The Lancashire Cycleway. Jon Sparks
Day Ride 9 A circuit from Colne
Day Ride 10 Colne–Accrington
Day Ride 11 Entwistle–Haslingden–Ramsbottom–Entwistle
Day Ride 12 A circuit from Leyland
Day Ride 13 A West Lancashire circuit
Day Ride 14 Preston–Whalley
Day Ride 15 Whalley–Longridge–Whalley
Day Ride 16 Preston–Longridge–Woodplumpton–Preston
Day Ride 17 Kirkham–Lancaster
Appendix A Further information
Appendix B Transport
Appendix C Bike shops
ROUTE SUMMARY TABLES
Final stages of the climb of Farley Lane (Stage 11)
Waddington (Stage 3)
INTRODUCTION
Cycling is one of the best ways of getting around, and of seeing places, that has ever been devised. It’s fast enough to get somewhere, yet slow enough to see everything along the way. And you don’t just see: you can use your other senses too. You can hear the birdsong and smell the flowers. Cars don’t just travel too fast, they also insulate their occupants from the world outside – not least by creating noise and smells of their own. Cycling also means you feel the country: as Ernest Hemingway said, ‘it is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.’
Cycling is also immensely satisfying. To get somewhere by your own effort is rewarding in itself. And when you get to the top of a long hill, you’ll appreciate the view all the more. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that it’s all about suffering – it isn’t. Cycling, above all, is fun. If you’re sensibly prepared, if your bike is set up correctly for you (see ‘Correct riding position’ under ‘Bike choice and setup’ below), and if you don’t try to go too far too soon, then cycling is one of the most physically pleasurable things you can legally do in public.
There are, then, plenty of good reasons to go cycling. But why cycling in Lancashire? This is easy to answer – Lancashire is beautiful. This may surprise a few people, but it’s true. A few southerners may still cherish the ‘grim up north’ image, but dark satanic mills, flat caps and whippets are generally thin on the ground. The plain fact is that most of Lancashire – especially as seen from the Cycleway – is rural. Indeed, it includes a lot of countryside that looks quintessentially English: rolling hills clad in a patchwork of fields, woods and hedges. But no such generalisation will do justice to the diversity of Lancashire.
Lune Valley from above Crook O’Lune, Ingleborough in the distance (Stage 6)
Of course the county does have an industrial heritage. Two centuries ago, cotton was king and great mill towns like Blackburn and Burnley shipped cloth to half the world. The early days of canals and railways are well-represented too, not to mention Britain’s first stretch of motorway. However, Lancashire’s heritage goes much deeper. There are Roman sites like Ribchester, great mediaeval monuments like Lancaster’s castle and Priory Church, magnificent houses like Stonyhurst or Samlesbury Hall, and literally hundreds of ancient villages. In a different dimension, Blackpool is the original seaside resort and remains, for millions, the definitive example.
Lancashire’s rural character is particularly evident on the Northern Loop, but throughout the county green countryside is rarely far away. The Pennine moors offer vast expanses of open space, with the population largely confined to narrow valleys. Further west there are miles of level fields and reclaimed marshes, where you could almost imagine yourself in Holland. The closeness of town and country is best exemplified where the Cycleway slips between Preston and Blackburn. Lancashire’s two largest towns – correction, Preston is now officially a city – are barely 12km apart, yet the route finds quiet, shady lanes.
Further north, the population is concentrated close to the coast. Apart from Lancaster, which is not on the official route but is invaluable for access by rail, there are no large towns on the Northern Loop at all. Instead there is the gentle loveliness of the Ribble and Lune Valleys, flanking the high heathery ridges of the Bowland Fells. The county has sole claim on one Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Forest of Bowland) and a half-share in another (Arnside and Silverdale). The Northern Loop gives you a thorough look at both areas, while the Southern Loop makes brief acquaintance with the Forest of Bowland.
If you don’t know Lancashire, it will surprise you. Even if you do, there are probably some corners you haven’t yet discovered. Either way, cycling is a great way to explore the county.
Descending from Cross O’Greet, Pendle Hill in the distance (Stage 2)
The Lancashire Cycleway
On a map the Lancashire Cycleway resembles a rather squashed figure 8, whose two loops meet at Whalley in the Ribble Valley. The Northern Loop is approximately 208km (130 miles) in length, the Southern a fraction longer at 217km (135 miles). There are similarities between the two, with both being flat in the west and hilly in the east, but there are also distinct differences in character. The Northern Loop is almost entirely rural, while the Southern Loop, clever as it is, cannot entirely avoid some urban sections. None of these, however, are too long and, this being Lancashire, you generally soon escape back into open country.
The Northern Loop is entirely on tarmac. Apart from the (unofficial) Lancaster Link, which exploits a dedicated and well-surfaced cycle track, all of it is on public roads, mostly minor roads and quiet lanes.
The Southern Loop also has a few fairly short sections on surfaced cycle tracks, but otherwise the route again mainly follows quieter roads and lanes. There are a couple of urban sections, through Rawtenstall and Haslingden and also around Adlington. Generally these are not excessively busy, but school run and peak commuting times are best avoided if possible.
This book describes both loops in a clockwise direction, but of course they can be tackled either way and are signed accordingly. At first sight doing the route anti-clockwise would seem to mean more left turns and fewer right turns. Left turns are easier when there’s traffic about, which may be a consideration if you are nervous about tangling with cars. In fact, with such a complex route, there’s little difference between the overall numbers of lefts and rights. Tackling the loops clockwise, however, takes greater advantage of the prevailing south-west wind for the flat sections, and generally means that the biggest climbs are taken from their easier side.
Experienced cycle tourists may tackle either loop in a weekend, or comfortably complete the entire Cycleway in a few days. The less experienced or less ambitious will be glad to know that it’s easy to break it up into shorter