North Somercotes offers two distinct reasons to visit: the winter colony of grey seals at Donna Nook National Nature Reserve and walking routes linked to the area’s landscape and local history. In winter, the reserve has more than 2,000 pups each year; the number varies from year to year. A viewing area helps reduce disturbance to the seals. Access to Donna Nook National Nature Reserve is from Marsh Lane in North Somercotes.

Donna Nook: Wildlife and habitats

The reserve includes dunes, dune valleys and tidal areas, as well as mudflats, salt meadows and salt marshes. The seal colony is a seasonal highlight in an area with several different habitats. Check the latest information about signage and access before your visit, as both can change.

Routes between the village and the countryside

The North Somercotes 500 Acres Walk starts at the Village Hall on Keeling Street. The North Somercotes Church Walk follows roadside paths, quiet streets and field paths. The two walks offer different points of reference: the starting point is clearly named for the 500 Acres Walk, while the Church Walk is described by the types of routes it follows. This lets you choose according to whether a familiar starting point or a description of the route types matters more to you.

The North Somercotes Village Walk passes a cemetery that opened in 1880. Two chapels on the site are now Grade II listed. The Village Walk adds a specific historical point of interest—the cemetery and the two chapels—to the route types found on the Church Walk.

St Mary's Church also has a specific historical detail: its font dates from the 15th century, and one of its panels shows Christ rising from the tomb. The image adds clear subject matter to the date, bringing the font to life as an art-historical object.

The North Somercotes Mill Field Walk One reveals another aspect of local history. It passes undulating fields that preserve the remains of former salt works. The salt works were established around Mare Haven; Mare Haven silted up around 1200. The fields thus connect visible landscape features with past land use and the changing landscape of Mare Haven.

The North Somercotes Mill Field Walk Two offers different points of interest. The Forest can be seen in the distance to the left; it was planted in the Warren in the 1960s, shortly after the East Coast Floods of 1953. It may also be possible to catch a distant glimpse of the rear of “Locksley Hall”, which is often associated with the Locksley Hall in Tennyson’s poem. By comparison, Walk One focuses on the salt works and Mare Haven, while Walk Two focuses on the Forest and the possible distant view of “Locksley Hall”.

Fishing is another option: Oasis Lakes is one of the fishing venues around North Somercotes and offers anglers good fishing opportunities.

Discover more destinations: Marston, Old Leake, Market Rasen, Harlaxton, Keelby, Friskney, East Barkwith, Tealby.

For the wider travel guide: Lincolnshire.