The Red Lion

View prices & book 9.3 327 reviews
Pub
Pub
Our static caravans
Site layout drawing, for out guests to see our entire site and numbering system
The red lion
Outdoor washing-up area
Bathrooms refurbished in 2020
Separate ladies' and gents' toilets
Inside the shower block
1/155
Our static caravans
Site layout drawing, for out guests to see our entire site and numbering system
The red lion

  • Simple site in the grounds of a 19th-century coaching inn
  • Lincolnshire Wolds walks and Skegness within half an hour's drive
  • Pub with food; a 10-minute walk from the Aviation Heritage Centre
Hikes, wildlife and generous helpings of history are all dished up at The Red Lion, a simple site in the grounds of an old Lincolnshire inn. At a crossroads in the village of East Kirkby, The Red Lion has been refreshing travellers since 1841; more recently, it was a favoured watering hole for the men and women of Bomber Command in World War II, and the pub’s décor pays tribute to them. The staff are steeped in the history of the old coaching inn and the nearby airfield, and can point you towards the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, 10 minutes’ walk down the road and on the site of the former Royal Air Force base. The Red Lion makes a splendid base for aviation and wartime history buffs, with the heritage centre nearby and the displays and memorials of the International Bomber Command Centre a 45-minute drive away. As it’s on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds and around half an hour's drive from the coast, it’s also well placed for walks, stately home visits and wildlife watching. Most importantly, it’s at the back of a friendly pub (which has varied winter and summer opening days and hours, but is always closed on Mondays). It serves hot food alongside local beers and other refreshing tipples. Canine companions are welcome in the bar (it’d be nice if they bought a drink…) and on the site.

Site type

Touring caravan pitches 29
Tent pitches 23
Motorhome pitches 29
Caravans for hire 3
Open all year
Opens
Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • The bar and/or restaurant is open between 01/01 et 31/12.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 20 or over.
  • Units longer than 9 metres are not allowed.
  • The bar is open between 01/01 and 31/12.
  • The pitches are on grass, so the ground may not be perfectly level or flat. The pub is closed on Mondays from 1st April - 3rd November and closed Monday-Wednesday from 4th November - 31st March.

Languages spoken

English

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent pitchesTouring caravan pitchesMotorhome pitchesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children
Other options

Reviews

9.3

Overall rating from 327 Pitchup.com customers

  • 70%
    10
  • 2%
    9
  • 20%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 4%
    6
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    5
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    4
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    3
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 9
Peaceful

94% would recommend this site to a friend

92% would stay here again

What customers say

Great, well-run campsite with decent spots and clean ablutions. The pub gets a big thumbs up for its lekker food and vibe. Aviation Centre nearby is a plus. Some facilities might need a refresh, but most visitors loved it and want to come back.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 33
Arrival date (latest first)

Great site great price

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Anonymous

Electric grass and earth pitch

Liked Great little site nice pub with great food. Ovarall enjoyed my stay and would stay again

Recommend to friends Visit again

A nice campsite with a nice local pub and restaurant

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 8
daryll l.

Electric grass and earth pitch

Liked Clean toilets
Onsite pub
Shop nearby
Allocated parking spot for car
Right next door to the Aviation Centre
WiFi at pitch , although the signal was better when sat outside than in the caravan

Disliked Nothing really

Recommend to friends Visit again

Such a nice stopover clean and everything you meed

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 7
James J.

Electric grass and earth pitch

Liked Everything

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

I had high hopes for this site and it looked great in the photos.

Overall

3 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 5
Accommodation
 4
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 9
Anonymous

Electric hardstanding and grass touring pitch (deluxe)

Liked The basics of this site are great.

Disliked I feel with this site less could be more. Loose the all signs and the chains and take a bit more time strimming and cleaning. The toilets were only just manageable. It’s just all the finer touches. Dirty showers where the water flows into aco (outdoors) drain cut into the floor where the tiles are left with sharpe corners.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi while we appreciate all reviews this is shocking to say the least, we appreciate that everyone has there own opinions but can categorically disagree with all aspects of this review, the chains and signs are there to help everyone and to inforce the rules that we have set out for everyone’s enjoyment is simple and easy and they are a stipulation of our caravan site licence none the less, as for the chains they again are pictured online and if you prefer to not stay on a site with them then why book in the first place sorry but we are hiding nothing here, they are saftey chains and make it so each booking party has there own peace of land and aid in making sure a fire barrier is kept between each booking, the toilets and showers are more than adequate for the site and are clean every single day by myself and the showers flow very nicely in to these drains and are a practical solution to keep everything at one level, none of the tiles are sharpe as they have been rounded over and grouted in, as with everything in life not everything is to everyone’s liking but I think this review is just not fair on the campsite we are a family business and we do what we can to make everyone welcome Thankyou

i go to the site at least 3 times a year .never a problem

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 No rating
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Keith C.

Non-electric grass and earth pitch

Liked all good as is normal,toilets/ showers allways clean .

Recommend to friends Visit again

The grass pitches were fairly flat and had a good amount of…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 No rating
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
TOM G.

Non-electric grass and earth pitch

Liked The grass pitches were fairly flat and had a good amount of space between them,
Toilet and showers were ok men’s had two stalls and one shower clean and tidy, had a good washing up area, booked again for New year

Disliked There was not much to dislike to honest wifi was a bit hit and miss at the bottom of the field.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Site was well laid out and the area was clean as were…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Laurence B.

