Great British Road Journeys - Lincolnshire - Lincoln to Grimsby Ep. 17

[@jammysmears4077]

Every time I see an abandoned theme park on KZbin I notice how quickly they return to nature. Then I think about how often I see abandoned theme parks returning to nature on KZbin.

[@jay-rk1ve]

They always remind me of a scooby doo episode

[@thomfinney]

Bloody hell Jon I grew up just off Monce Close! And my mum was a teacher at RAF Scampton. Fun fact, it’s named after the French village of Monce’ on Belin, in which Welton is twinned with. Monce’ on Belin is situated just off the Le Mans race track and we spent many summers staying with our twining family there. Another fun fact, the former air base RAF Dunholme Lodge was briefly a race track in the late 1940s and early 1950s and was where Sterling Moss won one of his early victories!

[@marksby77]

I can’t believe you drove through Faldingworth and missed the 1950s atomic bomb storage base, and THEN drove through Caistor and missed out the 1960s Thor nuclear missile launch pads! All still in place and visible from the roadside.

[@simongood9460]

Enjoyed that thoroughly. A slightly intersting fact about Grimsby/Cleethorpes is that if you look at the town boundaries, Grimsby Town Football Club is in Cleethorpes and Cleethorpes Town Football Club is in Grimsby.

[@bombercountyblues]

Yeah.. when growing up here, we were constantly told how grimsby is the only team that never plays at home.. wich once you start going to away games, you discover isn't even remotely true.

[@christycullen2355]

This channel has become one of the best parts of my weekend. I don't even drive either 😂

[@willtricks9432]

Then you are served well by John. He is a star.

[@mason6300]

I love how this channel has evolved from just random roads to full on history lessons 😂I'm not complaining though!

[@harrygatto]

Yes, fully agree with that, it just keeps getting better.

[@johnny5805]

The only man who can make Lincolnshire seem interesting.

[@martinmay8919]

The fish and chip restaurant on the pier is the largest chippy in the world. The Signal Box in Cleethorpes is the smallest pub in the world. It was originally a signal box for The Cleethorpes Light Railway, which still operates along the shore. On Freeman street market in Grimsby we have the oldest chippy in the world, 1883. It got its name from soldiers returning from India in the days of the Empire, bung was short for bungalow, which was an Indian name for a small single story house, long before it was used to describe a single storey house.

[@nigelcourtney2313]

I love the uncomfortable eye contact whilst using fitness cycle, 4:46 perfect timing

[@willtricks9432]

I was trying to eat a banana when "The Glare" bore down on me, I didn't blink but did put down my banana.

[@wickmesh]

Jon made that edit just enough too long without talking to be both uncomfortable and extremely funny. It's moments like this that make this channel a must watch.

[@jlcgaming8178]

For the first time this year, watching from a warm, sunny garden. Fantastic.

[@jimmyhackers8980]

screen glare?

[@paulbyrne2893]

Same here!

[@jlcgaming8178]

@@jimmyhackers8980 i had to find shade. It was more or less an audio book in the sun 🤣

[@PiggyPower]

Me too 😂

[@timowagner1329]

Meanwhile I'm on day 4 of pretty much constant rain

[@paulfrisby4424]

I love these videos. And johns dry sense of humour is legendary

[@DashCamSheffield]

I love the ending where Jon acts like a local to Grimsby/Cleethorpes and chases the local wildlife

[@Dan23_7]

Did you hear him say “Grimsbeh” at the start ? 😂

[@clovermark39]

Yes caught that! 😄

[@mistymisterwistyjones9668]

​@@Dan23_7 No Cleethorpes/Grimsby local would ever pronounce their hometown name in such a 'Yorkie' way.

[@DashCamSheffield]

@@mistymisterwistyjones9668 For me its always been Grims-Be, but I'm not local (dads from Cleethropes however)

[@Dan23_7]

@@mistymisterwistyjones9668 Last year he covered the M65 motorway, he pronounced “cuerden valley” as “kwerden” 😂 Us locals say “cureden”

[@MePeterNicholls]

I love how driving and roads are completely tangential to Jon just demolishing everywhere he visits with understated dry humour.

