Lune Valley Ramble - Forest of Bowland

Lancaster to Crook O’LuneThe Ramble traces the course of the oldLancaster to Wennington railway, closed underthe Beeching axe in the 1960s and now alandscaped cyclepath as far as Bull Beck, Caton.There are more than 15 miles of suchtransformed railway line in the Lancaster area.A riverside park is being developed betweenLancaster and Caton with grants from theMillennium Fund. Watch out for the newenvironmental sculptures along the route.Lune Valley mists and distant IngleboroughSwans on the River LuneAbove Skerton Weir the Lune Aqueduct stridesacross the river. Built in 1797 by John Rennieand Alexander Stevens it is constructed of stoneand is 664 feet long with five semi-circulararches, each with a 20 foot span. It carries theLancaster Canal at a height of 50 feet abovethe river.The canal was constructed between 1792 and1819 to link Kendal, Lancaster and Preston withthe coalfields of South Lancashire. Today the 41mile stretch from Preston north to Tewitfield onthe Lancashire/Cumbria border is the longestlock-free stretch of canal in the country. Thecanal is now used for a wide variety of leisurepursuits including boating, canoeing, anglingand walking.Passing beneath the M6 viaduct the Ramblereaches the old Halton station above HaltonBridge and lower weir.To cut short your walk here, cross the bridge toHalton village which has shops, pubs and a goodbus service back to Lancaster. You could alsocomplete a circular walk to Lancaster by turningleft along Halton’s main street, pass beneath theM6 and join a riverside path back to theAqueduct, Skerton Weir and Skerton Bridge.White Lion Inn, HaltonPage 6