Lincoln Christmas Market

Like most of you, our Decembers are usually crammed with social events and pre-xmas family catch-ups. The husband is a 'northerner' and we sometimes use Lincoln as a halfway point for catching up with his family. This year, we planned one such catch-up to coincide with the Lincoln Christmas Market. Ideally, you should plan your visit to this Christmas market on a Thursday or Friday when the crowds are thinner. I would also recommend reading up the top ten tips for visitors to the Lincoln Christmas Market.

We took the train up to Lincoln so as to be able to consume copious amounts of mulled wine without having to worry about driving. We arrived at Lincoln just in time to see the beautiful steam train 'Union of South Africa' arrive from London. I grew up in India and  so steam trains don't excite me that much. Ed on the other hand, bounced incessantly. Geek. We then grabbed some quick lunch before heading up Steep Hill ( the most self-explanatory street name ever) to get to the market. The place was heaving and we moved like the body of a great bumbling giant. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the Castle from where the market stalls started.

The market was definitely the biggest I've seen so far. The stalls were quite close together which makes them challenging to get to amidst the maddening crowds. I must admit that I lost the will to explore towards the latter part of the market. Don't be misled by my little frustrations, I did have a lovely time. My favourites included the Russian Doll stall with the most beautiful hand-painted Matroyshkas I'd ever seen. I could have spent all evening just there. I also enjoyed checking out the Massagicals stall, the Neal's Yard Dairy for its humongous cheeses and other little craft stores. My absolute favourite was the Traumrauch stall with their handmade candle houses. I bought a lovely two storey house from Northern Germany (the only real estate I can afford in this recession) which doubles as a candle house and oil burner. I'm very excited about using it over the Christmas period. Actually, I might as well start now.

Lincoln is historic city, well worth visiting even without the Christmas market. Its beautiful cobbled streets, steep roads, little vintage shops and tea-houses, the Cathedral and the castle are all  great reasons for you to plan a visit to this lovely little corner of England. I've also discovered a wonderful charity shop here and watch this space for my review post. Hope you are enjoying your Christmas season shopping! Ann x

Lincoln Christmas Market
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