Editing Lincolnshire (section)

== Geography ==
[[File: Lincolnshire1832 Map.png|thumb|upright|The historic county boundaries of Lincolnshire in 1832]]
[[File:Lincolnshire Admin Counties 1890-1965.png|thumb|upright|County and County Borough areas pre 1965]]
[[File:Sutton Washway.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Until the early 19th Century there was no fixed land border between Lincolnshire and Norfolk as the two counties were separated by the former “Cross Keys Wash” which could only be crossed at low tide by a causeway.]]
The geographical layout of Lincolnshire is quite extensive and mostly separated by many rivers and rolling countryside. The north of the county begins from where the [[Isle of Axholme]] is located near the meeting points of the rivers [[River Great Ouse|Ouse]] and [[River Trent|Trent]] near to the [[River Humber|Humber]]. From there, the southside of the [[Humber]] estuary forms the border between Lincolnshire and the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]]. From there, the south bank of the Humber Estuary where the [[Humber Bridge]] crosses the estuary at [[Barton upon Humber]], is used primarily for the [[shipping port]]s at [[Immingham]], [[New Holland, Lincolnshire|New Holland]] and [[Grimsby]]. From there, the rest of the southern bank forms the [[Lincolnshire Coast]] from [[Cleethorpes]] to [[Mablethorpe]] and then onto [[Skegness]]. From Skegness, the rest of the Lincolnshire Coastline forms the sea boundary and border with [[Norfolk]] at the [[The Wash|Wash]]. The coast then at [[Boston, Lincolnshire|Boston]] becomes the meeting point of the rivers [[River Welland|Welland]] and [[River Haven|Haven]] in an area known as the "Fosdyke Wash".

