Toddle Around Lincs Free

06/07/2022

Great value from ASDA throughout the summer holidays - no minimum spend / adult spend attached 👏

https://www.asda.com/about/instore/cafe

02/07/2022

Free tickets to selected theme parks with the sun - collect 6 out of 12 codes to be printed daily in the Sun newspaper over the next 2 weeks.

07/06/2022

22/05/2022

If you’ve seen the review of Stourton Estates on our sister page, Toddle Around Lincs then you’ll probably be heading right next door to Walled Garden Baumber

I’ve driven by the signs for this so many times and now kick myself for not having peeked in sooner.

Entry to these magical walled gardens is completely free, and there is a surprise around every beautifully curated corner.

Lunch is a must - I’m a bread fiend and the sarnies here are delicious - as is the cake! Enjoy them whilst taking in the peaceful surroundings.

The shopaholics amongst us can get a fix too - there are some healthy plants for sale if you’re inspired by the setting, some crafty items as well as some more random oddments - we came home with an Ariel doll and a wasp nest deterrent 😁

Dogs on leads welcome, free entry Tue - Fri and Sunday (also open Bank Holiday Mondays) 10am - 4pm. Keep an eye on their social media too as they have some evening entertainment (entry fees apply) as well as craft and well-being events.

A must visit if you’re passing, I struggled to pick just 10 of my favourite snaps from here.

26/03/2022

Don’t forget, this weekend is the last one for now for free entry with a national lottery scratch card or lottery ticket (any date) it’s a real bargain this sunny weekend ☀️

Each week National Lottery players raise £30 million for Good Causes. Find out about their stories here.

18/03/2022

Wow! So many amazing free or reduced offers in and around Lincolnshire this week with The National Lottery Open Week - a link below will take you to a search for all events - you just need to provide a valid lottery ticket regardless of the date. It says 1 ticket = one adult entry at many places so you may have to pay for children. Belton House NT and Tattershall Castle are some of the notable local attractions taking part. Enjoy 😊

https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/projects/national-lottery-open-week/list

Each week National Lottery players raise £30 million for Good Causes. Find out about their stories here.

23/01/2022

We couldn’t be highlighting free things for you to do with your kids in without throwing a massive spotlight on the incredible children’s centres we have here in the county.

I’ve yet to come across a group or class that we didn’t enjoy, was age appropriate, met up with other intersecting parents and carers and just generally had a great time. I can’t tell you how passionate and enthusiastic the people that run the sessions are - they really were a highlight of my week when on maternity leave.

It was a chat with one of the ladies during a lockdown interlude that actually inspired these pages and groups, so thank you Lincs children’s centres for that too!

Below is the link to the A-Z list of the 48 centres in Lincs, you can then select a centre that’s close to you, go through to an overview and what’s on there, then click on each individual activity to learn more.

https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/directory/43/a-to-z/A

I’d definitely recommend following your local groups on social media - they post lots of reminders about groups as well as general hints and tips.

I really cannot praise these amazing FREE resources enough! Give them a try!

19/01/2022

OK, another free one, this one with super yummy ulterior motives for visiting 😋

Uncle Henry's has it all - sausage rolls, cakes, sausage rolls… it’s a fab farm shop stocked with high quality tasty meats, baked goods, alcohol and treats as well as some cute giftware, toys and eco products.

There’s a wonderful little cafe (massive thank you to the lovely staff member who saved the day with a Mint chocolate when wills was embodying a terrible two year old) or you can take your farm shop purchases and enjoy a picnic innnnn….

A great free playground! This one got William seriously excited - the highlights being a tractor & trailer slide, teepee and, of course, a mini farm shop to act out some role play - a lot of tea and cake was consumed!

We spied signs for a maize maze too, in late Summer obviously, check in advance if you’re heading specifically for this.

Dog friendly in the outside areas. A fab little place to call in on if you’re passing. Added to the what 3 words map.

18/01/2022

OK, sometimes you just want something free and easy so I’m going to try to rattle through a few this week - first up Brigg Garden Centre

We went at the beginning of January so it was slightly in the post Xmas pre back to normal limbo we all have, however it was still a good mornings mooch.

