A Walker’s Guide to The Lancaster Canal

A walking guidebook to the Lancaster Canal between Preston and Kendal in the north of England, including the branch to Glasson Dock, together with the fascinating history of the canal. Walking the towpath can be done in long or short stages, just as desired. There are many walks along its length which can be done as a round trip involving another path or road or visit to a village.

Part One: The Canal Story

Chapter One: Conception and Construction
The Lancaster Canal is a child of the canal fever of the 1700s whose promotion came largely from Lancaster itself. In those times Lancaster was a more important town than Preston and a competitor as a port with Liverpool. Communications were bad, so much so that it was actually cheaper to import foreign goods to the town than to bring English goods from places such as Wigan and Manchester! Roads were in a terrible condition; according to an account of 1768 by the topographer Arthur Young, between Preston and Wigan there were ruts 4 feet deep floating with mud. He passed three carts which had broken down. Tongue in cheek, he wrote that in winter ‘it would have cost no more money to make the roads navigable than to made them hard’. Perhaps a bit of an exaggerated claim, but still giving an impression of the conditions….

Part Two: Walking the Canal, Introduction
The towpath, and the public footpath on the Kendal section are generally in good condition. Footwear suitable for any normal public footpath can be worn. It is only in wet weather, when the path can be very muddy in places, and frosty conditions when it can be slippery, that any problems are likely to be encountered. As it is level, the towpath can be used by virtually anybody able to get outside and walk a little.

Walking the towpath can be done in long or short stages, just as desired. There are many walks along its length which can be done as a round trip involving another path or road or visit to a village. As a rough guide, allow for walking at about 2.5 miles an hour between Preston and Tewitfield and then 2 miles an hour above Tewitfield. The slower time for the northern part is because of the various diversions round culverts and the number of stiles to cross. These estimates allow plenty of time for looking at the scenery and other things connected with the canal.

Many canal bridges to Tewitfield are numbered and since most are recorded in this guide there is little chance of becoming lost!...