Visit Lancashire

Enjoy the sunshine with a backdrop of live music

Enjoy the sunshine with a backdrop of live music - here are some of the best local music festivals taking place this summer in Lancashire

The Beat Herder Festival
This non-conformist festival provides locally sourced food, creative workshops and live performances from artists and DJ’s including Basement Jaxx, Sugarhill Gang and more. Dates: 17 - 19 July 2015 Price:
Tickets for adults (with camping) from £134.00
Location: Sawley, Clitheroe
beatherder.co.uk

Five must do things when you visit the seaside this year

Holidays and days out at the seaside are the stuff of childhood memories. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. Think donkey rides, building sandcastles, fish & chips and you’re already there. Throw in a summer show and you’ve got the makings of a great day out beside the sea.

1. Build a sandcastle, complete with flags and shell decorations
Try the beaches at St Annes, Blackpool, Cleveleys, Fleetwood and Morecambe. Buy an ice cream and encourage the kids to have a donkey ride – what could be simpler? Get more info on beaches in Lancashire

10 Don't Miss Family Events in Lancashire this summer

Make your summer one to remember with these great family events.

Oliver Twist Play in the Park
The UKs biggest walkabout theatre presents Oliver in Lancaster’s stunning Williamson Park. You’ll be begging for more!

When: 3 July – 15 August
Where: Williamson Park, Lancaster
Cost: Tickets from £15

Pretty Lancashire villages that you should visit

It’s a tough job to select Lancashire's best villages to visit, but Lancashire Life have given it a go. See if you agree with their choices.

Downham

Where it is: The village stands in countryside a couple of miles north east of Clitheroe, close to the A59. The nearest railway station is at Clitheroe and if you’re following a satnav, type in the postcode BB7 4DN.

Famous for: The lack of signs, television aerials and other indicators of modern life. Even if you don’t know the village itself, you’re likely to know it from its many appearances on television – because Downham remains largely untouched by the 20th century (let alone the 21st) it is often used as a location for filming period dramas.

The Parkers Arms

I’m always a little late to the proverbial party when it comes to food trends: street food, kale, cocktails in jars... And so it is that I am the last food blogger in the north of England to visit The Parkers Arms in Lancashire. I’ve spent the last two years, seeing pics and reading reviews but never making it out there. But now I have and it was well worth the wait!

We went up late on a Saturday afternoon. About an hour from our house, it’s a great drive up to Newton-in-Bowland past Clitheroe, through Waddington and then past the sheep in the hills. The Parkers Arms isn’t a trendy gastropub with a soulless interior and identikit menu. This is a ‘proper’ pub with proper ale, proper fire and properly lovely people working there. We were tucked in next to the fire which was lit even though it was a lovely warm day outside, but we didn’t mind as it just added to the general ambience of the place.

Lancashire Glamping Weekend

With a spare weekend available and a love for all things outdoors, we recently decided to do a bit of ‘glamping’ here in Lancashire. Glamping offers many of the home comforts, whilst still enjoying an outdoors experience. Box Tree Farm was the chosen destination for our weekend in the village of Wennington, nestled between Hornby and Low Bentham, in the beautiful Lune Valley.

Walk this May

I’ve been wanting to explore more of the eastern side of Bowland so to get started I picked an easy route along the River Hodder from The Parkers Arms at Newton-in-Bowland. I plan to go back later in spring and do a longer walk but today I wanted a nice easy walk with some grub and a drink at the finish line.

I parked up in the pub car park and nipped in to tell them I’d be back to eat later. There aren’t loads of spaces but parking isn’t a problem as long as you let them know you’re eating or having a drink afterwards. Even if it’s just for a cup of tea. There is also alternative parking at the top of the village if you are just walking.

Chorley Goes to Chelsea

When the surviving member of a family that was part of the French Resistance in Nazi occupied France appeared as the guest of honour at the opening of Chorley’s show garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, a story of selfless bravery that began in 1943, involving an injured RAF navigator and a courageous group of French people, finally got the public attention it deserved.

Get Active in Lancashire

Forget the gym, let our beautiful (and sometimes challenging) Lancashire landscape inspire you to get active.

Walking
Its free, doesn’t require specialist equipment (except for comfy shoes) and you can do it anywhere. This vastly underrated form of exercise is proven to help reduce the risk of developing chronic illnesses, is suitable for all ages AND we’ve got loads of free walking routes to download from visitlancashire.com.

All Aboard for a day out with Thomas

With a Thomas mad toddler in tow we headed to the East Lancashire Railway on bank holiday weekend for a Day out with Thomas and his friends on the East Lancashire Railway.

Sir Topham Hat opened the day on the station platform, with flags fluttering, steam engines hissing and excited children a plenty.  I’m not sure who was more excited about the arrival of Thomas into the station, parents or children. But when he pulled onto platform 4, pulling four carriages and tooting hello, we all cheered very enthusiastically, and I half expected him to give a trademark wink!