The Central Lincolnshire Vale is a sparsely populated, rural, low-lying area spanning from central to northern Greater Lincolnshire. A gradual rise in the landscape across the centre of the NCA results in the northern half draining into the River Ancholme and out to the Humber, while the southern end drains into the River Witham and into The Wash. Localised contrasting landscapes, where soil is sandy, acidic and infertile, stem from pockets of wind-blown sand deposits and river-derived sands and gravel (the Fen Edge Gravels) giving rise to heathland habitats along with extensive coniferous plantations.

The Central Lincolnshire Vale has nationally important areas for biodiversity, although their overall extent is limited. Bardney Limewoods National Nature Reserve is a suite of nationally important woodland and provides the greatest concentration of ancient woodland in the area. The woodland cover across the NCA is variable, with little on the central and northern soils, but there is a higher concentration of ancient woodland and conifer plantations to the west. The south and east of the Central Lincolnshire Vale further supports remnants of lowland heath and acid grassland on the fen edge gravels.

Historically, the undulating arable landscape, would have supported wet grassland and woodlands. The landscape has largely changed due to heavily modified drainage for agricultural intensification. This has enabled increased productivity of seasonally waterlogged, loamy clay soils, resulting from predominantly boulder clay-derived soils. Hawthorn-dominated hedgerows enclose most fields, though field boundary trees are a feature, while the Ancholme Valley tends to have rectilinear fields divided by ditches.