Activities in Lincoln

With well over 400 horses, donkeys and mules for you to meet, Bransby Horses is always a great option if you’re looking for an outdoor activity near Lincoln. It’s one of the largest horse charities in the UK, where they seek to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome abandoned and neglected horses on their 600-acre site. It’s a great place to visit if you’re passing by, and it’s absolutely free. Plus, there’s a visitor centre and café where you can find out more about the animals or enjoy a cup of tea and perhaps one of their delightful sausage rolls.

Upping the ante on the adrenaline scale, if – like some of us – you enjoy a nice afternoon of being pelted by objects travelling at over 250 feet per second, make your way to Combat Zone Paintball. In all seriousness, it’s one of the top paintball sites around, consisting of more than 10 different maps that are constantly rearranged to keep even the regulars on their toes. They even have sound systems and pyrotechnics around the 25-acre site, which we haven’t seen at any other paintballing place before. A testament to Combat Zone Paintball is the fact that they’ve hosted some of the top paintball tournaments in the UK, as well as teams from across the world.

You can’t go wrong with a trip to the cinema, especially if bad weather forces you indoors. The Odeon is Lincoln’s main place to catch a blockbuster. You’ll find it right in the heart of the city, on the Brayford Waterfront. With nine screens in total, there’s a multi-storey car park conveniently located next door.

A less traditional indoor activity option is Tension VR. Tension was the UK’s first virtual reality venue. Offering the chance to truly immerse yourself in more than 40 state-of-the-art games, it uses the very latest in virtual reality technology. This isn’t just a PlayStation hooked up to a VR headset; Tension uses specialist PCs to give you the most detailed, engaging experience possible.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Tension is actually two activity venues in one. So, if VR isn’t your thing, you can try your hand at Tension EG – Lincoln’s top place for exit games. Exit games follow the same principle as escape rooms; you’re given a deadline to try and beat an objective by solving a series of puzzles and clues. Tension EG is made even more interesting by the fact that their exit games are intertwined with the history of the area, incorporating things like the Magna Carta, which is housed in the castle, and the legend of the Lincoln Imp from the cathedral.

Get to grips with the history, architecture and sculptures of the county by taking the Spires and Steeples Arts and Heritage Trail. It begins in the shadow of Lincoln Cathedral and runs for 26 miles all the way to St Denys Church in Sleaford, passing by fascinating pieces of street art and sculpture, as well as churches, historic buildings, stunning landscapes, and (hopefully) lovely clear Lincolnshire skies. Obviously, you don’t have to see it through all the way to the end; pick up the trail and follow it for as long as you like while taking in a bit of culture.

As you might expect from a city with an imp obsession, Lincoln enjoys its stories and superstitions, whether they’re fables or downright fibs. Maybe that’s why the Lincoln Ghost Walk is so popular. The award-winning walking tour takes you around the city centre in the evenings, with experienced guides relaying delightfully devilish tales of dastardly ghosts and haunted pie shops. Plus, you get to see the cathedral all lit up at night, which is a bonus.

See the city from a different perspective by taking a trip on the Brayford Belle. Once aboard the pleasure boat, you’ll be taken on an hour-long journey up the canal while learning about the history of Lincoln. The staff are all very friendly and knowledgeable. For such an informative tour, it’s great value as well.