On Sunday we headed into Lincoln to finish photographing the 37 models of mounted knights displayed around central areas of the city for people to find. The activity is primarily aimed at children and is basically the same idea as that of the Barons’ Trail of 2015. Participants collect an entry form and location map from the Information Centre near the castle. On locating each knight they must examine it to find the hidden green shield and identify the word written on it from the key given with the map. Completed entry forms are returned to the Information Centre in exchange for a prize. With the Barons’ Trail, the prize was a bag of chocolate ‘coins’. On this occasion the prize is a badge and a voucher to buy a copy of the specially commissioned book about the Battle of Lincoln for £1.50 instead of £3.50.
Well, needless to say, we didn’t bother looking for hidden shields but we saw lots of children enjoying the task:
The Knight’s Trail is part of the celebrations of the 800th anniversaries of two events that took place in 1217: the Battle of Lincoln Fair and the Sealing of the Charter of the Forest by the nine-year-old king, Henry III (or more likely, his regent William Marshal). This hugely important charter is currently on display with the Magna Carta at the castle.
The Trail is a Wild in Art event and has been organised by Lincoln BIG (Business Improvement Group) in support of the Nomad Trust, a charity that “provides welfare services in the city of Lincoln for those who are homeless or otherwise in need”. The event is sponsored by different businesses and concerns and many of the knights are designed by local artists. Later this year the knights will be sold at auction to raise money for the Nomad Trust.
The knights are placed in both uphill and downhill locations, which – if the task is to be completed in one go – requires a nice, invigorating walk up Steep Hill. In fact, a few of the knights are along Steep Hill. This hill may not look too steep in photos, but it is a fairly lengthy hill and I’ve seen lots of people stopping, out of breath and in need of a rest.
Lincoln is a city in two distinct parts: uphill and downhill. My first photo of this post shows a view from downhill Lincoln towards the cathedral uphill. The following photo is of the Brayford Pool, which is downhill (around which a few knights were lurking) with some of the university buildings in the background. So these knights were not exactly all in a cluster:
The following gallery shows the 35 knights just waiting to be found:
The missing two are numbers 10 – the Lincoln City Knight (referring to Lincoln City Football Club) – and 37 (the Poet Laureate Knight, which is a miniature belonging to the University of Lincoln and is housed in the Uni’s Minerva Building). These two extras are simply classed as Bonus Knights.
As with the Barons’ Trail, miniature knights can be purchased for people to decorate themselves. We noticed a few already painted and displayed in shop windows.
It should be an interesting and busy summer around Lincoln. There are likely to be a lot more visitors than usual, especially during the time that the Charter of the Forest is displayed at the castle. I don’t think local businesses will complain a great deal…
Millie Thom 
Beautiful pics! Such a cool fun and educational place !!
Thanks, Holly. It was fun looking for the knights and kids loved it. People were all very courteous and most stepped out of the way when anyone wanted to take photos.
So much fun! Look at those knights 🙂 I’m loving this series, Millie!
Thanks Christy! The knights were so well done, with lots of detail, generally illustrating some aspect of the business or interests of the sponsors. I loved finding them all – just as any 7-year-old (x10) would! 🙂
Fun and learn! I like the idea and your lovely photos!
I learn lots of new things every day, Ann, and love it! I love my visits to interesting sites but I also love – and learn a lot from – reading posts from lovely bloggers like you! 🙂
So so kind of you!
Very colourful knights. Let’s hope they didn’t stand out as much on the battlefield!
I would have looked for the hidden words if the prize was chocolate coins again 🙂
Yes, I thought this year’s ‘prize’ was a bit miserable, Ali. I’m sure most kids would prefer chocolate money to a badge and a book they’d probably never read! The over-colourful knights were impressive and are already drawing people to the city. 🙂
Love the pictures of the colourful knights, and that hill looks darn steep to me.
Thank you, Peggy. 🙂 Steep Hill is quite steep in some parts and less steep in others, and I must confess, I don’t find it as easy to get up as I did when we moved to this area twenty years ago! But I can still do it without a stop. Finding and photographing the knights made a nice Sunday out and I loved seeing so many children enjoying the activity.
What a fun way to spend a day….except maybe climbing that steep hill, wow! I imagine kids would really enjoy hunting for the knights. Great pictures. 🙂
I love these events Cadeauca, and spend more time than I should in visiting them! There has been so much going on in Lincoln over the last couple of years, as 2105 commemorated the signing of the Magna Carta – and Lincoln holds one of the four original documents. 2017 commemorates not only the Battle of Lincoln but also the sealing of the Charter of the Forest – which is now on display at Lincoln Castle. 🙂
Brilliant! Love the idea of the Knights’ Trail. Inevitably, I need to ask if you get a stamp for each green shield?
Ha ha! Having celebrated/endured my 70th birthday in April, I’m well old enough to remember Green Shield Stamps (and even acquired a few items from collecting them). Sadly, I don’t think stamps of any colour were involved in the rewards for this trail. 😦
Gorgeous shots 😃 Thanks for the post, enjoyed reading it and learning, so fun 😊
Thank you, Galit. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I enjoyed finding the knights. 🙂
😀
interesting! Does Lincoln attracts lot of tourists from UK?
Thank you, Arv. Yes, Lincoln attracts tourist from all over the world as well as from all over the UK. The areas around the castle and cathedral get packed, especially in the summer. This year is likely to be even busier around the city as people come to see the knights’ trail, and also the famous Charter of the Forest of 1217. It is in the castle until September.
wow! its great to see 900 year old charter! That’s great Millie!
You visit the most awesome places Millie! How fun to find these knights, and they are so beautiful!
Thank you, Antonia. The knights are cleverly painted and the designs all say something about the company or work of the sponsors. Once they’re auctioned off later this year the money will go to charity, so the event is all in a good cause as well as being fun. 🙂
So neat!
Anyone know where any of the knights are now? I know one is in a butchers in Scotter, 30minutes from Lincoln.