The case for the Costa del Grantham

Ten reasons why one of the UK’s most underrated market towns should be on your bucket list

For some time now, holidaymakers have been searching for more alternative, off-the-beaten-track destinations, and the closer to home the better. Like many of Britain’s smaller towns, Grantham has come in for criticism over the decades – some deserved, some not – but it seems to be getting its act together these days, so much so that you could do a lot worse than spend a few days here on a mini-break as part of your ‘staycation‘.

Heck, if you’re coming from further afield, there’s even more reason to have it as part of the itinerary during your UK tour. Here’s ten things that should sell South Lincolnshire’s finest to you.

1. Be in-spired

We’ve all heard of St. Paul’s Cathedral, but did you know St Wulfram’s Church was the tallest spire in England once upon a time? It’s lost none of its prestige since surrendering that honour, and in 2020 it was named as the greatest non-cathedral English church. England’s Thousand Best Churches, by Simon Jenkins, describes it as “the finest steeple in England”. If that doesn’t get us off to a flying start nothing will.

2. Or be on a film set!

The image above is of Belton House, which has been used for modern adaptations of such classics as Bleak House, Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. On the outskirts of town, Belvoir Castle has been party to scenes for The Da Vinci Code, as well as the Netflix series The Crown, with Harlaxton Manor providing the backdrop for numerous horror movies.

3. Food for thought

There’s not exactly one restaurant for every day of the month, but what the town lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. What can’t speak can’t lie, and last year Tinel Seafood & Grill was handed the mightily prestigious Blue Ribbon Good Food Award. If you need convincing further, read our review of Julianos, one of the town’s ever-popular Italian joints, here.

4. A town of icons

In terms of claims to fame, Grantham punches way above its weight and that’s none more true than when you take its world-famous son and daughter into account. Okay, one’s a tad more controversial than the other (we’ll leave you to figure out which), but who cares when it’s the father of modern science and arguably the most important female world leader of all-time? The town’s extremely proud of Isaac Newton and Margaret Thatcher, and so it should be.

5. Rejoice in Mother Nature

Like much of the UK, the Grantham Canal and River Witham have helped to regenerate species such as otters, but it’s birds of prey where the town really comes into its own. With the A1 running through, the red kite – a roadkill specialist feeder – has become extremely abundant, whilst a nesting population of peregrine falcons has returned to take up residence in St Wulfram’s steeple. We tried our hardest to get an action shot of one in full flight, but had to settle for one of the Ancient Grantham Oak, the town’s oldest resident, instead. This place isn’t the home of The Woodland Trust for nothing.

6. Be a sport

Fancy practising your backhand at the LTA tennis club of the year 2022? Or how about your swing at one of four golf courses, including the PGA-accredited Belton Woods and the Early Whistle-accredited Ropsley 13-hole green. For the more indoors type, Grantham Snooker and Billiard Club is an institution, as well as the purveyor of the world’s finest ham-salad rolls (no joke).

7. The home of gingerbread

As good as those rolls are, they’re hardly Grantham on a plate. That comes in the form of gingerbread, glorious gingerbread. Granted, it wasn’t invented here – that honour goes to the town of Dinant, in Belgium – but ever since it was first made here in the 1740s, and revived by Hawkens Gingerbread in 2009, it’s become synonymous. Even though the town’s illustrious foodie neighbour, Melton Mowbray, is itself the home of the pork pie, it can’t hold a candle to it in this regard – can you recall a pork pie man in Shrek?

8. Get connected

The UK transport system comes under fire quite rightly, yet Grantham seems to have hit the jackpot in this regard. We know what you’re thinking: way to go at selling somewhere by pointing out the quickest way out! However, with London and Leeds both just over an hour away by train it’d be remiss of us not too. Those Midlands powerhouses, Nottingham and Lincoln, are both on the doorstep, and if you fancy going a little further, East Midlands Airport is within easy reach.

9. That’s the spirit

Lincolnshire is one of the most haunted counties in the entire British Isles, so it’s no surprise that Grantham’s had more than its fair share of ghostly goings-on. The Black Dog pub featured on Really Channel’s Help! My House is Haunted in 2021, while the 12th-century Angel & Royal Hotel – supposedly England’s oldest inn – is home to a white lady. Guess the ghosts around these parts just like getting trollied!

10. The weather?!

Yes it’s true! Now hold your horses and bear with us. Being situated not all that far from the East Coast means that Grantham is in the drier reaches of the country, plus in terms of average temperature, there’s only London and parts of the South Coast and East Anglia that are higher. Last year, Coningsby – less than 30 miles away – set a new mercury-busting record with a high of 40.3 degrees. This soundly beat the previous 38.7 held by Cambridge Botanic Garden – what more do you want from somewhere in Britain?

And that somewhat offbeat note is where we end this sales pitch with a difference. We hope it’s at least put Grantham on your radar, and if you’re thinking about satisfying your curiosity, or have in fact already done so, let us know in the comments.