Lincoln Cliff

The Lincoln Cliff is the portion of a major escarpment that runs north-south through Lindsey and Kesteven, in central Lincolnshire and is a prominent landscape feature in a generally flat portion of the county. The prehistoric route known loosely as the Jurassic Way follows the line of this escarpment.

The scarp is formed by resistant Middle Jurassic rocks, principally the Lincolnshire Limestone series, and is remarkable for its length and straightness. It runs for over 50 miles from the Leicestershire border near Grantham to the River Humber, and is broken only twice by river gaps at Ancaster and Lincoln.

South of Lincoln the 'cliff villages' that lie on the escarpment are as follows, listed in order of southerly procession:

• Bracebridge Heath
• Waddington
• Harmston
• Coleby
• Boothby Graffoe
• Navenby
• Wellingore
• Welbourn
• Leadenham
• Fulbeck

North of Lincoln, the name Lincoln Cliff, or simply the Cliff, is locally used to refer to the entire ridge of Jurassic Limestone, not just its steep western scarp. This can be seen in placenames such as Welton Cliff, Saxby Cliff and Caenby Cliff, reflecting parish-based divisions of the ridge. This use of the name is not found south of Lincoln, where the term Cliff refers only to the scarp itself, as distinct from the limestone plateau (which is here called the Lincoln Heath). To minimise confusion, some people prefer the name Lincoln Edge or Lincolnshire Edge for the scarp that runs from Grantham to the Humber, reserving the name Lincoln Cliff for the section of limestone ridge north of Lincoln.