crossed the River Lymm although at this point it's more of a stream than a river.  It is possibly the stream that inspired Tennyson's lovely poem 'The Brook' and it certainly fitted the central part of the poem:

I chatter over stony ways,

In little sharps and trebles,

I bubble into eddying bays,

I babble on the pebbles.

 

With many a curve my banks I fret                 

by many a field and fallow, 

And many a fairy foreland set

With willow-weed and mallow. 

 

I chatter, chatter, as I flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may comeand men may go,

But I go on forever.

Lancaster Birthday Treat

Many Chaplin House guests have thoroughly enjoyed the Lancaster taxi run at Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at East Kirkby (www.lincsaviation.co.uk)  David has long been intrigued by their enthusiastic feedback and was rewarded with his own trip by a combined birthday and Christmas present in one wonderful package.

David enthused:  'What an aeroplane!  Gripping history, all the attention you require, good food and as near to walking in the footsteps of those World War 2 heroes, without being one  of the crew, as  you can get.

And don’t be put off by threatening weather... a spot of rain on the Perspex bubbles adds an air of authenticity.

You are given a full and extensive tour of the aircraft before you settle into your chosen spot. Mine was the bomb aimer’s location (see photos) ...  not easy to get into – though not as confined as the rear gunner’s.

Our group had a bonus aboard in the form of a real rear gunner: 31 trips and not  a scratch on him or the aircraft.  Listening to this dignified gentleman, complete with recent new hip, revealed a great deal about matter of fact bravery.

An informative and  ‘where they crawled I crawled’ experience to remember for a long time.

Gre....at!'

Chaplin House Special Offer

Book a 3 night midweek stay in August and enjoy a complimentary bottle of wine worth £10!

Seals at Donna Nook

This is an exciting time of year in Lincolnshire: the grey seal colony at Donna Nook Nature Reserve come ashore to give birth to their pups.  The Reserve is extraordinary for two reasons.  One is that the seals do not seem in the least bothered by the presence of humans very close to them.  You can be within a metre of the seals, with just a small low fence marking the boundary, and watch their every movement.  The second extraordinary aspect of the reserve is that the RAF Typhoon planes do their target practice along that section of coast, and again the seals appear completely oblivious to the noise. 

We visited the reserve on Tuesday - a misty, murky, damp day with poor visibility - but it was very atmospheric with the snorting sounds of the seals echoing through the mist.  If you are thinking of visiting Lincolnshire between now and the end of December, a visit to the reserve, which is completely free of charge, is a must.  David wrote a poem following our visit:

Seals at Donna Nook

returnees to land and sea, from way out where predation cuts both ways,

cows come to pup

bulbous with birth signs, they lollop and lubber and lard along

muddy runnels

choosing cool pool nurseries to berth and outwait gravidity

into this mudflat grubbiness, an unsullied pure white life of baby bottom fur

is slithered

a plaintive call, a nose nudge, a gentle claw, a rich nipple

seal the bond.

Awards News!

Finalists
Last month we heard that we're finalists in the East Midlands Enjoy England Excellence Awards.  Needless to say we're delighted as well as a little astonished!  The award is based around the concept of 'the visitor journey' from first contact to saying goodbye at the end of the visit.  The winner will be announced at a big dinner in Nottingham on 8 October so we're looking forward to that with great excitement.

Sausage Festival

Why not visit the Sausage Festival in Lincoln?

Lincoln is hosting a magnificent Sausage Festival on Saturday 25 October.  In the week leading up to that we will be featuring the following pork sausages from Redhill Farm as our 'specials' at breakfast:  Oak smoked sausages; pork, tomato and herb; pork and apple; pork and real ale; pork and leek.  There will, of course, be the delicious Redhill Farm Old Fashioned Lincolnshire sausages available as usual.

For more information on the festival, go to www.visitlincolnshire.com

Reviews
Read reviews of us at

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186336-d1021015-Reviews-Chaplin_House_B_B-Lincoln_Lincolnshire_England.html

Thank you to guests who've taken the trouble to write reviews here and at Booking.com.  It's a really useful source of information for future guests as well as feedback for us.

First Post

At Chaplin House, we are entering new territory!  This is our first post on our blog. 

Our aim is to keep guests, past and future, up to date with developments at Chaplin House together with  information about what to do and see whilst you are in Lincolnshire.   In the future, we will be posting suggested tours of the local area, items about superb local food and updates about local wildlife (including Margaret's trials and tribulations with her bees).

We will also be featuring some of David's poetry and writing to keep you entertained!