For Dino 🦖 loves there are huge replicas hiding amongst the plants (touch them, they’re not what you expect them to feel like) so that’s fun trying to spot them, jumping out and making lots of load “Roars” the staff didn’t bat an eyelid so I assume this is a common reaction.

There’s a relatively large playground with climbing frames, a roundabout, swings etc. Enough to keep the little ones entertained for half an hour or so. Randomly, there’s a double decker bus - I hope the plan is to open that up at some point as wills was itching to get on board.

Be warned - the building between the dinos and playground houses multiple £1 rides - you know the supermarket / arcade type things - Wills isn’t too fussed by them and is quite happy just sitting on the or having the odd ride, but if you have one that’s wise enough not to believe “aw, it’s broken” then it’s probably best to scoot around the outside so you don’t get rinsed for £100s (if T-Rex is facing you, head to your right, around the building and you’ll be safe to continue)

The cafe must be good judging by the number of patrons - more or less completely full. There is also separate seating so you can bring your four legged friends for lunch too 🐩

After that hopefully you’ve worn everyone out enough so you can have a peaceful meander around the well stocked garden centre - it’s a big one and well stocked, with a particularly impressive Maidenhead Aquatics 🐠

08/01/2022

A friend of ours has created an awesome FREE calendar giving ideas for a whole year of screen free fun activities 😊 link below

365daysofnoscreens.com/signup xxs

Choose from three activity calendars suitable for your child's age that offer you a 'no-screen' activity for every day of the year!

14/07/2021

I know everywhere in is looking stunning at the moment but I just had to share these photos from my and maud’s (wills is in isolation 😩) evening walk.

It’s a flat straight walk, excellent for a pushchair, not great if you have a runner as there is an open bank to one side down into the river, but it’s a fair way and there’s a step half way so you stand a fighting chance if they do take off. (Seriously though, if it is a concern do steer clear)

On a sunny day it’s a pleasant and easy 1.5 hour / 3.5 mile walk or bike ride down to the ship inn at Surfleet which used to serve lovely pub grub in a pretty setting with tables along the bank (I say used only as we haven’t been in a while but will hopefully rectify soon 😋). You can’t miss it - just keep walking along the bank.

Oh, and if the little ones do have mountain bikes I think the big ones have made a dirt track at the beginning of the walk on the right hand side. You can also dart off to the right instead of heading straight down the riverbank and it takes you through a little shaded area, down a lane and around the field back up to the bank near the pumping station.

Even if you don’t make it that far, it’s a nice easy, peaceful if not overly exciting, amble down the the pumping station spotting wildflowers and birds.

12/07/2021

Despite living in Lincolnshire for over 20 years (I know I don’t look old enough) I’ve never been to Mablethorpe. We rectified that situation this weekend and despite the gloomy forecast headed in search of the splash pool Queens Park Mablethorpe and had a wonderful, albeit brief, afternoon.

The location on the map takes you straight to the car park which is right next to Queen’s Park. It was full when we arrived so we chanced it on the street, but in hindsight it’s an easy walk from any of the other longer stay car parks so next time will use one of those.

I’m amazed that this lovely little facility is completely free. It’s a large pool, coming just over knee height on Wills, so perfect for paddling as an adult, although on a hit day I’ll deffo be donning a cossie (sorry about that 🙈). There are lots of dragon themed fountains and run throughs off to one side. Pretty clean considering the time of day we got there. Bring an inflatable if you have one, or the kiosk sold them for a very reasonable £5

Speaking of reasonable, I’d been highly unorganised and not packed lunch, so the lovely lady in the cafe made wills an off menu cheese sarnie. This, with crisps and 2 hot chocolates (decent) came to just £5!

Next we had a stroll around the Mablethorpe Boating Lake - Queens Park - £5-£7ish to hire depending on what you go for. We’ll definitely do this next time - it looked like great fun… but not something the four legged one would have enjoyed though. There are loads of Canadian geese around here too… not great for 💩 + 🐶 but they looked friendly if fed so we’ll bring some duck food with us next time too.

