Visit North Lincolnshire

Brigg Tourist Information Centre

Brigg Tourist Information Centre (TIC) is a VisitEngland official partner. It offers a range of services for local residents and visitors to the area, including local information, events, UK holiday information, bus and rail timetables, local and national accommodation, books and maps, coach bookings, souvenirs and local history books.

You will find us at The Buttercross, Market Place, Brigg.

Contact 01652 631500 or brigg.tic@northlincs.gov.uk.

Waters Edge Tourist Information Point, Barton upon Humber

Waters Edge offers a range of services for local residents and visitors to the area, including local information, events, UK holiday information, bus and rail timetables, books and maps, and souvenirs, including local history books.

You will find us at Waters Edge Visitor Centre Tourist Information, Maltkiln Road, Barton upon Humber.

Contact 01652 631500 or waters.edge@northlincs.gov.uk

More information can be found on the Visit North Lincolnshire website.

North Lincolnshire has so much to offer. Our many attractions include:

• Historic market towns
• Local heritage centres
• Award winning museums
• Art galleries
• Tranquil countryside with its abbeys, historic houses and fragrant gardens
• Walking and cycling though the Wolds
• Golf
• Skydiving above the Ancholme Valley
• John Wesley’s birthplace in Epworth
• Shows at the Baths Hall
• Tearooms and restaurants selling delicious local produce

More information on our visitor attractions can be found on the Visit North Lincolnshire website.

North Lincolnshire is an ideal place for a short break or holiday. We have a wide choice of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets. Choose from four-star hotels with spa facilities to friendly guesthouses with individually designed rooms.

All accommodation on our website is quality inspected. This means it has been inspected and given a star rating for quality by VisitBritain, the AA or the RAC.

To find the perfect place to stay visit one of our Tourist Information Centres or search the online accommodation on the Visit North Lincolnshire website.

North Lincolnshire is less than an hour’s drive from the cities of Leeds, Sheffield, Lincoln and York and only 45 minutes from the P&O Ferries terminal in Hull.

To find out how to get here by road, rail, bus, air or sea visit the getting around page on Visit North Lincolnshire.

Our events and speciality markets draw crowds from across the country.

The best local foods are on sale at our monthly farmers’ markets in Brigg. We also have  many food themed events and festivals, like the acclaimed Epworth Food Festival throughout the year.

There are dozens of traditional countryside events to discover throughout the year – from the unique Haxey Hood to local shows like Appleby Country Fayre and Messingham Show.

For more information go to our Events page or the Visit North Lincolnshire website.

Farmers’ markets and food festivals

Great food is a passion here in North Lincolnshire and we’re spoilt for choice! The FARMA accredited Brigg Farmers’ Market is held on the fourth Saturday of the month. Choose from varieties of cheese, sausages, freshly baked artisan breads, every variety of jam you can think of and even ostrich burgers!

Find out more on the Markets page.

Brigg has a growing reputation for sporting events. The Brigg Bomber and triathlon attract national athletes to take part in the gruelling courses through our attractive countryside.

The Bike Night in Barton is legendary, with thousands of classic, vintage and modern motorbikes proudly on display in the town’s streets.

The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft is the setting for regular ‘gatherings’ of vintage buses from across the world.

Baysgarth Park is set in 30 acres of grounds in the historic town of Barton upon Humber. This once ancestral home of the Nelthorpe family is now a museum. The surrounding Baysgarth Park has facilities for all the family and is the setting for summer events and plays.

Baysgarth House Museum has been brought back under the management of North Lincolnshire Council while the future of the museum is determined.

Visit Brigg Heritage Centre and discover how this historic market town developed from an early crossing point on the River Ancholme into the town it is today.

Occupying the first floor of The Angel (a former 17th century coaching inn) the Heritage Centre is staffed by a team of dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers.

At its centrepiece is the Bronze Age Brigg ‘Raft’, excavated in the 1970s and previously in storage at the National Maritime Museum. This is complemented by displays exploring the history of Brigg and the Ancholme Valley with a unique collection of artefacts found in the local area.

