Lancashire Cycle Way - A Cycling Guidebook

Guidebook to the Lancashire Cycleway, which comprises two distinct loops, each around 130 miles (225km) in length, which meet at Whalley in the Ribble valley. Seasoned cycle-tourists can tackle either loop in a weekend. The difficulty varies from easy roads in the west to the challenges found in the West Pennine Moors and the Bowland Fells.

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Halton to Hornby

44km/27.3 miles

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Distances: Carnforth 9.2km/5.7 miles; Silverdale 17.2km/10.7 miles; Borwick 30.5km/19 miles; Arkholme 38km/23.6 miles
OS Maps: Entirely covered by Landranger 97 Kendal to Morecambe
Ride: There’s one footbridge, where you should defer to pedestrians. Otherwise the ride is entirely on-road, and the surface is mostly good. There’s a short but moderately steep climb out of Halton and another at Yealand Storrs. Elsewhere the gradients are moderate.
Connections: Carnforth has regular trains to Manchester (and its airport), Leeds and Barrow, but Inter-City services no longer stop here. Silverdale (and Arnside) also has direct trains to Manchester and Barrow. In either case, for the West Coast Main Line change at Lancaster. The nearest station to Hornby is at Wennington (Lancaster–Leeds line).
Accommodation: The Silverdale area is well supplied with pubs, hotels and B&Bs. Arnside has a Youth Hostel. There are several camping/caravan sites around Silverdale and Arnside. The Willow­field Hotel, on the promenade at Arnside, is CTC recommended. Possibilities are rather thinner on the ground thereafter, at least until you reach the Lune valley. Hornby has two comfortable pubs and a good deal of B&B accommodation.

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Halton is a useful staging point, not least because it ties in with the the Lancaster Link. The route climbs out of the village before running along a ridge with some great views, especially over Morecambe Bay. After Carnforth (more rail links) the way winds through the gentle scenery of the Arnside–Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Arnside is a useful place – not least because it has a Youth Hostel – as well as a very pleasant one. The views across the Kent estuary to the Lakeland fells are superb, too. Arnside is easily reached by short optional loop – it adds about 5.4km/3.4 miles – which is described at the end of the chapter.

If you’ve just come from the Lancaster Link, turn left. If you’ve ridden in from Crook O’Lune, turn right. Either way, cross the narrow bridge. There’s plenty of evidence of drivers failing to negotiate the entry and exit accurately enough. Follow the lane up to a T-junction below a fine old house and go left, passing the Greyhound Inn.

The manor of Halton is mentioned in the Domesday Book, and at that time it seems to have been a more significant place than Lancaster – though the building of Lancaster Castle in the following century soon shifted the balance. You’ll see several fine old houses as you come up to a mini-roundabout in the village. The route goes straight across here (second exit), though a short detour down to the left will reveal more of the old core of the village, including the pretty church dedicated to St Wilfrid.

Climbing up from the mini-roundabout you pass the steep grassy mound of the motte-and-bailey fortress. This type of ‘mini-castle’, largely consisting of earthworks with the probable addition of a wooden palisade, typically dates from the Norman period. This is a very restricted site, and there’s higher ground nearby – thus making Lancaster a far better strategic position. Continue up through the trees and then, still climbing, over the motorway. This stretch has the best view (from the official route) of the historic City of Lancaster. To this day, the city is dominated by its castle and Priory Church, though the domed Ashton Memorial on a higher hill east of the city contests the supremacy. Further east again is the long purple skyline of the Bowland fells, which you may view with either anticipation or dread. However, that’s a good 60km ahead.

At the crossroads called Four Lane Ends, turn right and climb steadily, passing a tall television mast. This stretch has a great view over Morecambe Bay, backed by the Lakeland fells. The most prominent group are the Coniston fells, which lie further south than most of the Lakeland hills. Coniston Old Man is about 45km away as the crow flies. Further right, though by no means the highest peaks, the Langdale Pikes have the most distinctive outline.

At the next T-junction go right, recrossing the motorway, and then climb again through the village of Nether Kellet. The village pub is the Limeburner’s Arms, a highly appropriate name as there are still working quarries to the east and north. Near the top of the village turn left for Carnforth: you can freewheel almost all the way if you like.

