The Kesteven Uplands NCA is a gently rolling rural landscape of varied geology and soils - from calcareous loams to heavy clays. The NCA is characterised by mixed farming and scattered woodlands, including the second highest concentration of ancient woodland in Greater Lincolnshire.

The area is an integral component of the limestone ridge that runs from the Cotswolds to the Humber and on into Yorkshire. Within the underlying limestone is an extensive aquifer, which extends north to the Humber and beyond, and the area is dissected by rivers which run north to south, and which then feed into the Fens NCA to the east. Generally, the higher elevations are used for arable agriculture in large fields and the lower river valleys for grazing in a landscape of irregularly shaped fields bounded by hedge and stone. Grassland and scrubland are also an important habitat, sometimes associated with sites where limestone, ironstone and sand has been extracted, or with the river valleys and with the network of roads. The Kesteven Uplands contains  important rivers and becks, including the headwaters of the River Witham, which is joined by the Cringle Brook and the West and East Glen Rivers. Some limestone becks flow eastward to the Fens NCA where they are known as lodes. 

Rivers have been significantly modified and disconnected from their floodplains. significant restoration projects have been undertaken to restart natural river processes that complement existing high-quality sections including the Cringle Brook and the River Witham.

In the last 100 years or so, two of the most significant changes have been the reduction in country houses, and the conversion of their associated parkland to arable farmland, and significant numbers of new houses being built because of proximity to main roads and railways.