Electric grass and earth pitch

Liked Site was well laid out and the area was clean as were the shower facilities,the pub food was great especially the real chips 🍟
That time I was again on pitch 10 on the corner next to the water tap,if I book again I would like the same pitch please

Recommend to friends Visit again

Good site, in a good location, suitable for families

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 9
Charlotte B.

Electric grass and earth pitch

Liked Very spacious pitches which easily accommodated a large family tent (7m x 4m)
Newly refurbished children’s play area which our young children loved.
Coded entry to toilet block and main campsite.
Small but clean toilet and shower block.
Good location in order to reach local attractions and local beach locations such as Mablethorpe and Skegness, yet remote enough to relax away.
The food from the pub was very good, and reasonably priced for the quantity of food.

Recommend to friends Visit again

All in all a great night away to try out a new tent

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 8
Karen W.

Non-electric grass and earth pitch

Liked Size of pitch was fabulous
Child's play park looked great (even though we didn't have any children with us)
Peaceful place to relax
Pub has amazing food & choice of drinks 😋 great staff and we enjoyed the best cooked steak /meal we have had for quite a while 👌
Looking forward to returning

Disliked Facilities could do with an upgrade as 4 toilets and 4 showers (2 in the male and 2 in the female) is not enough if the pitches are even half full

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Thankyou for your lovely review regarding the shower and toilet facilities we checked all the time over this weekend and even though we were fully they coupe extremly well, we do have planning permission for another shower and toilet facilities which eventually will be done but I’m afriad at this time what we have is all we can offer, this is enough for the size of our site as laid out by the council Thankyou

We only stayed for one night but lovely peaceful site and the…

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Laura N.

Electric grass and earth pitch

Liked We only stayed for one night but lovely peaceful site and the food at the pub was nice with large portion sizes. We went in with our dog and he was also made to feel really welcome. Staff was friendly too. We will be back

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site cafe On-site restaurant On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Local produce Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Budget/backpacker Peaceful

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Shop nearby

Type

Pub campsite Small (11-25 pitches)

Accessibility

Accessible parking at pitch Bathrooms: Large spacious shower Bathrooms: Large spacious toilet Bathrooms: Step-free access

Nearby leisure

Restaurant nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Water hook-up points for tourers

Location

The Red Lion

Fen Road

East Kirkby

Spilsby

Lincolnshire

England

PE23 4DB

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

53.14027°N
0.00664°W

Nearest transport

Coach
10.6 km Interchange Shelter
11.5 km War Memorial
11.5 km War Memorial
Rail
13.9 km Thorpe Culvert Rail Station
16.6 km Wainfleet Rail Station
18.1 km Boston Rail Station

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

With the chalk hills and sandstone peaks of the Wolds so close, walkers and cyclists are particularly well sorted. A 15-minute drive away, Horncastle is a handy point to join the Viking Way: 147 miles of country trails linking the banks of the Humber with the wetlands around Rutland Water. For a more detailed look at the Wolds, take the Lindsey Trail from Horncastle up to Market Rasen (45 minutes by car), a far-from-flat route of around 80 miles passing through a landscape of ancient woodlands, Neolithic long barrows and fenland views. If the sea’s more your style set course for Skegness, half an hour away, for pier and beach walks, sandcastle building and trips to the Natureland Seal Sanctuary. The same distance away but rather quieter, the Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve is a wild stretch of coastline crisscrossed with walks and bike trails, visited by skylarks and terns, brent geese and snow bunting. If you’re up for a stately home or two, you can’t get much more stately than the sturdy brick towers of 15th-century Tattershall Castle (15 minutes), while 18th-century Gunby Hall (20 minutes) is sometimes compared to a (very large) dolls’ house.

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Skegness 23.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Ingoldmells South 24.7 km Sea GoodGoodExcellentExcellent
Chapel St Leonards 24.9 km Sea GoodExcellentExcellentExcellent
Anderby 25.8 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent
Moggs Eye 26.2 km Sea N/AExcellentExcellentExcellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Lincoln Medieval Bishops' Palace 36.8 km

Lincoln Cathedral 36.9 km

Lincoln Castle 37 km

Ayscoughfee Hall Museum and Gardens 40.7 km

Belton House 46.4 km

National Trust

Gunby Hall Estate: Monksthorpe Chapel 11.3 km

Tattershall Castle 13.3 km

Gunby Hall 14 km

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

REVESBY ABBEY 2.3 km

Battle of Winceby, 1643 6.8 km

Snipedales - Ashby Puerorum - Hagworthingham Circular 6.9 km

Hagworthingham - Sausthorpe - Hundleby Circular 7 km

SCRIVELSBY COURT 7.3 km

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Lincolnshire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does The Red Lion have a swimming pool? No View all features
  • Is The Red Lion dog friendly? Yes View all features
  • What attractions are near The Red Lion? With the chalk hills and sandstone peaks of the Wolds so close, walkers and cyclists are particularly well sorted. A 15-minute drive away, Horncastle is a handy point to join the Viking … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of The Red Lion?
    Camping and touring
    Arrive:  1 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  4 p.m. –  10 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at The Red Lion? From R404,97 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.