Lancar one

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Lancar here.

The route from the station to the Carlisle Bridge was pleasant but there are 60 or so steps up to the bridge (slope 50%) and the track across the bridge is quite narrow (< 1m). The views of Lancaster from the bridge are very good. The next path (PRoW 1-1-FP21) was awful. It was not considered safe, it was narrow, dirty and full of rubbish, old mattresses, and broken glass. A dumping ground in fact. Upon exit, the road pavements were followed to Barley Cop Wood which was very peaceful and led to the Bay Gateway. The route was followed onto a new track with a short rise to a viewpoint with 360 degree views across Morecambe Bay to the Lake District and the fells of North Lancashire. The track then descended to the Lancaster canal towpath which was followed through Hest Bank and Bolton-le-Sands as far as Carnforth. The towpath is a very pleasant walk, quiet and with plenty of flora and fauna. The route then left the towpath and followed roadside pavements to Carnforth town centre near the railway station.

The route starts by following the railway through a meadow, then over the River Lune using a bridge with many steps up then many steps down. It then proceeds along a nasty footpath* until it reaches more pleasant residential roads. It proceeds through Barley Cop Wood which is well-maintained and lovely, then runs alongside the M6 link road (Bay Gateway) to the canal. There is a great 360⁰ panorama from here – on a clear day you can see Grange over Sands and the Lake District fells, and also Ingleborough and Lancaster’s landmarks. The bulk of the route follows the Lancaster Canal and is very pleasant and easy. The towpath is generally degraded tarmac.
*The nasty footpath is a quarter of a mile long, fully enclosed, and is slippery in places. It is full of fly-tipping and broken bottles, and is unlit and a bit overgrown. There is no escape route once you are on it. This path is the reason I have given only the route one star. The rest of the route is very pleasant, and there are alternatives to the nasty footpath.

This is a very nice gentle walk which predominantly follows the Lancaster canal, making it a steady, even surfaced walk through a picturesque semi rural landscape.
To avoid the initial urban route out of Lancaster you could follow the river upstream from Sainsbury’s to the Aquaduct in order to join the canal at that point and so avoiding all walking on roads.

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