Hartsholme Country Park — Attraction in Lincoln

A rainy day well spent – beautiful park with great facilities! We visited Hartsholme Country Park on a very wet, rainy day and were honestly surprised at how enjoyable it was. The tree coverage is fantastic, offering natural shelter that made walking around much more pleasant than expected.

There’s plenty of free parking, and the park is really well laid out, with clear paths and maps throughout. There are loads of different walkways leading to and around the lakes, and the wildlife is amazing – we spotted birds, ducks, squirrels, and even a few dragonflies.

The children’s play area looked modern and well-kept, perfect for families. One big plus is the free public toilets, which were spotlessly clean, and there are even showers on-site for campers – a really thoughtful touch for those staying longer.

As for accessibility, I’d say it’s disabled friendly to a certain extent. The paths are mostly flat and either concreted or gravelled, though slightly bumpy in parts. Still manageable for wheelchairs or prams with some care.

All in all, a fantastic spot to enjoy nature – rain or shine. We’ll definitely be back, hopefully on a sunnier day to...

Of the many parks around the Lincoln area this is by far my favourite. So many different types of habitat in one place... forest, meadows, heathland, sculpted gardens, several lakes, the variety of animals, plants and fungi that live here is staggering... just for starters I've counted at least six different species of ducks and two species of deer. (You have to come very early to see the deer as they are very shy and expert at hiding as soon as people appear.) If you are a photographer or, like me, a painter, you will never run out of subject matter here. There are many great secluded picnic spots and some of the lakes have real sandy beaches! If you come in the rainy season, bring wellies because there aren't many surfaced paths in the interesting areas, but I like it that way.

The cafe is a bit of an afterthought and far too small for the number of people wanting to use it at busy times. You're far better off bringing your own. But that's fine by me, I don't expect a country park to be run like a seaside resort.

(Image is a painting I made from a photo I took of the main Hartsholme...

Best park in the county. The variety of wildlife here is staggering and the area is well-maintained by the park rangers but deliberately undeveloped. It's not the biggest park around, probably less than a square mile, but in that small space there's so much to see, so many different habitats... deciduous and evergreen forest, lakes, marshland, heathland, meadows... even sandy beaches around some of the lakes. There's a small visitor centre with lots of information about the history and wildlife. Kids will enjoy the squirrels, which are mostly quite tame. Many fantastic views make it very popular with photographers and artists. Lots of great picnic spots (fires not allowed and please please please take your rubbish with you.) Conservation areas designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest are quite fragile and contain many rare species, so please stick to the paths in...