Admission is free and there is a small gift shop.

For more information visit the Brigg Heritage Centre website.

North Lincolnshire is a showcase for the area’s leading wildlife, heritage, and arts attractions. Stretching from Thornton Abbey in the east of the region to Alkborough in the west, the South Humber Collection is centred on the historic town of Barton upon Humber. The collection showcases some of the area’s finest attractions.

Contact us for more details on waters.edge@northlincs.gov.uk or 01652 631500.

Visit the historic Victorian schoolrooms in the heart of Barton’s conservation area – where education pioneer Samuel Wilderspin changed the face of primary school education.

The school includes:

• a re-creation of Wilderspin’s schoolroom
• an 1845 infant playground
• interactive displays showing the changes in the school over the last 150 years
• contrasting late Victorian classroom which is used for re-enactment sessions as part of an education and events programme
• Scholars Coffee Shop

Visit the Wilderspin National School website for further details

The North Lincolnshire aviation heritage project celebrates the wartime heritage of the area, linking it to airfields with sites further south in Lincolnshire and commemorating ‘Bomber County’.

There are eight World War Two airfields across North Lincolnshire – from RAF Sandtoft in the west to RAF Grimsby to the east. Each of these airfields played an important role during the war and has its own unique story to tell.

The airfields that form part of the project are:

• RAF Elsham Wolds
• RAF Goxhill
• RAF Grimsby (Waltham Airfield)
• RAF Hibaldstow
• RAF Kirmington
• RAF Kirton in Lindsey
• RAF North Killingholme
• RAF Sandtoft

When you visit the airfields, you can find out about their heritage from newly installed interpretation panels, as well as from the remaining buildings which have stood the test of time. Some of the airfields, like RAF Grimsby, RAF Elsham Wolds and RAF North Killingholme, also have their own museums and memorial rooms to tell the stories of the brave men and women who were stationed there.

Pick up a leaflet from your local Tourist Information Centre or visit one of the airfields for yourself to find out more.

Share your memories

If you already have memories of one of our airfields, we would love to hear from you. We would be grateful to hear from anyone who worked at or remembers the airfields and would be willing to record an oral history. This is a quick, easy, and informal way to share your memories.

Contact North Lincolnshire aviation heritage project on 01652 657053

The Old Tileworks is one of the last tile factories of its kind in Europe. Discover the artisan village with its potter’s workshop, reclamation, and garden pottery shops.

Take a look around the visitor centre and see how the site developed from the Old Blyth’s Tileworks.

There’s a stylish coffee shop and restaurant too, all set in 17 acres of stunning rural land on the banks of the River Humber.

For more information visit The Old Tileworks website.

The trolleybus museum at Sandtoft is home to Britain’s largest collection of preserved trolleybuses and motorbuses. The museum has a working trolleybus system plus many displays and exhibits from the heyday of the trolleybus.

For further details visit the trolleybus museum website.

Over the past two millennia, churches have been at the heart of communities across the country. Tightly bound to the events that shaped each town or village in the county, churches are able to act almost as living museums.

The Northern Lincolnshire Heritage and Church Trails were set up to allow visitors access into these historic treasures, as well as allowing you to enjoy the areas stunning rural landscape.

Sixteen churches were selected from across the area and fitted with new heritage displays, charting the fascinating history of each town or village. Each of the churches taking part in the project opens to visitors at least two days every week with some opening even more.

These churches are divided into four groups: Barton and the surrounding area, Brigg and the surrounding area, the Isle of Axholme and North East Lincolnshire. A guide to each area is available from the churches and from the Tourist Information Centres at Brigg and Cleethorpes.

The churches are:

Barton

• All Saints, Winterton
• St John, Whitton
• St Lawrence, Thornton Curtis
• St Mary, Barton
• St Maurice, Horkstow

Brigg

• All Saints, Cadney cum Howsham
• St Clement, Worlaby
• All Saints, Elsham
• St Hybald, Scawby

Isle of Axholme

• All Saints, Belton
• St Oswald, Althorpe
• St Martin, Owston Ferry
• St Pancras, Wroot

North East Lincolnshire

• St Helen, Barnoldby le Beck
• St Peter, Humberston
• St Andrew, Immingham

For more information, please contact us on brigg.tic@northlincs.gov.uk or 01652 657053

Let a restored steam locomotive take you on a tour around one of Europe’s leading steel producing centres. With expert guides on hand, you will learn all about iron and steel making in Scunthorpe and glimpse red-hot steel being rolled in the mills.

