Follow this 16.5 mile walking trail from the birthplace of Archbishop Stephen Langton, key in the sealing of Magna Carta, to the historic city of Lincoln.
The Stephen Langton Trail starts at the Lincolnshire village of Langton-by-Wragby, the birthplace of Archbishop Stephen Langton, and takes a meandering and picturesque 16.5-mile walk to historic Lincoln and Lincoln Castle, home to an original copy of the 1215 Magna Carta.
The trail is split into three sections to allow for all abilities and so the walk can be split up over a space of time:
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Section One leads from Langton-by-Wragby to Apley through the Lincolnshire Limewood Nature Reserve (4 miles)
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Section Two from Thistle Storr Wood near Apley to Fiskerton along the Viking Way (6¼ miles)
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Section Three follows the River Witham Valley from Fiskerton on a delightful riverside walk to Lincoln's Cathedral Quarter (6¼ miles).
Stephen Langton was instrumental in the sealing of Magna Carta being sympathetic to the rebel Barons' cause, meeting with them in 1213 and 1214 and influencing many clauses in the document itself.
At Runnymeade on the 15th of June 1215, Archbishop Langton was in attendance as one of the King's Commissioners, along with Hugh of Wells who he had consecrated as Bishop of Lincoln in 1209, as King John sealed Magna Carta under pressure from the Barons. Copies were made to be sent across the land, including one inscribed 'Lincolnia' that still remains in Lincoln today.
The Stephen Langton Trail is, therefore, a fitting honour to Lincolnshire's connections to Magna Carta - a chance maybe to walk in the footsteps of those involved in its signing and to see the document for yourself.