Again the Lakeland fells fill the horizon, with the lower limestone hills of Arnside–Silverdale closer. Nearest and most prominent is Warton Crag, with a great quarried bite out of its southern flank. This quarry, long disused, now attracts kestrels, peregrines and just a few especially brave rock-climbers. Above, on the hill top, an expert eye may still detect the outline of an Iron Age hill fort, but the rest of us have to take it on faith.

Turn left at the T-junction onto the B6254 and go down into Carnforth over a narrow bridge where traffic is controlled by lights: this is the Lancaster Canal. Go straight over the crossroads at the next set of traffic lights – unless your machine needs attention: there is a cycle shop just to the right.

Carnforth is a small town which does not immediately strike one as highly distinguished, but further exploration reveals a few points of interest, including one of the best second-hand bookshops in the north-west. However, its main claim to fame is its railway station, which was a principal location for one of the all-time classic British movies, ‘Brief Encounter’. It has been sadly neglected for years, but work is now under way to revitalise it. The tea-room is still boarded-up (at time of writing), but already the entrance and booking office have been renovated. Next door there’s an exhibition of photographs covering the station’s history, though sadly lacking in explanatory text. The curved platforms that provided so many great camera angles have  also been spruced up. The clock – which played a significant role in the film – now shows the right time again, after many years stuck in its own time warp.

To the right as you cross the levels are the reed beds of Leighton Moss, a very important wildlife reserve. There are a couple more hides reached by the track on the left before the level crossing (RSPB members can visit free; others pay a day charge at the centre). The fields south of this track are being returned to a more natural state to create additional wetland habitat.

Continue over one railway bridge (the West Coast Main Line), then under a second (line to Leeds). Turn left before a third and go along a minor road alongside the muddy River Keer. Pass under yet another railway (Furness Line), and a little further on cross the river by a fine wooden bridge. At the end of the narrow lane turn right, go over the railway again, then left immediately on a wider road. This runs below the slopes of Warton Crag and then across level fields.

At the next T-junction, the route goes to the left. On the other hand, Silverdale station and the RSPB centre, which has a tea-room, both lie just a short distance to the right – only just out of sight. However, this is a horrible junction for turning right – be very wary and use your ears. If all you want is a cup of tea, it’s probably better to stick with the main route and go left – it’s only another kilometre or so to the next tearoom. After a short climb turn left again, through woods, on a twisting lane signposted for Jenny Brown’s Point and Wolf House Gallery.

Follow the road round to the right past the gallery, keep right at the next junction, then go round and up a short hump to a T-junction. Go left here and you are in the centre of the village, with a choice of tea-rooms and a pub. There are toilets a short way down the lane (Bank House Lane) to the left of the village hall. This is named the Gaskell Hall, after the great Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell. The Silverdale connection arises because the Gaskells spent many holidays here, usually staying at Tower House near Wolf House Gallery.

The whole of Morecambe Bay and its hinterland is very important for migratory birds, especially waders, and huge flocks can be seen through the winter months. But Leighton Moss has plenty of resident interest too. The three ‘stars’ are the bittern, bearded tit and – most spectacular, and most likely to be seen – marsh harrier. In spring you may hear the bitterns ‘booming’. This sounds rather like the sound you make by blowing across the top of a milk bottle. This sound carries a long way, but sightings of the bitterns are rare as they spend almost all their time hiding in the reeds. There are also otters here, and all three species of native deer (red, roe and fallow) can be found in the area.

The road continues past the church, then dips and bends right. If you’re taking the optional detour for Arnside (see the description of the Arnside Loop at the end of this section), watch for a narrow lane on the left here, by the war memorial. It’s very easy to overshoot this, but if you do, just take the next left – it will only cost you 100m or so.

Wolf House Gallery was established nearly thirty years ago, when craft centres were much thinner on the ground than they are now, and still retains a very high reputation. It can be excessively popular, however, and seats in the cafe may be hard to come by. Do not despair, as there are more chances of tea or beer in Silverdale village, barely a kilometre away.