[@Thecrazyvaclav]

When I lived up that way, was walking the dog on the beach, found a trainer that still had a left foot in it! Police called, details taken, said they’d investigate, 6 weeks later I found another one, left foot again, so obviously a different person, police called, had a chat with the same copper from previous find, said they’d drawn a blank on what happened, but would try again with this one. Never heard a thing off them

[@gordonjohnston8321]

Nice to see you on my home turf. In Caistor there is a road called Navigation Lane, named after the canal navigation that never quite made it.

[@TheRealWindlePoons]

I was a boarder at Caistor Grammar School in the early '70s. I still remember running up Navigation Lane at the end of cross-country runs: cold, wet, tired and fed-up.

[@antonycharnock2993]

Security had their eye on you filming outside RAF Scampton...

[@BromideBride]

There's a bloody great hole in the fence so I guess they get random visitors from time to time.

[@dj_dazzy]

Isn't it closed now?

[@TheCardiganR]

I think its full of dinghy people.

[@Zeem4]

@@dj_dazzy It is. The main attraction now is the fun-looking camp of people outside, with all the "save our Scampton", "beep your horn" and "why not pop in for a coffee" signs.

[@MorrisPV]

​@@dj_dazzyThe Red Arrows were the last to use it but they've relocated to Waddington... The site is currently being prepared to hold asylum seekers...

[@leestockton9367]

I remember the whole family going on holiday TWICE to Cleethorpes in 1976 and 1977 at Beacholme; simple, cheap and innocent fun. It's now the Pearl Holiday Park. We used to take the train that ran from near Beacholme into Cleethorpes and then go to Wonderland where I got terrified riding the Mad Mouse

[@TheRealWindlePoons]

When I lived at Barton-on-Humber (1970-1972) the Sunday School outings were always a visit to Cleethorpes.

[@Simon_W74]

I lived in Welton as a Kid and My Dad was stationed at Scampton till we move with the withdrawal of the Vulcan that my Dad used to work on. That was 82 and we moved away just be before the little scuffle in the Atlantic when someone decided to try and pinch something that belonged to us.

[@andrewhaines3259]

My dad used to work on the Vulcan bombers back in the day. Must have been mid to late 60's as he passed away in 1975. Awesome planes. My mum recalled when they did a low fly over the quarters, I think at Scampton. Possibly got into trouble for doing so! My brother is or was part of the restoration group for the Vulcan. Lives in Lincoln.

[@Simon_W74]

​@@andrewhaines3259 I think my Dad was on 27 Squadron. I have one of their mug with Dumbo on it somewhere with my name on it. I still love to see Vulcans and sadly never got to see 558 fly after restoration, although we did see it at Bruntingthorpe and got a closer than normal visit when my Dad started talking about working on them and 558 as it was said to be the most radioactive kite that they had in the fleet. As he worked on it when it took over as Display Flight from XM624 if I remember rightly. He was then based at Waddington for the AEW Nimrod that got scraped, and as he didn't have anything to do he would help out on 558. They certainly made a hell of a noise when they opened them up and climbed. I remember seeing 558 doing just that at the Waddington Airshow in 86, setting of car alarms, on new fangled cars that had them back then. Did your Bother work on 558? There is another Vulcan that they are restoring, but it is just ground runs that they do with her.

[@TheRealWindlePoons]

I went to school as a boarder in Caistor where most of my fellow-boarders were from RAF families. I later moved to Boston and joined the RAF cadets. Learned a lot, including how to fly a Chipmunk. Happy days.

[@antonydennett5938]

My Sunday is now complete. With Jons humour makes a Sunday a better day. Please don't change

[@TheFunkadelicFan]

My dad was stationed at RAF Scampton when I was born. (I was born in the RAF hospital at Nocton Hall). While my mum was busy giving birth to me, Britain's Vulcan nuclear bomber force was on the runway at Scampton, engines running, waiting for the order to take off and nuke Russia. That was way back in 1962. How times have changed!

