Walks from Carnforth

Limestone scenery of the Arnside and Silverdale National Landscape: lanes, woodland and outcrops, climbing Warton Crag for sweeping views over Morecambe Bay. Rare butterflies, moths and lizards on the crag.

Time: 2h30

Walk details: Discover Bowland (PDF).

Fields, lanes and canal towpath through the Lune valley, past Loyn Bridge near Gressingham, then over Kellet along the Lancaster Canal into Carnforth.

Time: 5h30

Warnings: Strenuous full-day walk; can be split into shorter legs.

Walk details: Community Rail Lancashire (PDF).

Coast, quiet farmland lanes and the lock-free Lancaster Canal towpath into Carnforth, the station of Brief Encounter fame.

Time: 2h

Walk details: Community Rail Lancashire (PDF).

Similar walk: Railwalks.

Recommended: The magnificent Lune Aqueduct; a canalside view of the sea, with mountains beyond. A long but very easy route, canal towpath nearly all the way, with short street sections at each end and no stiles, gates or steps. The towpath contours above the Lune valley over the magnificent Lune Aqueduct; surface is tarmac (partly broken) or fine gravel and lumpy in places with a couple of short muddy patches and a short cobbled section. Views across the fields, Morecambe Bay and the Lakeland hills; kingfishers sometimes seen. Cafés at St John's Hospice (Lancaster end) and a shoreside café and micropub at Hest Bank.

Waterway: nine tenths along the Lancaster Canal.

Time: 4h–7h30

Lunch: Canalside pubs and a supermarket at Bolton-le-Sands and a canalside pub at Hest Bank.

1 end-of-walk reward: the Canal Turn

Warnings: The towpath surface is lumpy where the tarmac has disintegrated, with a couple of slightly muddy patches.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Reverse direction: Railwalks (inc. GPX).

Wonderful views, especially back towards Ingleborough. Roughly 40% quiet lanes and farm roads (some with pavement, some without) and 60% field paths and farm tracks. Several field sections have no visible trodden path and can be long-grassed, thistly or boggy. Gently undulating with some hills and plus a riverside stretch along the Wenning. Curlews and other wildlife are common in the fields; expect livestock (sheep, occasional cows). Wennington has a station, so the walk can be shortened.

Time: 6h–12h

Lunch: Hornby (around halfway) has shops, a café and a pub.

Warnings: Some field paths are unclear underfoot, so GPS is useful; ground-nesting birds (curlews) may be disturbed in long grass during nesting season. A few road sections have no pavement, and the lane leaving Hornby can be the dodgiest for traffic.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Numerous extensive views across Morecambe Bay. A walk through varied landscapes and habitats with extensive views across Morecambe Bay, with a big hill up and down at each end and a level stretch through the middle. Includes a steep and stony track that can be slippery when wet. Passes Arnside Tower and the viewpoint at Arnside Knott; the embankment path is scheduled to become part of the English Coast Path. Good train connections between Carnforth and Arnside.

Arnside Knott: A wooded limestone hill in the Arnside and Silverdale AONB with a plateau summit giving panoramic views over Morecambe Bay and the southern Lake District fells.

Leighton Moss: An RSPB reedbed reserve near Silverdale with a visitor centre and birdwatching hides.

Time: 4h–8h

Lunch: Several refreshment opportunities in Silverdale.

Warnings: Should not be walked during very high tides or in particularly wet weather. The fields between Millhead and Warton flood occasionally in very wet weather, when Mill Lane can be used instead.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

The coast has superb views. A coastal-and-canal walk: about a mile and a half along the well-surfaced Morecambe promenade with views across the bay, then a tidal shore section to Hest Bank (on beach, paths and sea cobbles) and before joining the Lancaster Canal towpath all the way to Carnforth. Towpath is generally degraded tarmac or gravel. Plenty of wildlife on the sands, mudflats and along the towpath.

Waterway: three fifths along the Lancaster Canal.

Time: 3h–5h30

Lunch: A beach café by the level crossing at Hest Bank, plus a pub and shops.

1 end-of-walk reward: the Canal Turn

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a third of the walk. A short section between the promenade and Hest Bank is below the high-water mark — check tide times; a pavement alongside the main road is the alternative at high tide. The shore can be stony and slippery with seaweed. A railway level crossing at Hest Bank.

Walk details: Slow Ways.