Our Guide to Louth
Accommodation
Camping – Back to Nature!
Manby Caravan and Camp Site.
Telephone number: 01507 328232
Last year a pitch for a tent cost £7.50 per night. (2006 prices)
About 3 miles outside Louth in the heart of the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside. The roads are flat and good for cycling if you have a bicycle with you, but they are unlit and very dark at night, so unsuitable for walking.
It's a fairly small (one large field), well-looked-after site. Camping is on grass with rows of tall trees around the perimeter. There are drinking water taps and electric hook-ups at regular intervals (a pitch with electricity costs 2 pounds more per night). There is a central shower/toilet block which is basic but functional. There's also a health club (swimming pool, gym, sauna etc.) which may be cheaper for residents, but we didn't get a chance to find out last year!
Because of the flat countryside, the campsite can be very windy, although there are high hedges around the edge of the field, providing much shelter.
Self-Catering
There are a goodly number of self-catering options if you’d prefer to do your own thing whilst in Louth. These can work out cheap, especially if you can get a small group together. The best way to find a cottage/apartment is by looking on the internet. Several options may be found at:
www.selfcatering-directory.co.uk/results.asp?town=louth
B&B and Guesthouses
The Olde Whyte Swanne
Telephone number: 01507-601312
Rooms around £25 (single) to £40 (double/twin) per night including breakfast
Old and very characterful pub in the very centre of Louth, in easy walking distance from the theatre and a stone’s throw from the shops, market and all amenities. Rooms are above the pub and are very basic, but clean. Bathrooms are shared between rooms. All guests get a latchkey in case they arrive back late at night. The landlord and staff are very friendly and the pub itself also does a very good range of pub-grub at lunchtime and in the evening. Plenty of real ales at the bar, too! Provides a very traditional pub B&B experience – an outstanding feature is the gut-busting full English breakfast, which is included in the price. Being in the centre of town, it can be quite noisy, especially when delivery men start their rounds early in the morning and late at night when the pubs kick out.
Keddington House
Contact Chris Cann if interested - as this is a popular venue we operate a central booking system through Chris.
Rooms range from £25-60 per night including breakfast.
A rambling Victorian villa, set in its own grounds. Keddington House has become a home-from-home for many newLOG tourists. It is run by Tony Moss, who provides a warm welcome and kindly blocks out the whole house for us for the week of the Tour and also accommodates our spring concert. Keddington House is within easy walking distance from the theatre (about 5 minutes) and from the town centre (about 15 minutes). Rooms are comfortable and warm. Some are en-suite. There is also a lounge and billiards room. A very fine full English breakfast is served in the dining room. However, the crowning glory is a heated outdoor swimming pool for the use of residents. Perfect for vigorous early morning exercise or a relaxing post-performance dip!
There are currently 5 double or twin rooms available for those wishing to share.
The Beaumont Hotel (AA ***)
66 Victoria Road, Louth, LN11 0BX
Telephone: 01507-605005
Rooms: Single en suite £52. Double £75 per night B&B
Nice-looking small hotel almost next door to the Riverhead Theatre. Looks very pleasant from the outside, but awaiting a review from someone who has actually stayed there!
Kenwick Park Hotel (AA ***)
Kenwick Park, Louth, LN11 8NR
Telephone: 01507-608806
Rooms from £40 per night B&B
Nice Hotel and Country Club set in own grounds 2 miles outside Louth (you’ll need a car or bicycle!). All rooms en-suite with good facilities. Also has health club, swimming pool and golf course if this sort of thing takes your fancy
The Priory (AA ***)
149 Eastgate, Louth, LN11 9AJ
Telephone: 01507-602930
Rooms: Single £45. Double/Twin £60 Per room B&B.
Very nice neo-Gothic Victorian Manor House, very close to the Theatre and Town Centre (lies almost directly between the two). Can be expensive, but very nice, with own grounds, good restaurant and bar.
The Mason’s Arms
Cornmarket, Louth, LN11 9PY
Telephone: 01507-609525
Rooms: £30-55 per Night
Big Georgian town-centre Pub right on the Market Place (handy for buying those home-made pies and cakes in the market!). After some difficulties last year (ask Eirian, Sally and Shannon if you really want to know!) it is under new management and hopefully back up the standard of 2003. A very nice gastro-pub B&B with a really fabulous restaurant attached (Lincolnshire pub food of the year winner!)
The Lincolnshire Poacher
211 Eastgate, Louth, LN11 8DD
Rooms: Single, Twin or Double c.£25 per person.
Nice Georgian pub, set back off the road and close to both Theatre and Town Centre (c. 5 minute walk).
The Pack Horse Hotel
65 Eastgate, Louth, LN11 9PL
Telephone: 01507-603848
Rooms: Price on enquiry
Busy Pub in Centre of Louth, about 10 minutes walk to Theatre. Decent Pub Grub and accommodation. Can be noisy at kicking-out time, but very convenient for shopping, amenities etc.