[@MikeyFab]

Another great video, love the new format and always find the little references like "Second small disagreement" absolutely hilarious! 🤣♥

[@RalfyCustoms]

Grimsbeh! Perfect pronunciation Jon

[@KevOXO]

Also a funny movie

[@dominicskelton3031]

Raised in Grimsby and went to school in Caistor, so this week's really taken me back....

[@dominicskelton3031]

Pleasure Island was the first place I ever applied for a full time job. Turned me down. No wonder they failed....

[@SiR2Dean]

I used to goto pleasure Island pretty much every other wknd. It was absolutely amazing in its prime! I love your videos and now you've featured an old haunt of mine. I've officially made it in life 😂👍

[@Mike-H_UK]

I, for one, would like to see Jon visit an amusement arcade on a pier while eating a bag of chips. I'm sure that Jon would find the experience exhilarating and fulfil his three life ambitions in one go!

[@Spoon2006]

Non related to the video but his dry sense of humour is brilliant. I can imagine him dealing with scammers and getting them to rage

[@Vtarngpb]

The Grimsby dock tower, at a height of 61 meters, looks like a very nice place. My comrade says it is worth visiting!

[@robertwilloughby8050]

So who is the enemy of Putin that lives in Grimsby? (Ps - inject em' full of Sodium Citrate - not easy to trace!)

[@melvoid01]

For a sec there at the end I thought "oh no he's finally had enough" and was off to do a Reggie Perrin.

[@garrymartin6474]

Fanny Hands Lane, off the A631, is in a village not far from Market Rasen.

[@desenadesign2036]

Hahaha love that lane! lol

[@JESTERFISH1]

Ludford

[@andrewhaines3259]

I knew it existed! We drove past it back in the 90's whilst out in the van, selling lighting! No one believed us!

[@RichardGodson-ys6id]

You chose a nice bit of rig and furrow grassland for your outro on this one. PS. Rig and furrow is Lincolnshire for ridge and furrow. It's a relic of medieval open field strip farming.

[@johnmehaffey9953]

Interesting fact Jon wears his hat even when the sun shines 😊

[@jon_pickett]

I remember that earthquake well… I was at home near Boston and it was late at night I was sat in bed back on the wall and all of a sudden my back was thrown forward and then hearing all of the house alarms going off, it was definitely an experience

[@JK_Clark]

I was in the living room in Alford and it felt like someone had grabbed my armchair and was swaying it back and forth.

[@glenjones6980]

Ironic twist in the tale being just yards from Steep Hill and not showing it then later referencing hills are a rare sight in Lincolnshire.

[@cuddlepaws4423]

This was a welcome break from spending about 2 hours of my life I won't get back, battling with council websites and the council departments that don't answer the questions you ask. For a time I lived in Scunthorpe, a place called Winterton. I was living in a farmhouse and from there you could see the Humber Bridge because the land was as flat as f*ck. I went with my ex-dickhead into Leeds and Lincoln, though I don't remember much about it apart from the very big Cathedrals. I also went to Grimsby, and he took me up one of those rare hills and showed me a neolithic site where there was spiral work carved into the stones. Thank you for those good memories, though the ex-dickhead isn't such a good memory.

[@BruceDanton-xw6eg]

Very nice too.

[@worldofresin]

I lived in Grimsby for a while. I can still hear the screams....

[@Eric_L456]

Elton John wrote a song about Grimsby . Not all Lincolnshire is flat: visit the Wolds . Also visit Louth , Horncastle and Woodhall Spa for charming towns . I’ve enjoyed several holidays in Lincolnshire and avoided Skegness! Great video ❤

[@FXCartel]

Best part of the week by far.

[@jimdowse561]

Your next drive in Lincolnshire could be Caistor High Street, Start in Kirmington and end in Horncastle

[@bigcahoonaburger8550]

Oh I forgot to mention. Interesting fact about Market Rasen you could have included was that Elton John’s song Saturday Nights alright for fighting was written by Bernie Taupin who lived around Market Rasen and was the inspiration for that song.

[@VR-UK]

The subject matter in these videos has no right being this funny, this interesting and this well made. And yet...they are.

[@paul0934]

Another brilliant video... how many of us are hoping that one day we'll see Jon in our local town??

