Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

We were on holiday in Settle and were looking forward to a lovely family walk. The forest is stunning and a great place to visit but beware it is designed for bikers not walkers. After our 5 year old nearly got ‘taken out’ on a couple of occasions we sought advice from the staff on where was safe to walk. There is one ‘pink trail’ to follow for walkers. Part of this is by road.
We have visited many forestry England sights and particularly like to visit our local ‘Dalby Forest’ so we were surprised that this was primarily geared towards cyclists and not walkers / cyclists equally. Unfortunately we would not return.

Turned up for a late afternoon bike ride, as was in the area with my bike from Cornwall, had a terrible time as the trails are badly sign posted and poorly mapped, got completely lost as am not local.
Struggled to find my way off what must have been private land to a road, then had to cycle an hour to get back to the carpark.
Toilets stank!

Great alternative to the busy Lakes and Yorkshire Dales. Lots of walking, excellent pubs and very friendly people.

A drive out into the countryside took us to the idyllic Trough of Bowland - a relatively little known area of natural outstanding beauty (AONB) strategically placed between Lancashire and Yorkshire and within a hop, skip and a jump of the Lake District.

The area is fast becoming a must-do area for cyclists and walkers with friendly pubs and some great little overnight camp sites and B&Bs sprouting up to complement traditional hotels and pubs to provide a welcome to weary travellers.

One of my favourite places is the beautiful village of Waddington and to find the "centre" of the UK at Dunsop Bridge.

However, on this occasion the main attraction was the vista along the road skirting the western flank of the Trough from Lancaster. High up on the ridge at the Jubilee Tower car park we could see over to the Lake District fells, Arnside and Silverdale and Morecambe Bay to the north - and down to Southport to the south. We tracked the Isle of Man ferry leaving Heysham and the Blackpool Tower landmark looked more like toy town than the main attraction of the seaside resort.

Definitely an area to explore by car, foot or bicycle. You will not be disappointed!

We were based at Tosside and spent the first 4 days of our week in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and Lake District, but oh boy what a fantastic surprise when we went into The Forest of Bowland. It is a truly magical place, with a beauty of its own. We called into the Hark to Bounty at Slaidburn and had a superb lunch. The lasagne was fabulous and my husband said the freshly grilled plaice was beautiful. We look forward to an early return.

Most people pass this by on their way to the Lakes (if you're coming from the South) but they should turn off the M6 at Preston and go and explore this vast and beautiful part of Lancashire.

For walkers - Bleasdale is a good place to start, where you can easily reach Fair Snape Fell at over 500m. There are excellent views of Blackpool and the Fylde and the Lakeland Fells.

For cyclists - The Trough of Bowland is a road which runs from near Lancaster, right down through the fells to Dunsop Bridge, the village at the true centre of the UK.

I try to visit at least twice a month and that is not enough for me. Go now.

went to slaidburn reservoir very very beautiful with a little cafe with outside seating area . lemon cake to die for

Fantastic place to walk with our young children both under 10. We had a fab day and followed a few trails. It was great to see a number of walker only trails. The bikes are kept on separate trails for the most part.
The only thing that let it down are the inconsiderate dog owners who can't be bothered to pick up after their dog! The dogs aren't responsible you are. So puck ir up we spent alot of the time navigating dog poo instead of admiring the view. We will be back again soon to do the blue trail. I great day had by all. Fantastic place and the views are stunning.

What a waste of time. I forgot to bring cash but assumed in 2018 it would have a card machine. I was wrong. With an hours round trip just for change wasn't worth me going back.

We stayed in the Forest of Bowland and had wonderful walks in woodland and across hills, past rivers and streams. Across and through farms - with friendly chatty farmers. The area is really stunning. We hardly saw a soul. It seems like a bit of an undiscovered part of Britain. Would certainly go back for more walks and peaceful stay in beautiful surroundings.