Day 7, Flight 2 – Tees Valley to Wickenby (Captain: Paul)
After the worst of the storms have passed we depart Durham for a rather uneventful flight down to Wickenby. The coast and scenery is now decidedly flat after we have passed the north Yorkshire moors. Our delay in Durham means we are flying once again in the late afternoon, with relatively clear skies and smoother air.
Once we reach the river Humber we orbit the Humber bridge and get fantastic views by doing an orbit of it, another highlight! The 5th longest suspension bridge in the world, seen from the air, tick!
We land quite late in the day at Wickenby but manage to have a very quick look around the museum upstairs in the old control tower before they lock up. We decide to have another look again in the morning when we have more time. It was great to see money being invested in Wickenby, with new buildings and all new render being applied to control tower. We made a mental note to revisit at again at a later date when works are complete, and make it an overnight stop.
Enroute into Lincoln by taxi I surprise the others by using my iPad to book us hotel rooms whilst on the move, and re-route the taxi to the hotel! We got the rooms for just under £100, where they were £149 by calling direct. The others complain I make them seem old… in jest of course! A well-deserved beer at the hotel and conscious this was (very likely to be) our last night on the tour, a slap up three course dinner at the Cafe Zoot was enjoyed by all. After dinner we take a stroll around the illuminated cathedral and then walk down steep hill, and back up the long way to walk off dinner!
Wickenby is definitely a good weekend destination for a GA pilot. It’s only a short taxi ride (just under £15) to the city centre from the airfield. Wickenby is very GA friendly and there is plenty to do in Lincoln to fill a weekend.