A Walker’s Guide to The Lancaster Canal

Preston to Kendal, 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.

The Lancaster canal is a child of the canal fever of the 1700s. It runs from Preston, through Lancaster and up to Kendal. The first part of the guide provides a history of the canal's construction, its heyday and the problems it faced with the coming of the railways in the nineteenth century. It also covers its later years into the twentieth century.

The second half of the book describes a walk along the canal from Preston to Kendal. It is divided into four sections of about 14 miles, but the walk can be undertaken in long or short stages according to personal preference. The canal takes walkers through the north Lancashire countryside and into Cumbria, with gentle countryside on either side. It also passes through two cities that reveal much of the industrial heritage of the region.

This flat, gentle walk is ideal for all walkers and especially for those interested in the changes that took place in this area in the wake of the Industrial Revolution.