The tour covers over 15 miles of rail track and is a unique look behind the scenes of this fascinating process. It includes a visit to the engine shed where you will see part of the Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society’s collection of locomotives, as well as stopping for a bite to eat and a hot drink.

Rail tours operate on selected Saturdays (mainly May to September) or by prior arrangement. These must be pre-booked through Brigg Tourist Information Centre on 01652 657053 or brigg.tic@northlincs.gov.uk.

To find out more, contact the Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society or call Brigg Tourist Information Centre on 01652 657053.

Please note that photography is not permitted on the tour, except for in the engine shed.

The Ironstone walk is a ten mile circular walking route around the southern part of Scunthorpe and Bottesford.

For more information see the visit North Lincolnshire website.

North Lincolnshire has had many famous sons and daughters who have contributed to the arts, culture, science, politics, sports, and society generally.

Ted Lewis

Ted Lewis is well-known for his crime fiction writing. He changed the face of British Noir with his crime novels including Get Carter. A highly skilled graphic artist, Ted managed innovative animations on The Beatles Yellow Submarine and was also a talented Jazz pianist.

Edward (Ted) Lewis was born in Manchester on 15 January 1940 and passed away on 27 March 1982 aged 42. After the Second World War his family moved to Barton upon Humber in North Lincolnshire. He attended Barton County Primary School, Castledyke and later Barton Grammar School, where writer and poet, Henry Treece was Head of English.

From an early age Ted developed a natural talent for sketching. Henry Treece encouraged and mentored Ted, later being instrumental in his decision to enter Hull College of Arts and Crafts, which he did in 1956 aged 16, subsequently obtaining his diploma in 1960.

Ted’s first work was in London, in advertising, and then as an animation specialist in television and films. His first novel, All the Way Home and All the Night Through was published in 1965, followed by Jack’s Return Home, subsequently retitled Get Carter after the success of the film of the same name. This created the noir school of British crime writing and pushed him into the bestseller list.

Ted also wrote several episodes for the television series Z-Cars.

His final book (assessed as his best by some critics) was GBH, published in 1980.

In October 2017, the first Ted Lewis biography was published by Nick Triplow, Getting Carter: Ted Lewis and the Birth of Brit Noir.

Albert ‘Lal’ White

Albert ‘Lal’ White was a an Olympic hero and cycling pioneer from Scunthorpe.

Lal, a former Scunthorpe steelworker, is recognised as one of the most successful grass track racing cyclists in British history – winning 15 titles between 1913 and 1926. Most famously, he raced to a silver medal in the 4,000m cycling team pursuit at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.

One of 17 siblings, Lal was born in Brigg on 19 February 1890 and passed away on 1 March 1965, aged 75. When he was five the family moved to Scunthorpe and Lal soon developed a passion for cycling.

His sporting achievements were all the more remarkable as he juggled an intensive training regime with a 50 year career in the local steel industry, working as a moulder in the Frodingham factory. Fiercely determined and self-disciplined, Lal was also resourceful, inventing the first stationary exercise bike with his brother, from washing machine parts.

Following his retirement from cycling, Lal was still a familiar face around Scunthorpe, running a stall at the market.

Tourism is a growth industry, which contributes £167m to the North Lincolnshire economy. Over 4,000 people are employed locally in the industry. We currently have over 40 visitor attractions.

North Lincolnshire enjoys a drier, sunnier climate than much of the UK due to its sheltered position in the East of England – making it ideal for enjoying outdoor activities and events.

Day visits are the main income for tourism sector businesses. The area’s geographic position – within an hour’s drive of major centres of population such as Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Hull – makes it an easily accessible and attractive proposition.