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Cuerden Valley Park, near Preston
County: Lancashire
Difficulty: Easy
Duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Wheelchair Friendly: Yes
With water, woods, fields and usually plenty of other dogs to play with, Cuerden Valley Park is a dog's dream. Our usual route begins at the car park by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust Barn and through an iron gate, at which point the dog is normally let off the lead, into lovely woodland of majestic pine, beach and oak trees, set around a natural amphitheatre. We follow a path through the woods and out past fields, where if you're early you might see an occasional deer, to a small wooded footbridge over the river Lostock. The path winds up through the trees of the aptly named Dog Kennel Wood, giving glimpses of the valley below and grazing pastures above, before descending past a lake to a large open meadow adjacent to the river. The meadow provides the highlight of the walk, and the dog is normally joined by others in games of fetch or paddling in the river next to a wonderful old stone bridge. Owners can even join in the watery fun by daring to cross on the stepping stones! Our walk ends following a wide gravelled track back to our starting point, which does at least give a little time for the dog to dry off before reaching the car! Cuerden Valley Park is as close to doggy paradise as we have got! Even if you're not local, it's really close to the junctions of the M6, M61 and M65 motorways and would make a great spot to break your journey.
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Daisy Nook walk
County: Lancashire
Difficulty: Easy
Duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Wheelchair Friendly: Yes
This is a gem of a walk, for dogs and people alike and well worth visiting regularly for those who are lucky enough to live near Oldham. The sense of tranquillity here is astonishing, and even in Victorian times this was a popular place to get out of town for fresh air. There are so many paths that it must be possible to visit Daisy Nook a hundred times and never repeat a route. One of the main features is the Hollinwood Branch canal which runs through the park and provides flat level walking. The canal itself is disused and has been filled in to become a path and bridleway. The Oldham Way and the Tameside Trail are routes which go through parts of the park. Daisy Nook has lots to offer and is well worth exploring - walking the dog just doesn't get any better than this!
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Heysham Old village across the downs and back along the beach
County: Lancashire
Difficulty: Medium
Duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Wheelchair Friendly: No
Park in Heysham old village. Walk down the old village main street past old 17th century fishing cottages. Turn past the pre Norman Church admiring the churchyard set against Heysham bay ( a magnificent sight - I cannot think of a more beautiful setting for a church )and walk up to the ruins of St Patrick's chapel. Admire the views across the bay with the Lake District hills as a backdrop. Walk over the emerald green downs to one of the footpaths down to the beach. It is full of rock pools to explore and little sandy coves. Depending on the level of the tide either return over the downs or scramble over the rocks or walk back along the beach to the old village. Enjoy a meal or drink in the old pub or the welcoming tea rooms both of which are very dog friendly and serve home made food.
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Millennium Ribble Link
County: Lancashire
Difficulty: Easy
Duration: Over 2 hours
Wheelchair Friendly: Yes
The four-mile Millennium Ribble Link opened in 2002 and is Britain's newest inland waterway. The Link joins the Lancaster Canal with the River Ribble, providing a tidal link to the Rufford branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. A footpath follows much of the length of the Ribble Link, providing an interesting walk with a real mix of urban and rural settings. Our walk was around 6 miles, taking about 2 hours but you could shorten it to suit. Most of the route is easy access and suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs (but quite narrow in places). Any stiles can easily be avoided. Our route started at the main car park in Preston's Haslam Park, off Blackpool Road. We followed the main path through the park, crossing the brook, and through the grassland of the nature reserve to the Lancaster Canal. All of this stretch can happily be done off-lead and there are plenty of ball throwing opportunities! On reaching the canal, turn left and follow the towpath, crossing under a bridge, until you reach the junction of the Lancaster Canal and the locks leading to the Millennium link. It's a good idea to put your dog on the lead here. Follow the path beside the locks where you'll see an imposing 15 foot high sculpture of a naked man. The sculpture is entitled "Water". There are three other sculptures en route, fire, air and earth. Take care crossing Tom Benson Way and follow the path under the rail bridge using the metal walkway. The path widens and winds its way beside the link, crossing Savick Way and Lea Road. After Lea, you can either follow the path beside the Link or take the footpath across the field, directly in front of you as you cross the road. As we walked today, the grass had been recently cut so we were able to walk through the field and have another good game of fetch before crossing over a stile to the access road to Ashton and Lea Golf Club. We continued to follow the path beside the link, which runs alongside Preston North End's training ground before opening up once more beside open fields. There is a footbridge along this stretch which allows you to join a footpath through the golf course, but we didn't take that route today. Eventually, you reach another bridge and a sign warning that the footpath ends at "lock 8". At this point we turned back and retraced our steps following largely the same route back to the car. All in all a good walk with lots of off-lead opportunities. You can always find something nice to look at. One day, we'll return to make a nice circular walk.
http://prestonwalkies.blogspot.com/2007/06/millenium-ribble-link.html
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Preston Junction Nature Reserve
County: Lancashire
Difficulty: Medium
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Wheelchair Friendly: Yes
This is great dog walking territory, close to the heart of Preston, taking in a short stretch of footpath along the banks of the River Ribble opposite Avenham Park. The Preston Junction Local Nature Reserve is based on former railway lines, rich in diverse wildlife. It is a fantastic area, showing some of the natural environment of the Ribble at its best. Anyone living in the Preston area should take the time to enjoy this walk. It's easy walking and provides some good off-lead opportunities when off the main cycle routes. Our walk started from near Bee Lane on Leyland Road, Preston. We walked down Leyland Road to Skew Bridge, where the road crosses the railway tracks, and took the footpath leading off to the right to the old Vernon Carras factory. Crossing Factory Lane we took the path opposite the farm, leading past the sports changing facilities. Passing through a gate, ignoring the first footpath up the railway embankment, we took the tarmac path leading left up to join the main embankment leading towards Preston. This tends to be relatively quiet and provides a good off-lead stretch. The embankment reaches the banks of the Ribble, by the old (now closed) railway bridge. Here, turn right, and walk along the well-made path along the banks of the Ribble. This stretch is tidal and it's amazing how the walk takes on a different nature dependant on tides and the volume of flood water. When you reach the old Tram Road bridge leading over to Avenham Park, turn right up the tree-lined old Tram Road. Rather than stay on the main tarmac path you can drop down to a narrow path on the left, below the embankment, which provides a better opportunity for off-lead walking, avoiding any passing cycles. The lower path isn't recommended for anyone with mobility problems. But you could easily stay on the upper path. The lower path ultimately becomes impassable and a steep walk up the embankment is needed to rejoin the main path, but it's worth it. The Tram Road ultimately leads back to the factory where we retraced our steps back to Leyland Road. The circular route takes about an hour. You can extend it by carrying on up the Tram Road and up Wateringpool Lane before cutting back across to Leyland Road near Lostock Hall. More information on the nature reserve can be found on the Lancashire County Council website
http://prestonwalkies.blogspot.com/2007/06/preston-junction-nature-reserve.
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