BACK TO THE SEASIDE

We leave Louth by means of the former Louth Canal, no longer in use, so we'll just have to walk the towpath. Here's what remains of the town lock.

Next we come to another former lock at Keddington.

Leaving the old canal behind, our next stop is the village of Grainthorpe. When visited in 2001. it brewed its own beer. Now it's permanently closed.

Further east (not too far, otherwise Donna Nook and the North Sea await) is North Somercoates, where Appleby's buses were kept in the latter days of the company.

North now, back to the Louth Canal, at Tetney Lock (now a sluice).

Facing the canal is the Crown & Anchor, still serving pints, thank goodness!

Suitably refreshed, we head west for a few miles to the former Louth to Grimsby railway at North Thoresby. Here this Great Northern Railway station was trackless in 1999. It has since been restored and is now the home of a preservation society.

Moving northwards, at Waltham, this GNR signal box controlled the level crossing and train movements.

On the outskirts of Cleethorpes is Humberston, where this modern pub, the Trading Post, seems to have vanished from both the face of the earth and the internet!

Close by, the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway used to run south from its northern terminus at North Sea Lane. At its southern end, we see an ex Nocton Estates diesel running round, circa 1972.

By 1985, steam loco 'Jurassic' was in use and is seen at the station and running round.

At the other end of the line, 'Jurassic' again and a diesel outside the shed.

The LCLR closed later in 1985 and was later rebuilt in the Skegness area. However, a new railway has opened, as an extension of the 15" gauge Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, has been opened to its southern terminus at North Sea Lane, Humberston. Loco 'Effie' is seen there in 2010.

In the next post we'll see more of the CCLR and enter Cleethorpes itself.