It's Pleasant 'Up North'!

A trip up the M1 to Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, had more in store for Louise, than tiaras, confetti and new in-laws. But it also offer her a taste for a very different life.

One day in May, I received a beautiful old-fashioned ivory wedding invitation. This wedding invitation turned out to be more than a wedding invitation, it turned into an opportunity to experience another part of England.

A drive up the M1

I took two days leave and very early, on a Thursday morning in July, I travelled to Gainsborough, Lincolnshire to join the rest of my family. We fondly labelled this trip our 'working holiday', otherwise known as ' preparing for the wedding reception'.
To date my experience of the north of England, to date includes an overnight stay in Inverness, Scotland, three hours waiting for a train in Edinburgh, and attending the V Festival in Staffordshire.

I had heard a little about Gainsborough, from the bride-to-be, over the years. The  wedding reception venue would be the garden of a ‘big house’ that has been in her mother’s family for generations.  A place where she had spent many happy summers with her grandparents. Others told me to stand by an electricity pylon and count as many as I could, the land is very flat, and be prepared to take part in a conversation while queueing at the post office, rather than fuming, while repeatedly checking the time  - the southern way.
Driving alone, I can attest to the flatness of the land, as I drove it expanded before me, nothing impairing my view. 

A little experience of life 'up North'

I had my first experience of life 'up North', when I went with another of the wedding party to buy plants for the garden.  A very chipper man happily got out of his forklift, which he was using to  unload paving slabs, to chat to us while we were shopping.  After chatting to us, for what seemed like forever, he went on a coffee break. In the silence, and with no other shoppers we enjoyed a private shopping experience familiar to the rich and famous.

Back at the house, the ever growing wedding party endured a day of garden and household labour.

Exhausted, we went to a local restaurant, a carvery on the way to Retford. As we drove around, I noticed the road users were of a different, more generous ilk – stopping to allow us to pull out of side roads. No loud horn beeping and swerving around cars turning right, I was used to in  London and Surrey.

The next morning, I along with others from the party, took a 30 minute drive to the beautiful city of Lincoln. I parked near the Cathedral and enjoyed shopping at the quaint shops, on cobbled appropriately named Steep Hill. Boutiques, tea rooms, collection of old curiosity shops, old book sellers, an old imposing tourist information centre, sat alongside the Cathedral and high street regulars.



Although I had two hours to enjoy Lincoln, it was not enough. There were so many appealing shop doors to step through there wasn’t time to browse long enough once I got inside. Every food shop had tasty treats to sample, proudly proffered to all upon entering. One of my favourites was the marshmallow cone , a diabetic’s nightmare but delicious. It was made of melted marshmallows and puffed rice cereal piled into an ice-cream cornet, filled with marshmallows and decorated with jelly beans. Women at checkouts smiled, laughed, and joined in the planning for the hen night that evening. People wished us good day and all the best for the wedding, and they meant it.  Having collected ‘love’ and ‘pet’ very early on, I was waiting for an affectionate ‘duck’. 

My 'duck' moment came on Saturday afternoon while chatting to two security guys. They had refused a  who 'clocking-on' cup of tea, but gave me an 'alright duck' when they agreed to wait for a cold beer. All in all, not only was this the best wedding of two people I could hope to meet, it also gave me an unforgettable insight into a kinder, more social way of life. Magic!

Picture copyright: http://www.visitlincolnshire.com

To learn more about Gainsborough, Lincolnshire visit:

1. Why Gainsborough: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/aug/30/homes

2. For things to do in Lincolnshire: http://www.visitlincolnshire.com

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