STEEP HILL Lincoln ,

From the curious shop, J Birke , at its base, to the vintage tea room Bunty’s (buntyslincoln.com) halfway up, to

Timepiece Repairs (timepiecerepairs.co.uk) clock shop and the cathedral at the top, Steep Hill in Lincoln has much to tempt. ‘ There are small, quirky shops,’ says Roy Ellis, who has had his clock and watch shop on the hill for 35 years and is usually busy repairing said timekeepers from across Britain and Europe. ‘I think J Birke! is the most unusual shop in the country. Mr Birke! has been here for 55 years and sells all sorts of odds and sods. He has ex-government parts, so if you need something for an old valve radio or television, chances are you can get it at Birke!s.’

Built by the Romans and formerly known as Ermine Street, Steep Hill was renamed due to its vertiginous slope (there are handrails in place to assist climbers) and the pre!y cobbled street with its listed medieval halftimbered buildings is worth the climb, not only for its architecture but its pubs, tea rooms, cafes and independent shops. Jews’ Court Books deals in historical and second-hand books from a 13th- century building believed to be on the site of a medieval synagogue, as there was a prominent Jewish community in Lincoln from the 1100s. Meanwhile Ben Poole at Imperial Teas (imperialteas.co.uk), who has been trading on the hill for over 27 years, will demonstrate the "ne art of making a cup of tea. ‘ It’s like a li!le village community of its own. Everyone knows everyone,’ Roy adds. ‘ If one shop closes, another opens.’

Don’t let the sharp incline of Lincoln’s Roman Steep Hill put you off – there are many retail wonders to behold on the way, not to mention tea rooms to reinvigorate your spirits and your legs! At the top you’ll be rewarded with the magnificent cathedral and castle.