If you are not taking this detour, continue straight on. You’ll probably notice a grey rockface rising on the skyline ahead. This is Trowbarrow quarry, which was worked for its limestone until the 1960s. Today it is one of the most popular rock-climbing crags in Lancashire. Its unusual geology has earned it Site of Special Scientific Interest status, and it is also a Local Nature Reserve.

At the next T-junction go left. The road now climbs a little, over the railway, and then runs through woods. Down to the right you should catch a few glimpses of a small tarn, Hawes Water (not to be confused with the much larger lake of the same name in Cumbria). About 1km further on, on the right, is the entrance to the Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve. Access to much of the reserve is for permit holders only, but it is possible to ride down the track a couple of hundred metres to a small parking area. From here you can take a short (half an hour) waymarked circular walk, which is well worth the time and effort.

The main feature of this walk is its limestone pavements. Gait Barrows is an excellent place to see why these are so called. Weathering of the relatively soluble limestone has enlarged natural fissure into deep cracks, known as grikes, which shelter a variety of ferns and flowers, but the upper surface is remarkably smooth. Parts of the reserve, and other sites in the area, have also suffered from the plundering of the beautifully sculpted stone for rockeries and other decorative uses. Shamefully, this still goes on, and some garden centres still sell ‘water-worn limestone’.

The road bears right, past another junction, the most northerly point of the Cycleway, where the Arnside Loop rejoins. The road now runs along the little valley of Leighton Beck, and a plaque informs you that you are passing near the site of an early iron furnace. The county boundary also follows the beck. After a short climb the road dips, swings sharply right, and launches into a stiffer climb, which comes as a bit of a shock in this gentle scenery.

On either side are dense woods, with dark yew trees, a scattering of oak and ash, and lots of hazel around the edges and in any clearer patches. Most of the hazel bushes have multiple stems, the result  of coppicing. This is the practice of cutting the tree back almost to ground level, which encourages it to put out a number of new shoots. Among other things, the wood was traditionally used for charcoal making, the charcoal being used to fuel the nearby iron furnace.

The road soon descends as steeply as it climbed, but watch out, as you have to give way at the bottom. Bear left, through Yealand Storrs and into the village of Yealand Redmayne. Where the road narrows go left on Eight Acre Lane, signed for Milnthorpe and Kendal. The turning is hidden until the last moment. The lane, narrow in places, soon climbs over a small rise and then drops to the A6.

Go straight across, though not necessarily straight away, into Tarn Lane. Just down here is the Cinderbarrow Picnic Site, though its attractions are hardly worth the discomfort of the cattle grid at the entrance – unless, that is, you are a model railway enthusiast. LMMES (Lancaster & Morecambe Model Engineering Society) offers free rides on trains pulled by miniature locomotives on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays between Easter and mid-October.

Some 50m past the entrance, turn right and then first left. This lane can be rather muddy (to put it politely), especially as it passes Cinderbarrow Farm. The lane crosses the West Coast Main Line railway and then runs alongside the Lancaster Canal, with the M6 assaulting most of the senses just beyond.

There are schemes afoot to reopen this section of the canal, though as it runs under the M6, it’s hard to see how this would be achieved. At present it might just be navigable in a punt, if you were to lie flat on your back. It must also be acknowledged that there is some opposition to any renewal of navigation on the canal, as these isolated stretches of water are of considerable significance for wildlife.

The lane crosses the motorway and then the canal, climbs over a slight ridge, and descends to the A6070. Go right; the road is wide and straight but the traffic is rarely heavy. Some of it moves pretty fast, but there always seems to be plenty of elbow room. In any case it’s only about 800m before you turn off left, signed to Priest Hutton.

The village sits quietly around its small green. Keep right here and follow the lane towards Borwick. The church, which serves both villages, sits diplomatically between them. Borwick – pronounced ‘borrick’, not ‘borewick’ – has a much larger green, backed by the grey stone pile of Borwick Hall. The hall, parts of which date back at least 600 years, is now a residential and outdoor centre for Lancashire County Council.

