List of possible towns: itinerary help

All three are quite close to each other. Lincoln is the largest city and I would say if you stayed there for 3 nights in total you'd be able to explore Lincoln, then south to Stamford and north to Beverley without needing to change accommodation. I can't imagine wanting to spend 9 nights (lovely as that part of the country is) as the towns themselves are compact. I'm assuming you want to visit Burghley House near Stamford as well as Beverley Minster and Lincoln Cathedral?

I dont think I would want to do Beverley as a day trip from Lincoln by public transport.
From Beverley you also have access to Hull (Kingston upon Hull), the North Yorkshire Coast, including Whitby from Scarborough, but also the undeservedly less well known parts of the coast around Hornsea. Three nights there would be worth it to me. York is also easily accessible from Beverley, every hour. A 75 minute bus journey.
Beverley even has direct trains to London!!

Living in Hull, working in Beverley and having a daughter at Lincoln Uni. I can say it’s almost impossible to do day trips between Lincoln and Beverley by bus or train.
The train between the 2 takes 2 to 3 hour train ride with 1 or 2 changes on a good day.
To go by bus you would take the National Express or Stage Coach and again change in Hull on to East Yorkshire Buses to get to Beverley it can take 3/4 hours on the bus.
Due to the nature of the A15, if anything happens along that stretch of road (and it is notorious for accidents) It can take even longer to get from Lincoln to the Humber Bridge. (Believe me I know. Last time it took me over 4 hours in car).
Lincoln has lots to see and 3 nights would be ok but I don’t think you would need 3 for Beverley.
Using Hull as a base for Beverley and the rest of East Yorkshire is a good idea. We have plenty of history here as well. Although I am rather biased.

Note to self! Read the OP more carefully. I'd missed the bit about using public transport. Apologies for that. In which case then yes probably best to stay at least a couple of nights in each location.

Thanks everyone for your posts. We will be going to York after visiting these towns. We want to experience a bit of small town life with visits to churches, and if possible some nice nature walks. We will be going to the Lake District after York.
What does Beverly have to do in the way of walks in parks and other things besides the Minster?
Same question for Lincoln and Stamford.
Thanks again for your ideas.
Edit: just saw something about Beverley Westwood. Is that a nice place to walk and could we walk to it from the town center.
Also we will be in Beverley on a weekend. How is the Sat. market?

I would say it depends when you plan to visit Beverley. The Westwood is on a hill and can be very windy, cold and wet especially in winter. The racecourse is also on the wood and can be very busy when it’s a race day.

Lincoln has the hill and the old racecourse park to walk. The castle grounds are very nice too.

What are you looking for when you say walks?

For walks we would like to walk on quiet paths without car traffic, and see vegetation and maybe birds or wildlife. Walks also to see interesting neighborhoods, gardens and buildings would be nice

Stamford is a lovely old stone town and the equal of many Cotswold towns with a wide range of shops. It also has several churches - each very different and all worth visiting. Burghley House is the main local attraction and there is so much to see in the house and gardens that will fill a whole day.

You will have no problem filling your time in Lincoln. Do explore on foot as there are some very interesting old buildings on Steep Hill. (Yes it deserves its name!) When visiting the cathedral do join a guided tour and if time allows also do either the Tower tour or the roof tour. The church of St Mary Magdalene with St Paul in the Bail and St Michael on the Mount Lincoln near the Cathedral is worth a quick look

The Castle with its Victorian Prison and Magna Carta, could easily fill nearly a full day. There is also the ruined Bishop’s Palace. Do a guided tour of the Guildhall in the Stonebow and go for a boat trip on Brayford Pool. Thinking of museums there is The Collection which has a very good archaeological section as well as an art gallery in the adjacent Usher Gallery. A bit further out is the Museum of Lincolnshire Life in the former barracks of the North Lincoln Militia. As well as covering their history it also has reconstructed rooms and shops.

Beverley is a lovely town with an impressive Minster and equally impressive St Mary’s Church at the other end of the town. They are very different but both are worth visiting. The Guildhall is also worth visiting too. Go for a walk along Beverley Beck. Hull is only a short bus ride away and worth spending a full day here. There is Hull Minster and many museums. The Maritime Museum in the splendid Hull Dock Company building, telling the story of fishing and shipping from Hull. The Hull and East Yorkshire Museum is the archaeology museum from the Stone Age to the Normans. Near it is the Streetlife Museum of Transport with its old shops and the transport exhibits. The Deep, described as one of the most spectacular aquariums in the world with an under water viewing tunnel. Wiberforce House was the birthplace of William Wilberforce and is now a museum covering the history of slavery and its abolition. The Ferens Art Gallery is regarded as one of the better provincial art galleries.

Thank you everyone for your replies.
Thank you wasleys for all your wonderful ideas for each town. It sounds like we will have plenty to do. Are the places you mentioned walkable from the town centre?

Are the places you mentioned walkable from the town centre?

YES! I don't drive so it is shanks pony or public transport. Thre is a bus in Lincoln that will take you up Steep Hill so saving the walk.

Each of the town has a visitor centre so it is worth emailing them or calling in to get a map of the town and also ideas of places to visit within walking distance. They may also have details of town trails.

Stamford This has now moved to St John's Church, 74 Hight Street, Stamford
I've not been here and it does have limited opening - Wednesday - Friday - Saturday 10:00 - 16:00
Alternatively try emailing them [email protected]

Lincoln 9 Castle Hill has a helpful website.and is open daily. I've always found them really helpful.

Beverley is currently in the Customer Service Centre, Cross Street. It is open Mon- Sat. Check before visiting nit is still there as it used to be on the first floor of the TREASURE HOUSE, which is the library, archives, Art Gallery and local museum...

Thank you wasleys for the info on the visitor information centers. We are looking forward to exploring these towns! We will be in touch with the visitor centers closer to our travel dates.
We will ask about walks to take and also about theatre events, plays and music, and if anyone on here has suggestions in those areas we would welcome them

I'll put in a plug for Stamford - I live nearby.

Although Stamford is in Lincolnshire It thinks it is in Northamptonshire or Cambridgeshire - it is extremely close physically to both.

Lovely town, easily transplanted from the Cotswolds with similar stone (but local slate roofs) and shops, comes with a river (lovely walks in the water meadows), a railway station, and a stately home par excellence (and home of a spectacular 5-Star 3 Day Eventing for us horse lovers). Few tourists so a perfect mix.

We stopped overnight in Stamford a few years back, on our way to the Lake District. Or maybe York, I forget which. It was very enjoyable.

We stayed at the William Cecil, a lovely upscale hotel an easy walk from the train station, and direct access from their property onto the Burghley House estate. We wander around for a couple of hours, but they were setting up for the famed Three Day Event ( horse trials) and some areas were restricted. We did not tour the house itself—-it may have been closed in preparation for the event.

The hotel is a popular wedding venue, and there was a small one in progress when we arrived.