5 of the best walks to get to know Lancaster
Download some of our best walks from in and around Lancaster below.Visit our new dedicated website section on free Walking and Cycling Routes around Lancaster and don't forget to check out more local walks on our sister website Explore Morecambe Bay
Lancaster City Trail
Historic Lancaster, with its two universities, is a city of learning and a city of stories. So you can see, it's is a city where the past sits comfortably with the present. Splendid stone façades hark back to its heyday as a Georgian port; quirky independent shops rub shoulders with a smattering of well-known stores; museums and monuments are enjoyed by old and young; bars and restaurants bustle with locals. Find this out for yourself by foot on a self-lead walking tour of Lancaster City Centre.
Download map here.
Lancaster and the Lune
It’s part of Lancaster’s charm that it remains a compact city, enjoying close contact with surrounding countryside, this easy walk takes full advantage. Moving from the bustle of the city centre to the leisurely pace of the canal and on to the wide open spaces of the Lune Estuary. This is where binoculars and a bird book would be ideal companions.
Distance Approx: 7.3 km / 4.5 miles
Download map here
Around Crook O' Lune
This dramatic stretch of the river offers wonderful views of the Lune Valley, whilst being a leisurely and relaxing route.
Distance Approx: 4.3 km / 2.7 miles
Download map here
Birk Bank And Baines Crag
Lancaster’s ‘other’ AONB is the Forest of Bowland. Indeed, Lancaster’s share of this is larger than the whole of Arnside - Silverdale and includes the highest fells.
Above all, it's an area of sprawling heather moorland, punctuated by rocky outcrops and dissected by sheltered valleys. So this walk provides a taste of these contrasts and gives some magnificent, far reaching views into the bargain.
Distance Approx:
7.5 km / 4.7 miles
Download map here.
Lancaster walks talks and tours
Lancaster's vibrant waterways have helped shape the city over the years, so why not find out more about the wonderful Lancaster Canal on this fantastic 3-mile walk!
Check out the Canal and Rivers Trust website for more information.
Literary Lancaster
The 'Literary Lancaster' tour takes you on a literary journey which has been inspired by this ancient city. Writers featured include many well known and canonical names such as William Wordsworth, Charles Dickens and Carol Ann Duffy.
As you will see during the course of the tour there is a dark and Gothic thread running through Lancaster's literary heritage, inspired by the city's legacy as a place of execution and as a slave port, which emerges in a literary fascination with witches and ghostly hauntings.