[@tradeplatetravels]

Great host, great camerawork, great videos! I'm really enjoying this quirky series.

[@RobertBlow]

My wife says you are elequant and sound 'nice'. This made me a little jealous. I just said you were posh and southern. She went to a better school than me. Anyway we are both northerners (Chesterfield) and loved this video and your others. Thank you

[@telemachus53]

You didn't mention the wonderful light railway at Cleethorpes! Highly recommended!

[@Chris_GY1]

I worked at pleasure Island Theme Park for three seasons 2002-2004, I was ride operator on the gallopers, cycle monorail, tinkaboo water ride and second operator on the graviton. While working at Pleasure Island I got the chance to work at our sister park Flamingo Land when Pleasure Island was closed I was second operator on a rollercoaster and I operated a few kids rides. James May and fatty Clarkson visited Pleasure Island while driving in electric cars. Papas fish and chip shop on Cleethorpes Pier is the biggest fish and chip shop in the country.

[@AndriyValdensius-wi8gw]

That's interesting. I have never tried their fish n chips. In Cleethorpes I bought fish and chips from a place among the sea facing shops. They would be eaten in the car 🚗 in the parking of the leisure centre, cum swimming pool, looking out to sea. They usually were pretty good.

[@Mechanicalrob]

As someone who lives just up the road I can confirm that Grimsby and Cleethorpes are sh*tholes.

[@chriswalford4161]

What did you do in the winter seasons when the parks were closed?

[@LIJVHAZ]

loved the gravitron, boomerang and alakazam, i went all the time as a kid in early 2000s

[@cameronashton7150]

Had a wee in Lincoln Cathedral. Blows my mind that such a historic & holy place has toilets inside.

[@gwishart]

Even Christians have bladders.

[@Tim091]

I'm sure they have a font if you're desperate.

[@mhoppy6639]

I saw what you did with the word Grimsbeh in the intro!! 😂😂😂 very droll John -keep up the great work

[@Stephen_Lafferty]

9:17 - the tower's functional nature was hidden by the architect James William Wild, who designed it to look like the Torre del Mangia in Siena.

[@Gordanovich02]

Oh how I wish modern structures were made to look good. So much unimaginitive concrete, steel and glass shite.

[@tonys1636]

Anywhere that has a tide is considered as coastal by the Ordnance Survey and the Board of the Admiralty so is a seaside town, as is Teddington on the river Thames.

[@andypepper1983]

You missed the abandoned road at Swallow 😅 As kids we would not swallow as you drove through. And then they bypassed it

[@SteamTrainsNStuff]

I remember feeling the earthquake and panicking, jumped out of bed shoutint about it and got under the doorframe. Parents didnt feel it and insisted Id dreamt it until they heard about it on the radio next morning.

[@MorrisPV]

It was a weird experience as it woke me up from a deep sleep and took a while to grasp what was happening, though I realised it was an earthquake. The spire on a nearby village church at Leasingham was damaged...

[@SteamTrainsNStuff]

@@MorrisPV I was just drifting off when the sound of my old boxy telly on a bookshelf bouncing against the wall woke me right up and I could feel the weird oscillating movement through the floor. It was surreal at first before I started thinking the house might collapse and I got scared. I still have a copy of the local paper with the earthquake headline, lots of puns in the papers that morning like "Wakey Quakey"

[@bombercountyblues]

Imagine working a night shift at the time on one of the local oil refineries and seeing all the pipes and structures start shaking.. especially as one of em had suffered an explosion just a couple of years before!

[@stefencooke]

2 things i know about Grimsby and Cleethorpes is that Grimsby town FC play there home games at Blundell Park witch is in Cleethorpes and Cleethorpes town play at Linden Club and thats in Grimsby

[@linedwell]

I lived not far from Grimsby / Cleethorpes. Cleethorpes is still nice on a sunny day... Up far end near the bird sanctuary.

[@allymac1314]

Glorious! The highlight of my otherwise dull Sunday.

