Going for a Pint with the Dambusters

On the recommendation of Christine from Richlow's Guides, I walked up from Kirkstead Bridge to the nearby town of Woodhall Spa. It's a curious place - a typical "Spa" town with numerous large hotels, and restaurants which you can imagine are full of retired colonels and their ladies "taking the waters", but with the added feature, in a landscape dominated by enormous open fields, of being situated in a forest!

It even has a cinema. A wonderful survival from the early days of moving pictures but showing all the latest blockbusters on two screens!

The Kinema in the Woods

The cinema has an interesting story that you can read here, although it doesn't explain why it's called a "Kinema" with a K rather than a cinema.


The other attraction in Woodhall Spa, for me at any rate, was the Petwood Hotel (and thanks again to Christine for recommending it).

The Petwood Hotel

 Somewhat more upmarket than the establishments I usually patronise, the attraction here was the "Squadron Bar", which is dedicated to the memory of 617 Squadron ("The Dambusters") which few from the nearby airfield. The hotel was requisitioned during the war and served as the Officers' Mess for 617 Squadron and a visit here seemed appropriate after seeing that Lancaster bomber at Coningsby the previous day.
If you do visit, the Squadron Bar has no real ale (or draught beer of any sort), but you can always fetch a pint of Batemans XB from the nearby Terrace Bar, or get your batman to do so!