It started with Little Chef.
If they hadn't served me such a terrible breakfast, we wouldn't have had such a great day.
If you have read my previous stories, you know of my quest for American breakfast food while living in the UK. One Saturday, I woke up craving pancakes and asked Perry if he wanted to check out Little Chef, a slightly downscale version of Denny's for the Americans reading this. It's typically found on busy motorways and most Brits have fond childhood memories of stopping there on the way to a holiday destination.
A roadtrip institution.
So, off we went.
I opened the menu and saw it. American Style Breakfast. Two rashers of bacon, two scrambled eggs and two of our famous pancakes with maple flavoured syrup. I wanted those pancakes, but I hesitated. I would have to say 'American Style Breakfast' out loud when ordering. Since I can't fake a British accent to save my life, they would know I was an American... ordering an American breakfast in the UK.
I cringed, but my desire for pancakes was greater than my desire to not look like a hopeless tourist.
I was dreaming of this...
The waiter set my plate down, smiled broadly and proclaimed 'You are going to love this'. I had high hopes, but I then I looked down. There was a huge amount of white space on the plate. The pancakes were what Americans would consider 'silver dollar' size. They were not tasty and accompanied by a 25 ml portion of maple flavored syrup. Not even the real stuff.
...but received this.
I didn't satisfy my craving for pancakes that day, but it spurred a day of fun in Lincolnshire.
We decided that a bad breakfast was not going to define the day, so I suggested a drive up to Skegness.
Skegness is a seaside town known as a holiday resort destination. It's heyday was in the 50s and 60s, but with the advent of low cost airlines, many Brits now prefer to take their holidays abroad. It does not have a reputation for being posh, but rather a bit rough around the edges.
Perry has an affinity for seaside towns as he grew up on the coast of Maine. He likes places that are a bit 'gritty' and as such, really enjoyed our time in Skegness
Amusements on Skegness Pier.
Skegness does have a lot to offer however. It has a beautiful beach- long, wide and sandy compared to the pebbled or rock infused ones at Great Yarmouth and Hunstanton. There are several amusement arcades, mini golf courses and even donkey rides.
Wide and sandy Skegness beach.
We spent some time on the Skegness Pier checking out the games. Our favorite activity in an amusement arcade is to play the horses. In the UK, this is called the Derby.
After a pleasant morning at the 'track', I was hungry so we stopped for tea and a sandwich at The Marine Boathouse Bar, a Skegness institution on the waterfront. It is a large place with two floors of seating and was bustling with people there for the carvery buffet lunch.
I drank tea out of an extremely dirty cup- bits of meat and veg stuck to the interior. At first, I asked for a replacement and the lady behind the counter slid one down to me ala a shot of whiskey in a tough wild west saloon. It was as dirty as the first. Since I can count on boiling water to be used in tea, I felt it was a safer option than asking for another cup from the surly woman behind the counter.
Have a cup of tea, just don't look too closely.
As we got into our car after lunch, I turned on the navigation and saw how close Lincoln was to Skegness. Lincolnshire is known for spectacular scenery and we decided to head for the city of Lincoln.
Lincolnshire countryside
Lincoln, population 95,000, is best known for its position up on a hill called Lincoln Cliff and its major landmarks include Lincoln Cathedral, with its Gothic architecture and Lincoln Castle, an 11th century Norman building.
Lincoln Cathedral
We drove to the top and parked near Steep Hill, which is unaccessible via car.
I was impressed with Lincoln's historic area. There were lovely streets with small shops and cafes. It was busy, yet not crowded. The relaxed vibe was probably owing to the pleasant temperatures and sunny skies.
We walked around for about an hour checking out the Cathedral, taking photos of interesting doors and stopping for ice cream. Afterwards, we drove to a look-out point for panoramic views of the city below.
We concluded our tour of Lincoln with a stop at Brayford Wharf, overlooking Brayford Pool. We looked at our photos while slurping noodle and veggie bowls at Wagamama Noodle Bar, an inexpensive, yet fun and modern Pan-Asian restaurant. Wagamama saved the day from being a complete three meal strike out.
We haven't been back to a Little Chef since.