Читать книгу The Lancashire Cycleway. The tour and 17 day rides онлайн

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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.