Prelan two

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This Slow Way was done in two stages. The route from Preesall leads up Park lane and follows streets and village paths to reach the coastal path at the outskirts of Knott End. The route along the coast is beautiful and overlooks Morecambe Bay towards the Lake District hills. At the time of our visit there were flocks of geese and lapwing as well as gulls. The new Isle of Man ferry was also observed entering Heysham harbour. The coastal path is followed as far as Pilling Sands and the car park on Fluke Hall Lane. After a short walk on the lane a track leads back onto the permissive embankment track. (Note closed Boxing Day to Good Friday). Again fine views across the bay and over to Bowland can be seen. The track finishes at Lane Ends and a quiet lane is taken to the main busy A580 road. Fortunately this is only a short stretch and Horse Park Lane to taken to Pilling Hall farm. The farm was relatively clean and dry when we passed through but it is a cattle farm. The footpath route of the Lancashire Coastal Way is continued upon through fields and passes by Greystock Lodge with a narrow passage between buildings and hedge/ditch. It emerges on a track leading to Gulf Lane and then Crimbles Lane to Cocker Bridge. After crossing the main road, clear tracks and paths are followed past Pattys Farm, with adjacent small airfield, Bank End and Bank Houses, both with small caravan parks. The sight and sounds of Little Egret and Curlew were in the air. The route continues along the bank by the edge of Cockerham Sands, passed the remains of Cockersand Abbey, Abbey Lighthouse, the final lighthouse to be operated by a woman and Abbey Lighthouse cottage. The coast is left via the aptly named Marsh Lane (a bridleway) to Glasson Dock and its marina. The coast is then regained and the very pleasant route follows the old railway line to past Stodday where a footpath inland is taken towards Aldcliffe., then onto Aldcliffe Drive and finally to the canal towpath which takes us into Lancaster and the railway station finish.

This is a long route which I walked over two days in the winter. This was facilitated by the number 89 bus which runs from Lancaster through Glasson Dock, Cockerham, Pilling and Preesall to Knott End, every one and a half hours, every day except Sunday. I started from Preesall and ended in Lancaster, but used the bus stop at Marsh Houses, which is half way between Cockerham and where the route crosses the A588, to enable me to go home for the night, midway. Facilities along or near to the route include the following:
Preesall: pub and supermarket
Pilling: toilets 20p, pub, B&B
Pilling Amenity Area: picnic tables
Farm Brew Co: food and drink at weekends
Cockerham: pub
Pattys Farm: accommodation
Glasson Dock: pub, toilets 20p, café, shop, chippy van, tables
Conder Green: pub, café, tables
Lancaster: every reasonable thing

This is a really beautiful and fairly wild, remote-feeling route, which largely follows the Lancashire Coastal Way and is mostly easy to navigate. The birdlife is spectacular (take binoculars!). I saw and heard curlew, lapwing, oystercatcher, redshank, little egret, heron, flocks of geese, pink footed geese, shelducks, heron, mallard, swan, moorhen, and a starling murmuration. The 360 degree views are spectacular, from the Coastwatch Tower at Fleetwood, inland past extensive flat farmland, the Bowland Fells, Lake District hills, Heysham Power Station, Lancaster’s Ashton Memorial, Barrow-in-Furness shipyards, Piel Castle, the wind turbines out to sea, and the Isle of Man ferry.
There are some issues to be aware of though. Pilling Embankment (from Sandfield Cottage to Lane Ends Amenity Area) is not a public right of way, but there is permissive access. However, between Boxing Day and Good Friday access is not allowed in order to protect over-wintering birds and lambing sheep. I’m not sure how policed this is, but the alternative route is the roads via Pilling which is the route the Lancashire Coastal Path follows.
There is a short section of A588 at Lane Ends with no verge. The traffic is slightly busy and fast but there is good visibility and I didn’t feel unsafe. After this the route through the farm at Pilling Hall may involve crossing a yard full of cows. It is well signposted, and I was lucky that the farmer was around, and she shooed away the cows and opened the gate for me and advised me to stay to the hinge side of the gate into the field where there was hardcore beneath the cow muck! She was very helpful and said that she’d like to divert the path to an easier route around the farm.
After crossing a couple of wet fields, the route followed three miles of very quiet country roads, and I was very tempted to stop at the Farm Yard Brew Co, but I had a bus to catch!
It is possible for very high spring tides to flood parts of the path from the A588 crossing, so it’s worth checking tidetables, but for most of the year it will be fine. There is a small airfield at Patty’s Farm, then several caravan sites, then Cockersands Abbey which is worth looking at. Also, look out for the plaque on Lighthouse Cottage when you meet the road again.
The route crosses fields soon after this as the coast is privately owned and protected here. What looked like a dry farm track “Marsh Lane” turned out to be very muddy. Worse than that, Janson’s Pool was completely flooded. I was forced to make a diversion across the field and along the embankment, ending by climbing a padlocked gate at the caravan park. (I was not the only one!) I was temped to fail this route, but it seems this is an occasional event, and this is a recognised long distance public route. The satellite views on OS Maps and Google both show a dry crossing here, and there are several photos on geography.org showing it as dry, such as geography.org.uk/photo/3363347 and 3695623, 2943648, 1187763 and 3495213. I think this was caused by previous high rainfall not a high tide. There seem to be ongoing debates about dealing with coastal flooding and protecting the birdlife in this area, so the situation (and the route) may change.
After Glasson Dock there is a lovely, gravelled, tree-lined former railway cycle-track running alongside the Lune estuary. Just before reaching the canal there is a brilliant view of Lancaster Castle. Be sure to leave the towpath at the footbridge as access is not possible to the road and footpath, after the railway bridge.

Well, I think that was one of my longest reviews yet, due to it being such an epic route!.

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