Lancashire
Various
(click to enlarge)
The Lancashire Way is 468 miles long and showcases the beauty and variety of Lancashire's scenery, the breadth and depth of its history and the warmth and humour of its people.
The route has been developed over the past 20 years by LDWA member Neil Harwood who has also developed the Lancashire Way website (see link below). The website provides all the information necessary to undertake the walk with route details, OS maps and a commentary - so no books are required and it is completely free of charge.
The Way is divided into five 'loops', making the logistics of completing the walk easier by having the same start and finish. It also allows more places of interest to be visited and each can generally be completed within one week.
The Southern Loop begins and ends in Preston and takes in the very best of the scenery in south Lancashire and also features aspects of its industrial past. It is 83 miles long with a total ascent of over 7,000 feet and 28 towns and villages are visited.
The Central Loop is the second part of the Lancashire Way and is 102 miles and with over 13,000 feet of ascent. It begins and ends in Preston, as does the Southern Loop. The route takes in the Ribble Valley, Pendle Hill, the Hodder Valley and the Southern Bowland Fells.
The third part of the Lancashire Way is the Northern Loop and is possibly the best of the five loops. This begins and ends in Lancaster and is the longest at 109 miles. Whilst it only ascends just over 10,000 feet it does include the two highest points in Lancashire including Gragareth, which is the only mountain in the county. It also includes a walk over the Northern Bowland Fells, the Lune Valley, and great coastal sections around Morecambe Bay.
The fourth part of the Lancashire Way is the Eastern Loop, which is just under 100 miles long but has the highest ascent of all at over 14,000 feet. It is dominated by typical moorlands of the Pennines and includes a walk along the eastern boundary of the county with both Yorkshire and Greater Manchester for almost 30 miles.
The fifth and final part is the Western Loop and is the easiest with a distance of 75 miles and a very modest ascent of 2,800 feet. Almost a third of the route is a coastal walk from Fleetwood to Lytham including the unique seaside town of Blackpool, a feast for the senses. So, it’s a very different walk but with so much of interest. The remainder of the route takes in the Fylde peninsula including Kirkham, Garstang and Great Eccleston. It gets as far east as the foothills of the Bowland Fells at Beacon Fell, where it meets the Central and Northern Loops.
Details:
| Path Type: |
Other Paths |
| Attributes: |
Other Paths
Challenging
Coastal
Moorland
River
|
| Start and Finish: |
SD534291 -
Preston, Lancashire |
| Web Sites: |
Lancashire Way
|