The rest of the sea boundary runs from [[Fosdyke]] to the east of [[Sutton Bridge]], where the current land boundary with [[Norfolk]] is located in a narrow area of reclaimed farmland just to the east of the [[River Nene]] but until as recently as the early 19th century there was no land border between Lincolnshire and Norfolk as it was separated from each other by the "Cross Keys Wash" a former area of estuary and marshland where the River Nene used to flow out into the Wash and could only be crossed at low tide by a causeway or ferry and was the natural boundary between the two counties. The causeway known at the time as the "Wash Way" was renowned as being particularly treacherous and the safer route was to go into Norfolk from Lincolnshire via the Cambridgeshire town of [[Wisbech]] and this element remains to the present day as the [[Cross Keys Bridge]] at [[Sutton Bridge]] provides the only direct access point to Norfolk from Lincolnshire over the [[River Nene]] some nine miles north of Wisbech. The border with Lincolnshire to [[Cambridgeshire]] begins at [[Crowland]], [[Market Deeping]] and [[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]] which form the southern boundary of the county with both [[Peterborough]], [[Rutland]] and briefly [[Northamptonshire]]; the county's border with [[Northamptonshire]] is just {{convert|19|m|yd|-1|order=flip}} long, England's shortest county boundary.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 October 2005 |title=Lincolnshire County Council |url=http://www.thebythams.org.uk/localgovernment/lincolnshire-cc/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506222240/http://www.thebythams.org.uk/localgovernment/lincolnshire-cc/index.html |archive-date=6 May 2009 |access-date=29 June 2010 |publisher=Thebythams.org.uk}}</ref> From there, the border with [[Leicestershire]] and [[Nottinghamshire]] begins at [[Sleaford]], [[Grantham]], [[Lincoln, Lincolnshire|Lincoln]] and [[Gainsborough, Lincolnshire|Gainsborough]]. From Gainsborough, the border with [[South Yorkshire]] begins at [[Haxey]] and [[Epworth, Lincolnshire|Epworth]] before looping back to the original north of the county near [[Scunthorpe]] with East Riding of Yorkshire at the Isle of Axholme and [[Goole]].<ref>{{cite web |title=County Map Of Lincolnshire - Information About Lincolnshire |url=https://www.visitnorthwest.com/counties/lincolnshire/ |website=Visit North West |access-date=5 February 2022 |archive-date=5 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205130644/https://www.visitnorthwest.com/counties/lincolnshire/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Famous |url=https://www.blanchflower.org/tripoints/quad.html |website=www.blanchflower.org |access-date=5 February 2022 |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019044955/https://www.blanchflower.org/tripoints/quad.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Tier limbo at Lincolnshire's northern border |url=https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2020/12/tier-limbo-at-lincolnshires-northern-border/ |access-date=5 February 2022 |work=The Lincolnite |date=31 December 2020 |language=en |archive-date=5 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205130644/https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2020/12/tier-limbo-at-lincolnshires-northern-border/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Edward |first1=Olivia |title=The Lincolnshire Wolds - Geographical Magazine |url=https://geographical.co.uk/uk/aonb/item/769-the-lincolnshire-wolds |website=geographical.co.uk |access-date=5 February 2022 |language=en-gb |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516185856/http://geographical.co.uk/uk/aonb/item/769-the-lincolnshire-wolds |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How many borders does Northamptonshire have? – SidmartinBio |url=https://www.sidmartinbio.org/how-many-borders-does-northamptonshire-have/ |website=www.sidmartinbio.org |access-date=5 February 2022 |archive-date=5 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205130645/https://www.sidmartinbio.org/how-many-borders-does-northamptonshire-have/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Norfolk and Lincolnshire Border |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/27f9f920-9558-4095-81e4-d63bf81dde50 |access-date=5 February 2022 |language=English |date=1 March 1865 |archive-date=5 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205130644/https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/27f9f920-9558-4095-81e4-d63bf81dde50 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bird |first1=Dan |title=This map apparently shows where the north begins |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/map-shows-north-begins-142616 |website=LeicestershireLive |access-date=5 February 2022 |language=en |date=18 March 2018 |archive-date=5 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205130654/https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/map-shows-north-begins-142616 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=BBC - Nottingham 360 - The Nottinghamshire border |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/360/border/index.shtml |website=BBC |access-date=5 February 2022 |archive-date=3 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303115732/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/360/border/index.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=says |first1=Diane |title=Lincolnshire County |url=https://www.thebythams.org.uk/community/local-government/lincolnshire-county/ |website=theBythams.org.uk |access-date=5 February 2022 |date=13 February 2011 |archive-date=5 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205130646/https://www.thebythams.org.uk/community/local-government/lincolnshire-county/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About the Isle of Axholme |url=http://www.axholme.info/about-the-isle-of-axholme.html |website=axholme.info |access-date=5 February 2022 |language=en |archive-date=5 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205130644/http://www.axholme.info/about-the-isle-of-axholme.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lincolnshire Coast |url=https://www.ukcoastguide.co.uk/lincolnshire_coast.htm |website=www.ukcoastguide.co.uk |access-date=5 February 2022 |archive-date=6 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706155752/https://ukcoastguide.co.uk/lincolnshire_coast.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Bedrock in Lincolnshire features Jurassic [[limestone]] (near Lincoln) and Cretaceous [[chalk]] (north-east). The area around [[Woodhall Spa]] and [[Kirkby on Bain]] is dominated by gravel and sand.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/201110-LincolnshireBAP-3rd-edition.pdf |title=Lincolnshire Biodiversity Action Plan |access-date=18 July 2019 |archive-date=18 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618105854/https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/201110-LincolnshireBAP-3rd-edition.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> For much of prehistory, Lincolnshire was under tropical seas, and most fossils found in the county are marine invertebrates. Marine vertebrates have also been found including [[ichthyosaurus]] and [[plesiosaur]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://depositsmag.com/2015/12/03/a-rare-cretaceous-ichthyosaur-from-lincolnshire/ |title=A rare Cretaceous ichthyosaur from Lincolnshire |last=UKGE |date=3 December 2015 |website=Deposits Magazine |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-date=29 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129183850/https://depositsmag.com/2015/12/03/a-rare-cretaceous-ichthyosaur-from-lincolnshire/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thecollectionmuseum.com/visiting-us/exhibit/the-lincoln-plesiosaur |title=The Lincoln Plesiosaur – The Collection |website=Thecollectionmuseum.com |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-date=29 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129142136/https://www.thecollectionmuseum.com/visiting-us/exhibit/the-lincoln-plesiosaur |url-status=live }}</ref>