There is a small play area with bouncy castles and swings, slides etc. that is not free to enter but I can’t imagine it would be very expensive - there was a bit of a queue and the clouds were looking ominent so we skipped this. Would be great to hear if anyone knows?

The land train is currently in for service so that wasn’t running, but the putting green and crazy golf is open and looks like great fun - I’m a crazy ⛳️ queen!

If all that’s not enough just over a small bank you have the amazing beach! When we went the tide was out far and there was a seemingly endless beach in front of us, completely idyllic… apart from the rain that had just started to patter ☔️ if we had hired a beach hut for the day (£22 off peak / £26 peak) we would have happily dived in there to wait it out but as we hadn’t (and conscious that we were probably pushing our luck with the car parking) we headed off home.

So, all in all a very successful reccie to check out Queens Park - we will be back for a full day visit next time (and will hire that beach but just in case 🤣)

09/07/2021

This looks like it might be fun….

Always a favourite and feels so long since something like this! Please do go along if you are free, the team who put this event together always work tremendously hard to make it a success. 🤞 for 🌞 too!

30/06/2021

So, Sunday we decided to head over somewhere I’ve wanted to check out for a while, Wisbech Adventure Playground. This is a difficult one as the playground itself looks like a fabulous resource however I’d be dubious recommending it specifically for our group for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, there’s not masses for the toddler age group. A good sized sandpit area but the water play pump had been chained up and so was unusable. I suspect the reason for that is linked to the below...

Secondly, there were a couple of groups of older kids, around 10-12, using absolutely terrible language, kicking things, and climbing onto building etc. Now, I was no saint as a child, not by any stretch of the imagination, but some of the violent and offensive things being said 😳 let’s just say I was quite pleased I wasn’t on my own and we didn’t hang around long.

Now, the place would undoubtedly have an entirely different vibe in the week during term time when the older cherubs are (hopefully 🤨) at school so please, if you want to check it out I urge you to go then, or at one of the stay and play (staffed) sessions on their page.

Despondent, we headed off to Skylark Maize Maze... this isn’t open until the school summer holidays 🤣 but I have it from a colleague that once it’s open it is worth a visit, and apparently the summer pass is very good value if you’ll make reasonable use of it.

One word of warning.... if you order a cappuccino from the cafe at Skylark Garden Centre don’t expect a cappuccino... what you get is an extremely milky coffee with around 3 bubbles floating on top and a dash of chocolate powder... a far cry from the precise third measures a barista would conjure up, or even one of those instant sachets!! When queried I was told that that was how they were taught to make it, so that was that 🤷‍♀️ (in retrospect I should have trusted my instinct to be wary of places that ask for payment upfront when offering table service) the cakes were passable, William’s lunch hot and fresh and hot chocolate delicious apparently so swings and roundabouts I guess 😉

All in all not the most exciting Sunday. We did have a lovely drive through the countryside and brought home some new plants for the garden though so all was not lost.

19/06/2021

Having heard so many interesting things we went to Johnsons of Old Hurst this morning.... and you weren’t wrong - what a place!

Firstly, absolutely 100% free to park and enter! And if you don’t read any further please take the tip to go to the farm shop first - it’s extremely popular so we had quite a queue waiting to pay at noon, but I think if you’d have popped in there at opening you’d have gotten through a lot quicker. If you’re a farm shop fan this is definitely one to visit regardless of the animals. The bread, sausage rolls and cakes are out of this world; I can’t comment yet on the meat but we have T-bone steaks to enjoy tonight and they look like they’ve been aged to perfection - I will report back. Alongside the farm shop staples there is a hearty selection of alcoholic beverages - with the best gin selection I’ve come across north of London - I may or may not have added mango and black peppercorn to my collection 🤨

Anyway, back to the toddler friendly aspects, amongst others there are goats, donkeys, parrots, meerkats and wallaby’s as well as the fabled crocodiles, snakes and iguanas. It’s a nice little trail that incorporates a woodland walk, some swings and a small play castle. Enough to keep a toddler amused for a few hours, perfect to slot around a lunchtime nap.