[@bubblebus1]

Thanks for this positive and light hearted video of my home town. I now live just off the prom near Ross Castle, so it has been easy for e to follow your journey, although the drone footage gave me a whole new perspective. Although the dock tower is on private land, it is accessible on foot or bicycle. I'm planning my own trip to catch some pictures of the now empty and derelict fish docks buildings. Good to see you broadening your videos from my initial viewings of you oddities on the motorways stuff.

[@brantnuttall]

the thing I like about Lincoln the most is that the prison is right on a major road!

[@SimonDraper42]

don't forget the bus stop just across the road ;)

[@brantnuttall]

@@SimonDraper42 I don't know Lincoln that well. but that really wouldn't surprise me! lol

[@robjames5228]

Right opposite the hospital...

[@paulyoung9279]

So many comments following these videos are like a glass of port after an excellent dinner 😌

[@James_smith940]

We use to visit Pleasure Island every summer as as day trip from a camp. It was nether pleasurable, or indeed and island. So I wasn't suppressed to hear it closed.

[@alexfitzpatrick6970]

I remember going to the Pleasure Island as a kid, much time spent there begging my parents to go on rides with me, sad to see it in such a state now but thats what its like living in Grimsby and Cleethorpes

[@firechilduk]

I used to live a couple of hundred yards north of Newport arch in Lincoln a little past the BBC Radio lincolnshire studio and next door to a B+B in the early to mid nineties as a student. Many an evening spent stumbling up and down Steep hill after a night out. I always enjoyed being on the doorstep of the castle, cathedral and all the old architecture if not the hill so much especially in winter... Nice to see the Newport Arch Chinese restaurant still surviving all these years later!

[@hujiproductions8457]

Another cracking video Jon, been following the channel since before it exploded into big numbers of subscribers. Pleased to see you have been true to it's origins it's great fun to watch and always unexpectedly educational

[@ColinGarner-h1t]

Cleethorpes was my family’s holiday destination about sixty years ago with fish and chips in Grimsby after our day out .😊

[@passiton3801]

He's clearly mellowing an becoming an historian. He's doing a good job, very interesting...

[@blairoutproject]

Monce Close....I wonder how often that have to replace that easily vandalised sign ?

[@S.ASmith]

Please please please cover Sleaford to Horncastle The New York straight is...an interesting road despite being straight. Many a local will happily chat about it too.

[@georgemalkin6546]

Great fish and chips on the pier.

[@brianartillery]

I went to Grimsby once. What was it like? Well, the main clue is in the first four letters of it's name. Cheers, Jon. Another top video. 👍👍👍

[@andrewhaines3259]

Couldn't agree more! Don't know if it's improved since the 90's!

[@marksby77]

Nearby Scunthorpe has similar nominative determinism.

[@brianartillery]

@@marksby77 - Not many! 😆😆😆

[@timwilks666]

Got to wander round Pleasure Island a few years ago when they were auctioning off the attractions. Bought a few bits of signage and props as souvenirs.

[@giacomovds]

2:01 awesome looking yellow ford mustang

[@orwellboy1958]

I missed that, thanks for the time stamp.👍

[@Dan23_7]

Great shout 👍🏼 Cheese on wheels (I own a yellow beetle)

[@edwardburek1717]

All Ford Mustangs are awesome - especially yellow ones

[@davidyardley512]

England's green and pleasant land looking particularly green and particularly pleasant Jon! "I love a failing seaside town" Brilliantly dry.

[@RichWoods]

Lovely bit of ridge and furrow on the outro there

[@JimChampion]

perfect timing as i’m reading The Making Of The English Landscape today.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Another excellent and informative video Jon.

[@tobyjackman3212]

This is the best video I've ever seen about anything

[@marklongdon2435]

You did an amazing impersonation of Liz Truss when you mentioned the two damaged chimney stacks. Had me laughing for ages.

[@jandoyleband]

Cleethorpes is my local seaside in effect (though I'm Doncaster based) and many days of my childhood were spent there in the caravan belonging to my mum's parents. with my mum's parents. which we weren't allowed to leave until Grandma had cooked lunch, much to my annoyance. another interesting aspect of Cleethorpes are the sea forts out in the estuary that were built for ww1 I believe. but then they're not road related so probably not a great subject for road journeys. I also booked a goth festival there some years ago which lost me a fortune as the venue closed before it happened. such is life! I still love Cleethorpes and its mini train along the err bit after the leisure centre. such a nostalgia based place for me.