The highest point in Lincolnshire is [[Wolds Top]] ({{cvt|168|m|ft|disp=comma}}), at [[Normanby le Wold]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/man-climbs-lincolnshires-highest-point-129421 |title=Man climbs Lincolnshire's highest point – but where is it? |first=Ashley |last=Franklin |date=22 June 2017 |website=lincolnshirelive.co.uk |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-date=22 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422172253/https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/man-climbs-lincolnshires-highest-point-129421 |url-status=live }}</ref> Some parts of [[the Fens]] may be below sea level. The nearest mountains are in Derbyshire.

The biggest rivers in Lincolnshire are the [[River Trent|Trent]], running northwards from [[Staffordshire]] up the western edge of the county to the [[Humber]] estuary, and the [[River Witham|Witham]], which begins in Lincolnshire at [[South Witham]] and runs for {{convert|132|km|abbr=in}} through the middle of the county, eventually emptying into the [[North Sea]] at [[The Wash]]. The Humber estuary, on Lincolnshire's northern border, is also fed by the [[River Ouse, Yorkshire|River Ouse]]. The Wash is also the mouth of the [[River Welland|Welland]], the [[River Nene|Nene]] and the [[Great Ouse]].

Lincolnshire's geography is fairly varied, but consists of several distinct areas:
*[[Lincolnshire Wolds]]: area of rolling hills in the north-east of the county designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
*[[The Fens]]: dominating the south-east quarter of the county
*[[Lincolnshire Marsh|The Marshes]]: running along the coast of the county 
*[[Lincoln Cliff|Lincoln Edge or Cliff]]: limestone escarpment running north–south along the western half of the county

Lincolnshire's most well-known nature reserves include [[Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire|Gibraltar Point]] National Nature Reserve, [[Whisby Moor#Whisby Nature Park|Whisby Nature Park]] Local Nature Reserve, [[Donna Nook]] National Nature Reserve, [[RSPB Frampton Marsh]] and the [[Humberhead Levels|Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve]]. Although the Lincolnshire countryside is intensively farmed, there are many biodiverse wetland areas{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}, as well as rare [[Bardney Limewoods|limewood forests]]. Much of the county was once wet fenland (see [[The Fens]]).

From bones, we can tell that animal species formerly found in Lincolnshire include [[woolly mammoth]], [[woolly rhinoceros]], [[tarpan|wild horse]], [[wolf]], [[wild boar]] and [[beaver]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/downloads/start.cfm?id=2821 |access-date=6 December 2018 |title=Archived copy |archive-date=7 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807022327/http://bgs.ac.uk/downloads/start.cfm?id=2821 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rVgHcF2O6NsC&q=wolf+lincolnshire+bones&pg=PA35 |title=Lincolnshire |first=E. Mansel |last=Sympson |date=22 November 2012 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |access-date=14 December 2018 |via=Google Books |isbn=9781107612648 |archive-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316181918/https://books.google.com/books?id=rVgHcF2O6NsC&q=wolf+lincolnshire+bones&pg=PA35 |url-status=live }}</ref> Species which have recently returned to Lincolnshire after [[extirpation]] include [[little egret]], [[Eurasian spoonbill]], [[European otter]] and [[red kite]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/conservationists-and-anglers-clash-over-otters-return-1-8309880/ |title=Conservationists and anglers clash over otters' return |date=1 January 2018 |newspaper=Grantham Journal |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203202703/https://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/conservationists-and-anglers-clash-over-otters-return-1-8309880/ |archive-date=3 December 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/belton-house/features/red-kites-at-belton-house |title=Red kites at Belton House |website=[[National Trust]] |access-date=14 December 2018 |archive-date=9 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209125720/https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/belton-house/features/red-kites-at-belton-house |url-status=live }}</ref>