Bowland Escapes
โ Dark Skyโaccredited site for clear night skies
Chipping, North West England
ยฃ755 per break
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Photo: El Pollock (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
From first-visit essentials to local favourites, this is our honest guide to holidays in Lancashire: where to stay, what it costs and what not to miss. Blackpool's lights, the Ribble Valley and Forest of Bowland.
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12 places matching your filters.
โ Dark Skyโaccredited site for clear night skies
Chipping, North West England
ยฃ755 per break
Check availability
๐๏ธ 0.92 miles from Morecambe South (Good water quality)
Westgate, Morecambe, North West England
ยฃ219 per break
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โ Set on 160 acres of farmland around a spring-fed lake
Weeton, Fylde Coast, North West England
ยฃ626 per break
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๐๏ธ 1.63 miles from Cleveleys (Good water quality)
Fleetwood, Blackpool, North West England
ยฃ181 per break
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๐๏ธ 2.63 miles from Blackpool Central (Sufficient water quality)
Blackpool, North West England
ยฃ145 per break
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โ Adult-only lodge park with large plots and peace and tranquillity
Allithwaite, North West England
ยฃ439 per break
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Carnforth, North West England
ยฃ749 per break
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Poulton-Le-Fylde, North West England
ยฃ555 per break
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โ Luxury lodges set in peaceful Ribble Valley countryside
Old Langho, Ribble Valley, North West England
ยฃ375 per break
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โ Set in former Earl of Derby estate grounds with mature woodland
Mowbreck Park, North West England
ยฃ339 per break
Check availabilityItineraries
Haunted Britain
Lancashire packs a lot into a modest stretch of the North West: a coast with two very different seaside personalities, mill towns with museums that explain how the county earned its living, and a run of castles and old halls that take you from Norman earthworks to panelled stately rooms. With 947 places to stay on BritStays across the region, it works equally well as a single busy day out or a long weekend with a change of scene each morning.
Blackpool is the obvious starting point with children in tow, and it rewards a little planning. Showtown Blackpool tells the story of the resort's entertainers, illuminations and sideshows, which tends to land well with older children who want context for what they're seeing outside. Splash! is the one to hold in reserve for a hot afternoon or a washout, and Funtastic Play suits younger ones who need to burn energy somewhere dry and contained.
Away from the coast, Smithills Open Farm gives smaller children animals at close range and the sort of slow, outdoor morning that balances out a day of noise and queues. If you're alternating big-ticket days with gentler ones, pair the farm with a picnic rather than trying to squeeze in a museum afterwards.
Lancashire has an unusually strong bench of indoor options, most of them in former industrial buildings:
Check opening days before you set out, as smaller museums don't always run a full week.
Malham Cove is the big outdoor set piece: a curved limestone amphitheatre with a limestone pavement above it, and the kind of walk that needs proper footwear rather than trainers. Give it a morning and don't plan much afterwards. For something flatter and more sociable, the coast at Morecambe and Blackpool gives you long, easy walking with somewhere to sit down at the end of it.
Lancaster Castle and Clitheroe Castle are the two most straightforward to build a day around, both substantial enough to hold your attention. Hornby Castle, Gleaston Castle and Piel Castle are more about setting and ruin than guided interiors โ worth it if you like your history atmospheric and uncrowded. For interiors and gardens, Gawthorpe Hall, Gisburne Park, Hacking Hall and Lawkland Hall cover the stately end of the county. Access arrangements vary considerably between private halls and open properties, so confirm what's possible on the day you want to go.
Three combinations that don't involve doubling back:
For a proper sit-down meal, The Stork and the Ship & Royal are both pubs with five-star hygiene ratings and the sort of menus that suit a family after a long walk. Remedy Churchtown is the tea-room option for cake and a pot of something hot mid-afternoon. For ice cream, Miogelato and The Quayside at Glasson Dock are the two to know โ the latter is a natural pause if you're already out by the water.
Two or three nights is the sweet spot. Base yourself on the coast in Blackpool if you want attractions within easy reach and evenings with something going on, or in Morecambe if you'd rather a calmer seafront and use the car for day trips inland. A three-day shape that works: coast and family attractions on day one, mills and museums on day two, then Malham Cove or a castle on day three before you drive home.
Book weekend and school-holiday accommodation early, particularly in Blackpool during illuminations season. Take waterproofs whatever the forecast says, keep one indoor attraction unbooked as a wet-weather substitute, and ring ahead to any smaller museum or private hall rather than assuming it's open.
Showtown Blackpool covers the resort's entertainment history, Splash! is an indoor water attraction, and Funtastic Play is aimed at younger children. All three are in Blackpool, so you can combine two in a day without much travelling.
Good indoor options include the Harris Museum, the Museum of Lancashire, Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Higher Mill, Whitakers' Mill and the Judges' Lodgings Museum in Morecambe. In Blackpool, Splash! and Funtastic Play both work in bad weather.
Lancaster Castle and Clitheroe Castle are the most substantial to build a day around. Hornby Castle, Gleaston Castle and Piel Castle are more ruin and setting than guided interiors. For stately homes, there are Gawthorpe Hall, Gisburne Park, Hacking Hall and Lawkland Hall โ check access arrangements before travelling, as these vary.
Yes. Smithills Open Farm gives small children animals at close range, and Funtastic Play in Blackpool is a good indoor option for burning off energy. Pairing one of these with a picnic and a seafront walk makes a full day without overloading it.
The Stork and the Ship & Royal are pubs with five-star hygiene ratings, Remedy Churchtown is a tea room, and Miogelato and The Quayside at Glasson Dock are ice cream stops.
Blackpool suits you if you want attractions close by and busier evenings; Morecambe is calmer and works well if you plan to drive out to castles, halls and Malham Cove. There are 947 places to stay on BritStays across Lancashire, and weekends and school holidays book up early.
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What's on at each, with tickets and places to stay within walking distance.
Events from
Skiddle
Fri 13 Nov ยท 12:00
Build Fast Connections
The Old Milk Depot, Rawtenstall ยท 17.1 mi
Tickets on Skiddle โ
Fri 13 Nov ยท 18:00
Southport Stars Amateur Boxing Show
Victoria Park, Southport ยท 22.4 mi
Tickets on Skiddle โ
Fri 13 Nov ยท 18:30
Teresa Winter / Sam McLoughlin | Small Hours @ Snapes Printw...
Snapes Printworks, Preston ยท 7.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle โ
Fri 13 Nov ยท 19:00
Friday Night Laughs
Comedy Station Comedy Club, Blackpool ยท 18.7 mi
Tickets on Skiddle โ
Fri 13 Nov ยท 19:00
East 17
Central Pier Showbar Blackpool, Blackpool ยท 18.8 mi
Tickets on Skiddle โ
Fri 13 Nov ยท 19:00
Outside The Original Prog Classics Show
Skipton Sound Bar Ltd, Skipton ยท 24.9 mi
Tickets on Skiddle โ
Fri 13 Nov ยท 19:00
Eric Isaacson (Mississippi Records) A People's History of Mu...
Natural Endings, Todmorden ยท 22.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle โ
Fri 13 Nov ยท 19:00
Sphere Sessions Presents : A Family Affair
Nytclas, Preston ยท 7.4 mi
Tickets on Skiddle โ