Priory

Ellerside from Cartmel

7.4 miles | 11.9 km | 203 m Ascent | 8.4 Naismith miles | Alison Kinder & Colin Stroud
Bentham Footpath Group has visited the Cartmel Peninsula a number of times: It’s a great place to start a walk and offers a good choice of routes. We could head east onto Hampsfell with cracking views over the Kent Estuary and into Morecambe Bay, or as we do on this walk, west onto the ridge at Ellerside with equally good views across the Levens Estuary and over to the Lakeland fells. Along the way we have the opportunity to explore Cartmel Village, potentially adding a visit to the Priory and Cartmel Park racecourse, before heading through Park Wood, and scaling Ellerside where from the top of a ridge running along the side of the estuary, we have great views over to Ulverston. Our return is south past How Barrow, then down to Low Bank Side where we pick up a lane back to the racecourse tracking the river Eea.

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Lancaster – City country and coast

7.5 miles | 12.1 km | 139 m Ascent | 8.2 Naismith miles | Sandra Craggs
A couple of years ago, we tried an interesting experiment – we started a walk in the centre of Lancaster and included a significant rural element in our route. That walk was a great success, and with a little time having passed we thought it worth re-running with a few minor changes to the points of interest we visit in the city centre.
Starting from Sugar House Alley, we walk through the city centre to the Lancaster Canal where we head South along the towpath – this gives a very urban view of Lancaster and its industrial heritage.
We leave the canal just after the west coast main line railway bridge, and head down a side street into the Fairfield Association Nature Reserve. That trail brings us back to the canal at Haverbreaks, and we again head South before leaving almost immediately to take a path through Aldcliffe to the Lune estuary where we take the embankment North through the marshes. Opposite Oxcliffe Hill, we head inland through Freemans Wood and on to Abrahams Heights. We are now back in a very urban environment, heading past the bustle of the railway station and then the Priory and Castle, before returning to the city centre, where we visit more heritage sites.

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Lancaster: City and Country

6.6 miles | 10.6 km | 319 m Ascent | 8.2 Naismith miles | Susan Badley
Walking from a city centre is unusual for The Bentham Footpath Group. This interesting walk starts in Lancaster city centre and takes the Lancaster Canal South to the Fairfield Nature Reserve, where we loop round the “Fauna”, “Flora” and community orchard areas to arrive back at the canal.
We then head through Aldcliffe to the Lune estuary and the Lancashire Coastal Way, before returning via Freemans Woods to the city centre.
Good views of the Priory and Castle end this refreshing walk.

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