The Brackenborough Arms Hotel
Cordeaux Corner, Louth, LN11 0SZ
Telephone: 01507-339201
Rooms: From £39 per person B&B (Sharing twin/double)
Pleasant family-run hotel on edge of Louth. All rooms en-suite. Large garden and plenty of private parking.
The Travellers B&B
Upgate, Louth, LN11 9HG
Telephone: 01507-602765
Rooms: From £22.50 per person B&B
Small family-run B&B Guesthouse in Centre of Louth, close to all amenities and easy walk to the Theatre (5-10 minutes).
The Royal Oak Inn (Known locally as “The Splash”)
Watery Lane, Little Cawthorpe, Louth, LN11 8LZ
Telephone: 01507-605243
Rooms: From £40 per person B&B
Historic and attractive country pub B&B in beautiful village 2-3 miles outside Louth. If you have a car, this is the special recommendation of John Lill (our contact at the Theatre). Has own gardens and plenty of car parking. Also good pub restaurant.
You may also wish to try the following:
The Boar’s Head Inn
12 Newmarket, Louth, LN11 9HH
Telephone: 01507-603561
The King’s Head Hotel
10 Mercer Row, Louth, LN11 9JQ
Telephone: 01507-602965
Butterfields Guest House
63 Legbourne Road, Louth, LN11 8ES
Louth - Eating and Drinking
Chuzzlewit’s
Address: Mercer Row, Louth (Opposite Helal Tandoori)
THE place to go for morning coffee or afternoon tea! The waitresses wear quaint black dresses and starched white pinnies, looking as if they have stepped straight out of, Upstairs Downstairs! Chuzzlewit’s is located in the town centre, just behind the Market and opposite the Indian. There is a good selection of teas and mouth-watering home-made sandwiches, cakes and pastries. Everyone has their favourite: Bob recommends the crumpets with orange curd, whilst Chris prefers to stick to a buttered “Fat Rascal”. The chocolate cake also comes very highly recommended!
Helal Tandoori
Address: 1 Mercer Row, Louth
The now-traditional newLOG venue for post-performance celebration curries! Helal is open 6-midnight seven days a week and is located right in the centre of Louth. There is an extensive menu including all the classic Indian staples (Jalfrezi, Rogan-Josh, Dupiaza etc.) and it is relatively inexpensive. First courses are £2-3 and mains range from £4-7. The staff are extremely good and always applaud the drunken rendition of “Hail Poetry”!
Market Café
Address: Covered Market Hall, Louth
Traditional Market caff, serving the usual array of tea, coffee, pastries, sarnies and cooked food. Particularly commended are the super gut-busting breakfasts, popular with campers. Great sausages, bacon and eggs, and fairly cheap. Sandwiches are made on great freshly-sliced local bread.
The Mason’s Arms
Cornmarket, Louth, LN11 9PY
Reservations 01507-609525
Award-winning gastro-pub, the Mason’s Arms is in the heart of the town centre, overlooking the market place. The restaurant is on the first floor and serves lunch and dinner. A fantastic Sunday lunch blowout will cost £25-30 per person including wine. Favourite dishes in the past have included some fabulous Thai fishcakes, Duck confit with puy lentils and the most incredible sticky date and toffee pudding ever tasted!
Moby Dick’s Fish & Chips
Address: Eastgate, Louth
Good old-fashioned fish-and-chip shop I the heart of the town centre. You may have to wait, partly because it is popular (and by inference, good), and they tend to cook freshly to order. Very good and friendly staff too, especially when you let slip that you are visiting for a show at the Riverhead Theatre.
Olde Whyte Swanne
Address: Eastgate, Louth
Quaint olde worlde pub in the heart of the town centre. Does really good, hearty pub grub, with huge portions and not expensive. Classics like Shepherd’s Pie, Sausage and mash, Steak and chips etc. Good local beers available on the pumps.
The Pack Horse
Address: Eastgate, Louth
Decent old fashioned pub grub, serving a particularly good steak and chips, if this floats your boat! Clean, but basic. The bar has local beers in addition to the usual suspects.
