The Historic Lancaster Canal: A Day Cycle from the Lakes to Lancaster

After cycling in the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheniog) on a recent visit, we caught the cycling bug. Cycling from Kendal to Lancaster has been on our radar for a long time now and, when a nice day came along, we jumped at the chance to give it a go. We didn’t want to cycle all the way along the roads; instead, we wanted to see if it was possible to cycle the entire journey along the Kendal Towpath and then onto Lancaster’s historic canal. Was it? Almost.

The route begins at the train station in Kendal which has connections to Lancaster or, you could alternatively start the route at Oxenholme station which is one the main line to Scotland and London. Both have parking available too, if you’re arriving by car. Kendal is, of course, on the edge of the Lake District, famed for it’s Mint Cake and access to the Eastern Fells. It is also home to the Towpath which is part of the Canal that links Kendal to Preston and Lancaster. The canal was first opened in 1819 and was a key mode of transportation in and out of the town for goods, passengers and coal. However, when the railway was built in 1846, the canal had to compete with the train which caused a long and gradual decline leading to the canal being filled in the 1960s. Nowadays, the area is a footpath linking the town centre to the outskirts, and onwards to rejoin the canal as it still exists en route to Lancaster.

Because the canal was filled in at Kendal, there is some road cycling in the initial section of the route. You follow the Towpath out of Kendal town centre and then, because the path becomes grassy and unsuitable for cycling (if you have a road bike that is), you rejoin the road for approximately 5km on relatively traffic free lanes. On the outskirts of the village of Stainton, we rejoined the Canal but in this case, its an actual canal again! We weren’t sure what the path would be like alongside the canal however, looking over the bridge filled us with hope. It was a lovely path that was suitable for road bikes and we were thrilled. We thought we were in for a great cycle. And we were, just not a very quick one…

We rejoined the canal and off we went. This is a very simple route that doesn’t require a lot of description as its well way marked and you have the obvious reminder that you’re on the right track – you’re next to the canal. That being said, there are some moments that deviate from the canal, namely because of the M6. When the motorway was built, it cut through the canal as it was no longer in use. This means that in certain places, you have to pass over the motorway instead. The first instance of this is at Millness Boating Centre. We hopped off our bikes to walk along the pavement, under the bridge and then turn right to rejoin the canal. I had been surprised by how empty the canal path was here as I expected families and walkers to be out in the sunshine. However, it soon became clear why.

Just under 15km into the cycle the route crosses the M6 once again. We missed the signs for this so, if you pass under a bridge and the path suddenly becomes grass then, you’ve gone too far. Turn back to the bridge and exit the path via the stairs. You then cross over the M6 and back down the other side on a sandy path. It was from here that the path got a little bit more bumpy. The lovely path that we were on was replaced with uneven gravel that made it much more difficult to cycle on our road bikes. If you have a hybrid bike then you’d be absolutely fine with this. We were conscious that our thinner tires were going to get a puncture and the lack of suspension on a road bike meant that the ride wasn’t the most comfortable. Despite glimpses of better tarmac, the path unfortunately stays this way until nearing Lancaster and so, whilst this route is possible on a road bike, as we ourselves proved, I would recommend a hybrid or mountain bike.

I don’t regret doing this on our road bikes though as it travels through some beautiful countryside. Alongside the canal are fields of horses and cows and it was lovely and quiet. It feels like a real hidden gem. There are some lovely villages that back onto the canal too as well as locks at Tewitfield and aqueducts along the route. When you get to Carnforth, there is a great pub alongside the canal and we stopped here to have our packed lunches. There were swans in the canal too with their young cygnets. One swan wasn’t very happy with a passing boat!

One of the real highlights of the route comes towards the end when you cross the River Lune and cycle across the Lune Aqueduct. This is an incredible feat of engineering! This grade 1 listed aqueduct is over 202 metres long and passes 16 metres above the River, holding the canal suspended above it. It was built in 1797 which is impressive itself.

Once we arrived in Lancaster we visited the The White Cross pub which is on the opposite side of the canal as you reach the city. It has lots of outdoor seating on the banks of the canal and it was the perfect spot to end the cycle with a pint. Afterwards, we headed to the the station and got on the train to Oxenholme. You have a couple of options here: Avanti West Coast and Northern operate from Lancaster, both of which allow bikes. You can also board the Northern train to Windermere which calls at Kendal. You have to book bike spaces but we were able to do this on the day. Alternatively, you could continue the cycle along the path towards Preston or Morecambe Bay.

This was a really lovely day out. Progress was slow on our road bikes but it was nevertheless a great route and one which I highly recommend giving a go.

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Start point: Kendal Train Station

Exit the train station and head down Wildman Street towards the river.
Once your reach the river, turn left down Castle Street before taking the next road on the right.
Continue following this road until you reach a grassy area on the left. Cross the grass to join the Lancaster Canal Path.
Follow the Canal Path, crossing any roads and continuing along the path.
As you leave Kendal, the Canal Path meets Natland Road and the tarmac ends here. The Canal Path does continue however, you should cycle along Natland Road instead, continuing straight from where the path joins the road.
Continue straight along the road, passing straight through the village of Natland.
Exit the village along the same road. You should pass a school on the right.
Take the first left to cross the bridge over the railway line.
Then, bear right towards Crosscrake.
Once you reach the crossroads, continue straight. You should again pass another school on the right, Crosscrake CofE School.
Head downhill following the road. Once you reach a bridge, take the path on the left just before the canal, crossing through the car park in order to rejoin the canal path.
The canal path should be on your left as you follow the canal.
Continue straight along the Canal.
After approximately 4km, the canal seems to end at Millness Boating Centre. Join the main road, heading right and under the bridge. Turn right again just after the bridge to rejoin the path. It may be easier to dismount to do this.
After another 3km, you must leave the Canal path again and cross over the M6. If you pass under a bridge and the path becomes grass, you have gone too far. Dismount and carry your bikes up the steps and head to the right to cross the M6 and then join the sandy path on the left. This is clearly signposted.
This sandy path soon rejoins the canal path for another 5km.
The canal ends here briefly, again for the M6. Cycle across the bridge via the road before rejoining the on the other side of the motorway.
Pass through Twetifield Marina and Caravan Park to continue along the canal.
Once you reach around 29km into the route, you will reach Carnforth. Here the canal gets much busier so watch our for other path users. There is also a pub alongside the canal which would be a great stop off.
Follow the canal for another 11km. You will reach the Lune Aqueduct, one of the main highlights of the route.
Continue along the aqueduct and along the canal into Lancaster.
At the approximately 43km mark, The White Cross pub is on the opposite side of the canal. We stopped here for a drink as this was our end goal.
From the pub, head up to the road and turn left. Continue straight across two crossroads.
At the end of the road, turn right down Kings Street.
At the crossroads (the second set of traffic lights) turn left uphill towards the train station.
The train station will be on your right.