Stamford is know as the "best stone town in England". After his visit to the town Sir Walter Scott claimed this bustling market town was the "finest scene between London and Edinburgh" and today it has the accolade of one of the ten top places to live in the UK. Its mix of narrow medieval passageways and cobbled streets which open into spacious Georgian squares with buildings of the local honey coloured stone from the 12th Century to recent times is a great photo opportunity on a hot air balloon ride over Lincolnshire.

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On the edge of town lies Burghley House, well known as the largest and grandest house of the first Elizabethan age. Built and largely designed by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, between 1555 and 1587, the main part of the House has 35 major rooms on the ground and first floors and more than double this number of lesser rooms. Whilst you can walk through the historic parkland laid out by Capability Brown and still occupied by a herd of fallow deer this is a great sight on a balloon ride if it passes south of Stamford.

North of Stamford is Stoke Rochford Hall, a Victorian country mansion made from the local mellow stone, as are many of the nearby villages in the area such as Manthorpe and Belton. Built in the 1840’s as a private Victorian residence, this Grade 1 listed building is now used as one of the East Midlands leading conference centres as well as one of our balloon take off sites.

A little further north, the much older Grimsthorpe Castle near the market town of Bourne was built in the 13th Century and is the centre piese of a 3,000 acre park of rolling pastures, landscaped lakes and historic woodland.

Belton House and Belton Woods are another parkland setting, just to the north of the town of Grantham with its well known connection to former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Rutland Water, the largest man made lake in Western Europe covers 3,100 acres and has an international reputation for providing a balance of sport, leisure and wildlife conservation and offers everyone the opportunity to try something new. The area impresses with its charming and picturesque villages. Rutland remains a predominantly agricultural county as can be seen by the rolling hills and flower filled meadows.

In the 1970's, Rutland lost its independence as a county and became part of Leicestershire. This change was fiercely opposed by many but remained so until 1997 when Rutland regained its independence.

During the Second World War Lincolnshire was known as 'Bomber County' because of the number of bomber bases dotted around the flatter countryside - perfect landscapes for the RAF and its allied comrades.

It's a rich heritage still very much alive today with Lincolnshire home to many wartime museums and living memorials as well as the current home to the RAF's famous Red Arrows display team.

Bring those days to life in a thrilling way at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre where you can experience the sights, smells and sounds of a real Bomber Command airfield - and even get the chance to taxi down the runway in a Lancaster Bomber.