Useful Contacts
Theatre
Riverhead Theatre, Victoria Road, Louth, LN11 0BX
Box Office 01507-600350
Services
Police Station, Eastfield Road, Louth, LN11
Telephone 01507-604744
Louth County Hospital, High Holme Road, Louth, LN11
Telephone: 01507-600100
Fire Station, Eastfield Road, Louth, LN11
Post Office, 24B Northgate, Louth, LN11
Telephone 01507-600424
Information
Tourist Information, New Market Hall, Off Cornmarket, Louth, LN11 9PY
Telephone 01507-609289
E-mail louthinfo@e-lindsey.co.uk
Website www.e-lindsey.gov.uk
Banks
There are Cash machines at the Barclays, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds and NatWest Banks
Barclays Bank plc, 64 Eastgate
Telephone 01507-606194
Lloyds TSB Bank plc, 24 Mercer Row
Telephone 01507-603921
HSBC plc, Cornmarket
Telephone 01507-607141
National Westminster Bank plc, Market Place
Telephone 01507-604275
Halifax, 15a Cornmarket
Telephone 01507-605907
Abbey National, 21 Market Place
Telephone 01507-604852
Alliance & Leicester, 139 Eastgate
Telephone 01507-606111
Shops
The Town Centre includes branches of most high street chains (Woolies, WH Smith, Threshers etc). There is also a fairly large Somerfield in Eastgate, near the Theatre and a very large Co-op on the other side of town. Louth also boasts a wealth of smaller shops including antiques, clothes and food. For stocking up for picnics, it is worth investigating the superb stalls in the market place and the nearby delicatessen and bakeries – check out the local specialities: Pork Pies and Plum Bread!
Things to do/see
Up until the opening performance, everyone will be chiefly occupied in rehearsals, set painting and costume sewing. However, once we’re up and running, there are two free days in which to see a little more of the delightful town of Louth.
St James’ Church dominates the town and is well worth a visit. It is a classic East-Anglian wool church, built from the profits of the medieval wool trade and is a superb example of high medieval perpendicular architecture. The spire, which can be seen for many miles around, is one of the tallest in England. Historically, the church was the starting point of the Lincolnshire rebellion against Henry VIII in 1536. Known as The Pilgrimage of Grace, it aimed to reverse the Act of Supremacy and restore the Roman Catholic Church to England. Ultimately, the revolt failed and was ruthlessly put down by royal troops; many of the ringleaders from Louth and the surrounding area were brutally executed. This is commemorated by a plaque opposite the north door. The lofty interior is very well kept and there is also a refreshment stall and small shop selling postcards and souvenir books. A must for (energetic) visitors is to climb the famous tower. There is a small charge of this (£1 per person last year), payable at the shop. The tower is tall and the steps are very old and weathered in places, making for a fairly arduous climb. Towards the top, the steps also narrow considerably. However, once out on the battlements at the foot of the spire, the views over the town and (on a clear day) as far as the North Sea are well-worth the climb: don’t forget your camera!
After a lengthy and complete rebuild, the Louth Museum has now re-opened. I am still awaiting a review by someone who has visited it!
There is a wealth of beautiful countryside around the town. Louth is located at the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds, one of the few fairly hilly parts of East Anglia, and there are plenty of very pleasant walks in the area. The Tourist Information Office in the Town Centre can supply maps and local guides.
A short drive from Louth (about 30 minutes) takes you to the North Sea Coast, especially the resorts of Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea. These are well-worth a visit on one of the free days for bracing sea air, a swim, or a vigorous game of cricket!
Things to Bring
Clothes
The weather in Lincolnshire can be changeable, so it worth being prepared for most eventualities. Whilst we all hope to be able to loll around in shorts, soaking up the sun, it is also a good idea to bring one or two woolies to supplement your summer wardrobe, just in case. Swimming costumes are also useful, especially for those with access to a pool at their accommodation, and for the now-traditional Saturday beach picnic. As with anything, don’t bring any valuable items of clothing that you would be broken-hearted to lose. For most productions, cast members are requested to supply certain items of costume (white shirts, ties, black shoes etc.) These requirements are usually publicized well in advance, so it is wise to make a note of them, though in extremis, most costume basics can be bought in Louth. On the Friday of the tour, there is traditionally a costume dance/ceilidh, with prizes for the best/most original costumes. The theme of the party is published well in advance to allow everyone to make an effort with their costume.
Grooming
There are good showers at the theatre in case you wish to freshen up before a performance (there’s not usually time straight after). You may want to bring a spare set of washing things and a towel with you for this purpose. Also, newLOG provide stage makeup, but many people prefer to use their own.
Comestibles
It is well-worth ensuring that you have a good supply of food and drink at the theatre, especially for the first two days of the Tour, when most of your waking hours will be spent preparing for the show. Bottles of mineral water and nibbles (fruit, nuts, chocolate etc.) are all worth stockpiling, though please remember that the theatre does not permit the consumption of alcohol in the dressing rooms.
Medication/Health
If you are on any medication, do make sure that you bring an adequate supply for the tour. You may wish to let Steve, as our health and Safety Officer, know about any particular allergies that you may have. In the event of an accident, Steve is our first-aider. In case of headaches etc., you might wish to bring a supply of your preferred pain-killer and after the blazing–hot Tour of 2005, a supply of sun-tan lotion is a good idea for those spending time in the sun at the beach etc.
Things NOT to Bring
Please do not bring anything that you would be broken-hearted to lose, be it jewellery, expensive designer clothing or paperwork for your job/course. Anything brought on tour is at your own risk!