Speaking of lunch, they respectfully ask that only food bought from them is consumed on site, which is more than fair given the free entry. We unfortunately couldn’t eat in the tearoom due to the long queue so bought a picky lunch from the farm shop and ate that near the play area. For something more substantial there was a BBQ serving up delicious smelling burgers and hot dogs. Take a blanket as benches were in short supply.

Overall a really lovely trip, definitely one to visit if you’re within 45 minute or so drive or have a young one content to nap in the car. Even better if you can make it during the week - bear in mind it is closed on Mondays though and is best suited to a light drizzle or finer. If you wanted to make a full day out Grafham Water is just up the road or if you’re heading back Kings Lynn way swing by Wisbech Adventure Playground, or maybe Ferry Meadows if going North on the A1.

We hope you enjoy!

12/06/2021

Don’t forget to join our group https://www.facebook.com/groups/796441217658880/

As we now have over 2,000 members I thought it worth refreshing a couple of bits.

Below is a screenshot of our map showing a snapshot of all of our free / pay2park / foody locations recommended so far. I’ll add the link in the comments below.

They are separated out onto 3 lists, so you’ll have to click each link, then follow each list. That way you’ll get automatic updates as we add new locations to each list.

Once you’ve followed the lists they will go into your saved locations and you can view them on a map like the below which is super helpful for when you’re planning days out.

If I’m looking for something to do I’ll zoom in on the area I want to travel to then click the green dots to see what’s on in those areas.

Once I have an idea or two I search for a review in the main group to see if it’s what we’re after, or if there are any inside tips for example a good place for lunch nearby or something else to visit whilst in the same area and off we go.

You can use the “navigate to” function in what 3 words and it acts as a sat nav to guide you to the exact location - no more approximate postcodes

All of these resources are free to use and provide the most accurate locations and up to date reviews.

Please continue to build our little community by sharing the local parks, playgrounds and walks that you enjoy and inviting friends you know would enjoy our little group too. Photos are brilliant as they give a real feel for what’s there but as always please avoid including other children in your pictures unless you have their parent / guardian’s express permission to share to the group.

As always, please keep posts on topic and friendly. Happy exploring!

27/05/2021

We had a lovely day today and the sun finally made an appearance!! It was also a completely free day bar £2 parking and voluntary donations.

First we went to Bransby Horses - Rescue and Welfare - what an amazing set up! The horses, donkeys and shetlands are so well cared for, all of the paddocks are spotless. We walked around doing their emoji trail (£3.50) then after a snack stop wills had a good old play in their new looking playground.

After about 2.5 hours looking at horses we went off in search of some birds at Whisby Nature Park - and boy did we find some! We enjoyed a picnic overlooking a lake and flock of gulls and their babies, fish, swans and more. Tried to walk some of it off by way of a nature trail around one of the smaller lakes where we saw lots of other water birds, squirrels a stoat (or weasel - not sure which!) and lots and lots of butterflies. Then it was time to check out the sand pit... and last but not least the water run! Can’t fault it for £2.00 parking all day, and we didn’t even venture into the visitor centre or cafe.

We had planned on swinging by Daisy Made farm for ice cream 🍦 but the day just got away with us and the little toddler beast was more than ready for a nap by the time we left at around 3:30

Brilliant day all around, both highly recommended here 🤗 we will be back!

All 3 locations on the free map 🗺

16/05/2021

Don’t forget to join our group https://www.facebook.com/groups/796441217658880/

As we now have over 1,500 members I thought it worth refreshing a couple of bits.

Below is a map of all of our free / pay2park locations recommended so far. I’ll add the link in the comments below.

If I’m looking for something to do I’ll zoom in on the area I want to travel to then click the green dots to see what’s on in those areas.

Once I have an idea or two I search for a review in the main group to see if it’s what we’re after, or if there are any inside tips for example a good place for lunch nearby or something else to visit whilst in the same area and off we go.

If I’m struggling I may also check out the Great value toddler friendly fun family days out in Lincolnshire page too.

All of these resources are free to use and provide the most accurate locations and up to date reviews.

Please continue to build our little community by sharing the local parks, playgrounds and walks that you enjoy. Photos are brilliant as they give a real feel for what’s there but as always please avoid including other children in your pictures unless you have their parent / guardian’s express permission to share to the group.

Happy exploring!