Bear left, signed for Capernwray and Arkholme. In about 1km you cross over a railway line – this is the line to Skipton and Leeds, which branches off the main line at Carnforth. In former times, Morecambe was a traditional holiday destination for many West Yorkshire people, especially from Bradford, and this line was their main means of getting there. (Lancashire’s factory workers took their holidays at Blackpool, Lytham or – if they were a bit posh – Southport).

Immediately after the railway bridge turn left, and the road runs parallel to the line in the valley of the little River Keer, which flows into Morecambe Bay near Carnforth. Follow the road as it swings right, away from the line and soon begins to climb out of the valley. It’s not a hard climb, but as you reach the crest a tremendous view opens up, looking across the middle reaches of the Lune valley. The distinctive squared-off hump of a hill which dominates the view is Ingleborough.

Soon after this you descend past Docker Park Farm. Its tearoom, with home-made cakes and hot meals, may be of more interest to the average cyclist than the chance to feed the baby animals or stroke a rabbit. It’s open all year, except Christmas to New Year, and is also closed on Tuesdays in the winter months.

At a T-junction, turn right and follow the tiny valley of Beckerthwaite Beck. The railway line is once again in view. There’s a slight climb, which gives another dose of great views over the Lune valley. Then, as you swoop down into Arkholme, you will also be aware of the Bowland fells rising on the skyline ahead. It’s all too obvious now that there are no low passes through that long ridge.

At the crossroads in Arkholme, you meet the B6254. The route goes right, but there are at least two good reasons to linger. One is the Bay Horse Inn, right by the crossroads. The other is the street ahead, beyond the crossroads, which is the old heart of the village. The street is long, lovely and blessedly quiet. At the far end the tiny church stands on an old motte, and just below you can walk down to a tranquil reach of the River Lune.

Continuing on the B6254, there’s a steady climb past Storrs Hall. Soon after emerging from the wooded section there’s a turning to the left. The lane wriggles and undulates, with momentary and tantalising views, then slips down into the sheltered village of Gressingham. At a fork the official route goes right, but there is little to be gained by this slight detour. Go left and down to a T-junction. It would seem that the offical route avoids this junction because the sight lines are considered poor. In fact this is really only a problem for car drivers – as cyclists can use their ears.

At the T-junction go left, and follow the road past the church and out onto the flood plain to cross the beautiful Loyn Bridge. This can seem uncomfortably narrow for modern traffic, though the milk wagon does just fit. The refuges above the bridge piers are welcome at times.

Just above the bridge on the far side is Castle Stede, which is well worth a look if you can find somewhere to leave the bike. It’s one of the finest examples on the route of a motte and bailey, and because it’s not obscured by later buildings it’s easy to appreciate the layout.

The lane now leads to a junction with the A683, within the 30mph limit for Hornby. Keep right and freewheel down into the centre of the village. It’s a substantial place, sometimes called the ‘capital’ of the Lune valley. St Margaret’s Church has an unusual octagonal tower, which dates from the 16th century. Just beyond is the bridge over the River Wenning and a theatrical view up to Hornby Castle. Most of the visible structure is 19th century, but there is some masonry below the tower thought to be about six centuries older. It is a private house and is not open to the public.

Optional Extra: Arnside Loop
(Adds about 5.4km/3.4 miles to the route)

Follow the main route as far as Silverdale, then find the lane on the left by the war memorial, and go left again at its end. Follow the road, which soon swings round to the right just before crossing into Cumbria.

The road briefly skirts the shore then swings right at Far Arnside and drags up along the lower slopes of Arnside Knott. On the right Arnside Tower is a striking ruin, the best example on the Cycleway of a pele tower. Peles – fortified manor houses rather than full-grown castles – are scattered all over Cumbria and north Lancashire, areas which were often subject to raids from north of the border. You can take a closer look from the footpath behind the farm, but the ruins are officially unsafe to enter.

After Arnside Tower, the road has good views east. Beyond the lowland, the first abrupt ridge is Farleton Fell, and on the skyline beyond are the fells of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. From the final rise you can freewheel all the way down to sea level again on Arnside promenade...