Riding north to the Lake District
Go to online mappingFrom - to: Lancaster to Kendal
Type: Canal paths and quiet roads
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The route begins at Lancaster's Millennium Bridge and crosses Ryelands Park before joining the Lancaster Canal, first opened in 1797 to service the mining industries. The towpath takes you through attractive canal-side villages with panoramic views across Morecambe Bay. At Hest Bank you can take a break on the seashore. Leaving the canal south of Carnforth, the route continues to Warton, home of George Washington's ancestors, and through quiet wooded lanes within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty including the pretty villages of Yealand Conyers and Yealand Redmayne. Nearby Leighton Hall and the Leighton Moss nature reserve are well worth a visit.
Just over the border into Cumbria, the marvellous views more than compensate for the climb to the attractive village of Beetham, where you can visit the Heron Corn Mill. The route continues downhill along a tree-lined lane through Dallam Park and into the market town of Milnthorpe. From there the route undulates along quiet lanes into the medieval market town of Kendal, where a traffic-free path along the line of the old canal takes you safely into the town centre via the footbridge at Gooseholme.
A free leaflet is available from Lancashire County Council, tel: 01772 534609.
Download a route description sheet.
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