Greg and I visited Lincoln a couple of weeks ago but arrived late in the afternoon. We said then that we would like to go back and see a bit more of this historic area - so we did!

We left Hockley Heath and set the GPS for Nottingham - no, not to see Robin Hood but to visit Pidcock Triumph dealership. We always like to include a few motorbike shops on our trips as you never know what you might find there. This was no exception. The showroom was full of Triumphs and Ducatis so we had plenty to look at - most popular bike appeared to be the Triumph Tiger as there were more of them than anything else. After checking out the bikes we went upstairs to see what riding gear was on offer. Lucky we did as both Greg and Chris found a bargain -boots reduced from £249.99 to £99.99 but not just any boots - Alpinestars. Needless to say we left with a pair for both of them. After collecting some stickers for the bikes it was back to the car.

We had booked a 2 bedroom apartment in Lincoln for the next two nights - £210 in total - bargain when divided between us. The apartment was about 200m from the west gate entrance to Lincoln Castle. As we have been eating out every night for the last few weeks, it was a unanimous decision to eat at home. We walked around the block to the local co-op and bought some essential provisions - bread, wine, eggs, cheese, crackers, and soup for dinner and the morning's breakfast. Our apartment even had a washing machine so we would not only be well fed, but we would have clean clothes as well.

We discovered there was a well preserved windmill in our street - maybe why it is called Mill Road! Ellis Mill is the last of nine working windmills in Lincoln, built in1798 and still in full working order and quite a magnificent structure.

Kerrie got to sleep in the next morning until 8:45, really spoilt. We had a late breakfast and did not leave the apartment until 11am to explore the old town. Lincoln is advertised as one of England's finest historic cities.

First stop was Lincoln Castle. We entered by the west gate and then bought some tickets to allow us entry to both the Castle and Lincoln Cathedral. Greg decided he only wanted to visit the cathedral as the steps around the castle walls were not inviting to a recovering flu victim. So we all set off to visit the Cathedral first.

Lincoln Cathedral is one of Europe's finest Gothic buildings. It also owns one of only four remaining exemplars of the Magna Carta signed in 1215, it is kept in Lincoln Castle; by the way, this year is the 800th anniversary of the 1215 Magna Carta. This Cathedral, like many others, has not had a smooth ride to the present day. It was started in 1072 by order of William the Conqueror. In 1185 the cathedral was partly destroyed by an earthquake and then in 1237 the central tower collapsed. It was replaced by1311 and at 160m high was the tallest building in the world for nearly 238 years. Then it collapsed again in 1548 during a storm and was never replaced. Like many other European cathedrals, parts of this one are covered with scaffolding to allow the constant renovations need to preserve history.

As we entered the cathedral, one of the guides engaged us in conversation and when she discovered we were Australian she was very quick to point out a memorial to Joseph Banks that was on the wall just inside the cathedral door. Banks was a Lincolnshire squire and travelled with Captain James Cook on his voyages of discovery to Australia. The cathedral has many side chapels and one was dedicated to the Army, Navy and Air Force where an Australian flag hung and our Coat of Arms was engraved on one of the pews. In the centre of the Cathedral you find St Hughes Choir - a church within a church and the 1667 lectern where the bible rests on a great brass eagle which stands on a globe. The Willis Organ of the cathedral boasts 4000 pipes. Throughout the cathedral there are stones in the floor which indicate the burial places of people such as Simon of Barton who died in 1280. We spent a couple of hours marvelling at the magnificence if this cathedral and the history contained within.

After a coffee in one of the numerous Tea Houses on the Steep Hill it was time to visit the Castle. Greg wandered through the gardens and then returned to the apartment for a rest. Chris went off earlier for a guided tour so I was on my own. I climbed the steps near the east gate and started my audio guided tour of the castle walls. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068. The views from the castle walls are the best in the city. Following the wall around you come first to Cobb Hall, the site of many hangings. Continuing your walk around the wall you come to Lucy's Tower where the graves of prisoners can be found. The best views of the city can be found from the Observatory Tower near the East Gate. The views of the cathedral from this tower are the best you can get. The Victorian Prison and the Court House are also located within the castle walls.

After completing my tour I wandered through the picturesque streets around the castle before returning to the apartment to prepare for our departure in the morning. We are really happy that we were able to return to Lincoln and will now head back to London to drop Chris off to the airport on Saturday morning. After that Greg and I head to Wales for our Rugby World Cup games. Go the Wallabies!