Take a short drive or cycle ride out of Lancaster along the River Lune and you’ll find yourself in the beautiful Lune Valley, ideal for fishing, birdwatching and horse riding.
One of the English countryside’s unspoilt gems, the Lune Valley begins just a few minutes’ drive from Lancaster and borders the Forest of Bowland National Landscape and the Yorkshire Dales. For centuries it has provided inspiration for artists and writers. The poet Thomas Gray was particularly impressed by the Crook O’Lune describing it as having “every feature which constitutes a perfect landscape.”
See what he meant by taking a walk up to Gray’s Seat near Caton where the magnificent panorama featuring Ingleborough and the Howgill Fells unfolds.
Picturesque villages with their unique heritage and individual shops, cafes and pubs are dotted throughout the Lune Valley with many hosting quirky events throughout the year including an art trail and a scarecrow festival.
Just further along the Lune Valley is the market town of Kirkby Lonsdale where the view across the River Lune so impressed John Ruskin that it was named after him. The gentle countryside of the Lune Valley is perfect for walkers looking for a quiet stroll or longer ramble with plenty of scenic places for a picnic.
If you’d rather take two wheels, the riverside cycleway follows the Lune from Lancaster and is also part of the 170-mile Way of the Roses cycle route from nearby Morecambe to Bridlington.