[@brunosdaddogwalker9529]

I loved Grimsby when went there for sainsbury touring all food factories lovely people.

[@erinw6120]

Lovely detour into a bit of an RAF history lesson. First one I've seen in a while that wasn't accompanied by a teddy bear.

[@hanzzarkov7690]

Thank you for helping me to discover the magic.

[@kevelliott]

Hi Jon, I absolutely love how you do incidental history like this. I bought a '67 Spitifire some years ago and my wife and I enjoyed blasting through the north Kent towns towards the coast using my 1911 Micheln guide book. I am also trying to be a jazz pianist, and I can't help but notice your incidental music features jazz piano, leading me to speculate that you are a fan...?

[@mckenzie403]

Jon unlocked a memory from childhood watching CITV. I remember that advert. Had no idea that pleasure island theme park was in Cleethorpes. 😂.

[@robertjones3223]

5:00 "it's called a hill" lol 😂

[@andyrbush]

I grew up in the UK, watching your vlogs reminds me how bleak, cold and wet it is.

[@petergardner5002]

That's climate stagnation.

[@nameless5413]

Ah yes virtual tourism is good this year - went all over uk by way of this show for one thing and seen many strange sights, glad we have these journeys .)

[@jascollinscork]

WOW what a tour…… your Sarcasm is off the chart 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 😂😂😂

[@bobspeller2225]

Thanks John, Always a pleasure watching these videos, All the best Bob

[@MrGreatplum]

Always good to see Jon working out on one of those weird hand bike things and chasing seagulls 😆

[@giggity4670]

it so interesting when you are in my town of Lincoln i wish i saw you hear.

[@jandoyleband]

also I remember the days when there was a theme park like place where pleasure island was. it had a paratrooper ride (I think they are called - like a big wheel tilted a bit to the side with carriages hanging from it in effect and they would so l swing out a little as it turned) but no zoo that I recall. and one more thing as I recall the boomerang came from the American adventure theme park

[@willtricks9432]

I have been to all these towns and Grimsby docks while a busy Fishery in the late 70's was a sight to behold. Loved it.

[@lm971120]

9:17 That's a lot of new cars to be delivered at the Port of Grimsby

[@rayhitchman4741]

It's the time of the week where i have to press the button specifically for liking a video

[@bigcahoonaburger8550]

Well I must have just missed you. Fan of the channel and Pleasure island is just down my road. Could have popped in for chippy tea before home.

[@joannesaltfleet2071]

You can see the dock tower from Patrington!

[@lefthandedspanner]

4:25 bloody hell, I can remember that earthquake - at the time I lived in Normanton, West Yorkshire (60-70 miles from the epicentre), and could feel the house shake

[@1_5RCBiker]

I do remember the Stock Car track at Cleethorpes. Good times!

[@marybradley7791]

There is a lovely little train that runs along the prom at Cleethorpes during the summer, some nice adventure golf courses, a lovely little park on the seafrunt and a leisure centre. There is also a large leisure complex at the bottom end of the town with a cinema and sports facilities. If you walk from the train station at the top of the prom all the way down to the bottom end past the park you will come to the towns Marina and Nature Reserve. Cleethorpes also has an air display show every year. The pier that you stood outside is an upmarket fish and chip restraunt that also does afternoon teas and lovely cakes.

[@DIY-DaddyO]

That was an exciting episode, Red arrows crashing into houses and creepy fair ground, wicked sweet awesome...

[@maddog7139]

There is also a ship wreck on Grimsby beach that you didn't mention

[@seandelaloe7063]

My chimney was one of those damaged by the Great 'Quake 😂 Also, at night you can see the Caistor Beaver. Well, you used to be able to see it. The roadside vegetation has blocked the view. I used to work at Pleasure Island. It wasn't a bad job lol The top of the Dock Tower is in a poor state of repair!