06/05/2021

To make searching easier find below a list of locations stored on our map / already reviewed. Do add your own review or photos to the group though 😊

Abbey Parks Farm Shop Playground and Dog Walking Area
Adventure Playground/ Spinney Wisbech
Ascoughfee Hall parking Spalding
Barnwell Country Park Oundle
Bawsey pits Kings Lynn - not sure on parking, please send me add if you find it!
Beach free parking
Boultham Park walk Lincoln
Bourne wellhead park
Bytham spinney playground Little Bytham
Crown lakes country park Peterborough
Daisy Made Farm
Dole wood Thurlby
Donna Nook nature reserve
Duck Pond in Sutterton
Fenside Woods Trail alternate parking Boston
Fenside Woods trail Boston
Ferry Meadows Peterborough
Fosdyke wood & river walk parking
Fosyke Bridge walk Parking (ship side)
Free Parking Woodhall Spa
Free parking in Bourne
Garden centre with Dino play Brigg
Gunthorpe Lock Gunthorpe
Hanworth country park Lincoln
Hartsholme country Park Lincoln
Haverholme walk Sleaford
Hobhole Pumping Station
Hubbards Hill walk - second leg
Hubbards Hill walk and stream Louth
Hubbards hill free parking
Itter Park Peterborough
Jenny’s Wood Parking
Jenny’s wood walk & trim trail Wyberton
Johnson’s of Old Hurst Farm Huntingdon
Jubilee park playground Woodhall Spa
Lakes Bourne woods Bourne
Lakes walk Culverthorpe
More Free Parking in Bourne
Nature Walk Sutterton
Ostlers Plantation - rough idea - please update
Park Corby Glen
Parking Stamford Rec Playground (not free)
Parking playground Swineshead
Play area and pets at Baytree Garden Centre Spalding
Playground Algakirk
Playground Allington
Playground Baston
Playground Bicker
Playground Boston
Playground Colsterworth
Playground Donington
Playground Donington high street entrance
Playground Goxhill
Playground Holbeach
Playground Itter Park Peterborough
Playground Ketton Stamford
Playground Market Deeping
Playground Osgodby
Playground Quadring
Playground Ropsley
Playground Sandringham
Playground Skegness
Playground Spinney Bourne
Playground Stamford
Playground Surfleet (not currently open) trim trail and grassy area is
Playground Swineshead
Playground Thurlby
Playground Tower Gardens Skegness
Playground Whaplode
Playground Wigtoft
Playground Witham on the Hill
Playground Woolsthorpe
Playground Wrangle
Playground Yaxley
Playground in Sutterton
Playground small Hop Pole
Playground woolsthorpe Manor colsterworth
RSPB nature reserve Frampton Marsh
Rufford Abbeh country park Notts
Rutland water
Rutland water parking
Rutland water parking
Sherwood Pines
Shouldham Warren Kings Lynne
Skate park market Deeping
Snipe Dales Country Park
Snowland Fields playground and open space Crowland
Soft play Garden Centre Springfields Spalding (not yet open)
Soft play fuzzy Ed’s Boston (free on Tuesdays? Possibly, check when reopen)
Splash Pool Central Park Scunthorpe (approx)
Splash Pool Sutton on Sea
Splash pool Queens Park Mablethorpe
Splash pool fairy dell Skegness
Walk Creswell Crags Notts
Walk Deeping Lakes
Walk Gibraltar Point Skegness
Walk Gibraltar point Skegness
West gate woods Wyberton
Westgate woods parking
Whisby Nature reserve Lincoln
Witham way country park Boston
Witham way country park Boston parking / entrance
Witham way little playground town side
Woods Bourne
Woods parking entrance Bourne
Wyndham park Parking

01/05/2021

Yay! Open next Bank holiday weekend ☀️

23/04/2021

Map Update! I think we’re nearly caught up to all your recommendations 😁

22/04/2021

Don’t forget to check the page where the list of recommendations is being compiled. This is where we’ve got to so far, each free icon is a potential new adventure! Like and follow and you’ll automatically be notified as we update it.

Look at our map! Building up nicely!

22/04/2021

Look at our map! Building up nicely!