Little Cawthorpe is situated three miles south-east of Louth. A small community tucked away on the edge of the Wolds, with a population almost the same as it was 150 years ago.
The local inn {the Royal Oak} is a good meeting place for villagers and attracts many visitors especially at weekends and holiday times. This is not surprising as the village is very pretty with its high hedges, and well wooded areas, narrow lanes and well kept gardens all work to give a quintessentual bygone feel
An attractive area of the village is the one which includes the manor house, old vicarage and St Helen's church. Here also is the source of the Long Eau; before the area was transformed into an attractive pond, it was possible to count at least seven springs running out of the bank. The pond is kept in good order and the village is justly proud of this feature which attracts mallards and moorhens as well as a few fish. To some local residents this is still 'The Springs'.
The manor house is a mellow red brick house built in 1673. It has diamond-shaped chimney stacks and mullioned windows with four Dutch gables. A Victorian letter box is set in one of the gateposts. The old vicarage, built in 1855, is almost unchanged but has not been used as such for many years.
St Helen's church, set on the hill, is also built of red brick, rebuilt about 130 years ago. Here turning left the road leads to the next small village of Muckton. A small settlement at the bottom of a steep hill is called Muckton Bottom but is still in Cawthorpe parish. The views across the middle-march to the sea are quite spectacular from this road.
The Long Eau, flows through Little Cawthorpe valley by the gardens of private houses until it appears again under the bridge by the ford. This is also approached by the high hedges of Buston Lane and leads to the part of the village described earlier. Here you also find the entrance to the inn and admire the view to the top of the hill, a popular subject for photographers
The Beck-side, the foot- path by the side of the stream, is a very pleasant walk and a short cut to the nearby village of Legbourne. Here it is possible to enjoy a walk down Wood Lane and to return to the Muckton road by a sign-posted footpath with open views of the surrounding countryside.