Sustrans Route – Lancaster to Kendal
22 miles
The route begins at Lancaster’s Millennium Bridge and crosses Ryelands Park before joining the Lancaster Canal, first opened in 1797 to service the mining industries. The towpath takes you through attractive canal-side villages with panoramic views across Morecambe Bay. At Hest Bank you can take a break on the seashore. Leaving the canal south of Carnforth, the route continues to Warton, home of George Washington’s ancestors, and through quiet wooded lanes within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty including the pretty villages of Yealand Conyers and Yealand Redmayne. Nearby Leighton Hall and the Leighton Moss nature reserve are well worth a visit.
Just over the border into Cumbria, the marvellous views more than compensate for the climb to the attractive village of Beetham, where you can visit the Heron Corn Mill and Museum of Papermaking. The route continues downhill along a tree-lined lane through Dallam Park and into the market town of Milnthorpe. From there the route undulates along quiet lanes into the medieval market town of Kendal, where a traffic-free path along the line of the old canal takes you safely into the town centre via the footbridge at Gooseholme. Route 6 continues to Windermere, mainly on quiet roads, and the route northwards from there is still under development.
Download Route Information Sheet (pdf)
Visit Sustrans Riding North to the Lake District
Lancashire Cycleway
260 miles
The Lancashire Cycleway comprises two circular routes which meet in the historic village of Whalley in the Ribble Valley. The Cycleway follows minor roads, where possible and takes you through a host of different landscapes from the rugged Bowland Hills and West Pennine Moors to the rich pastures of the Fylde Plain and the outstanding coastal scenery at Silverdale. Part of the Cycleway at Rivington was used in the 2001 Commonwealth Games.
The Cycleway is around 260 miles long. You can do the Cycleway as one long tour or in two halves. You can also base short rides on the Cycleway. Parts of the Cycleway are as remote as anywhere in the country. With attractive scenery, the Lancashire Cycleway is a challenging and rewarding route to complete.
A guidebook to the Lancashire Cycleway is available from good bookshops, information offices or direct from the publishers. The Guide was produced by Jon Sparks, an acclaimed photographer and writer based in Lancaster. Jon has many years of cycling experience including utility riding, touring and racing. The book is illustrated in full colour throughout, with maps and route profiles. It gives a full description of the route, notes on where to find accommodation and food, and masses of information about places of interest on the way.
Guidebook Details
ISBN: 1 85284 384 5
Cicerone Press, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe, Cumbria LA7 7PY Tel: 01539 562069;
[email protected]; www.cicerone.co.uk
The Northern Loop stretches from Kirkham in the south to Arnside in the north. This loop explores Bowland Fells, the Fylde Plain and both the Lune and Ribble valleys. Highlights include :
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Cross o’ Greet pass at 1400 feet is the highest point on the Cycleway
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the Lune Valley is one of the country’s loveliest river valleys, with outstanding views to the surrounding hills
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away from the hills, the quiet country lanes of the Fylde Peninsula offer a respite from steep gradients of the Forest of Bowland.
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from the Cycleway, there are outstanding views across Morecambe Bay to the Lake District Hills.
Download Northern Loop (pdf)
Download Southern Loop (pdf)
More information on the cycleway
Arnside / Silverdale AONB
Discover an outstandingly beautiful area of wooded limestone hills, with narrow winding lanes and an enchanting silvery coastline with views out across the Bay to the Lakeland Hills. Cycle down to Jenny Brown’s Point, explore Silverdale’s wooded lanes or use your bicycle to get to the RSPB reserve atLeighton Moss