In easy stages
where Lincolnshire looms large in the story.
You can still see a memorial next to the River Witham, just outside the old Lincolnshire port of Boston – America’s Boston was named after it – where the fleeing Separatists were arrested as they boarded a Dutch-bound ship.
The captain had tipped off the authorities, who half-heartedly arrested them, then held them in the historic Guildhall in Boston, before sympathetic magistrates allowed them to return to their homes. On the northern leg of the UK’s Pilgrim Trail, you can visit Boston’s Guildhall, a beautiful, half-timbered Medieval structure in the heart of the town, and sit in the cell where they were held.
The next time the Separatists attempted to flee, they half-succeeded, with much high drama yet again. From the muddy banks of the River Humber estuary in North East Lincolnshire, the men made it to the waiting ship they had hired.
However, the authorities had again been alerted, and the women and children were stopped from boarding, and sent back home.
Eventually, they made it out to Amsterdam, then liberal Leiden, in Holland, where their menfolk were establishing their new community.
The spot where the men embarked from the Humber shore is now part of the massive port of
Immingham, but the local church in the nearby township of Immingham is well worth a visit. The womenfolk sheltered there in the church porch, and there is a small Pilgrims’ memorial on the green outside.
A few miles down the road is the fishing port of Grimsby and the resort of Cleethorpes, with its promenades and open vistas of the Humber estuary, and fine fish and chips on the pier!
In the Separatists’ heartland, visitors can begin the ‘Mayflower 400’ Pilgrim Trail at Retford, in North Nottinghamshire, just 90 minutes from London by train. The area’s museum and the new Retford Visitor Centre Hub gives the central focus for the places of interest.
In Austerfield, south of Doncaster, explore the 11th Century church where future Plymouth Governor William Bradford was baptised. The hamlets of Babworth and Scrooby, home of Pilgrim leader William Brewster, were both on the Great North Road linking Scotland with London. Once by-passed, the hamlets returned to the quiet life, though their fame has returned with the Mayflower anniversary.
Their two ancient churches were attended by the Separatists before they went ‘underground.’ In the town of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, visitors are fascinated by the splendour of the medieval Gainsborough Old Hall, another centre of Separatists’ activity.
Major efforts have been made to help the visitor with guides, information boards, suggested itineraries, and places to eat and stay. It’s a welcome that was not afforded to the original Separatists, whose pursuit of freedom proved inspirational in Anglo-American history.
AMALFI & ADRIATIC WONDERS VOYAGE
IGLU Cruise (iglucruise.com; 020 3553 3140) is offering a six-night cruise onboard Azamara’s Journey from £999 per person (full board on cruise) departing from London airports on
May 1, 2021.
Sailing between remote European spots, highlights include a visit to Rome’s coastal Civitavecchia, a day trip to Sorrento featuring a tasting of the city’s famed limoncello and exploring Dubrovnik’s Old Town.
Guests will also enjoy an overnight onboard stay in Venice after a traditional canal boat ride through the city. The all-inclusive trip includes return flights, all overseas transfers, gratuities and a complimentary drinks package.