After five years on a narrowboat, I’ve finally reached the end of the canal network
A quest to find the long-lost Cumbria stretch of the Lancaster Canal turns into an adventure in ‘extreme narrowboating’
November 2023
Merseyside’s towpath to the past: a 20-mile walk along the Industrial Revolution’s first canal
Giant relics from previous centuries, a restoration effort and our writer’s childhood memories loom large on this hike along Britain’s first modern canal
July 2023
Blackpool illuminated: resetting the jewel in Britain’s seaside crown
After years of decline, Blackpool is undergoing a renaissance and is becoming a precious heritage destination
June 2023
Looms with a view: a tour of Lancashire’s former mill towns
Visit the region’s old mills, as well as its museums, galleries and parks, in the buildup to this year’s British Textile Biennial
March 2023
The pub walk
A walk along the River Ribble to a great pub: the Lower Buck, Lancashire
An easy walk on both right and left banks of the Ribble offers an abundance of history – and pubs
January 2023
‘Around here, people want top-end food’: how Lancashire’s Ribble Valley became Britain’s gastropub capital
With villages around the town of Clitheroe now home to three of the UK’s top 50 gastropubs, we celebrate this unique north-western take on excellent pub dining
December 2022
‘Dark days are a time to replenish’: how to walk well in winter
‘Something special in the air’: new bars, art, music and restaurants are turning heads in Stockport
November 2022
The pub walk
A moorland walk to a temperance bar: Mr Fitzpatrick’s, Rawtenstall
There’s no boozing at the end of this hike through industrial history , but at a pub like this you won’t even miss it
October 2022
Observer walks
‘Balm for the soul’: my beloved, blissful walk in the Forest of Bowland
This magical place is a history-imbued, gives-you-goosebumps expanse of fells, moors and farmland – with a fabulous pub at the end
August 2022
Walking Pendle Hill’s new trail: the Two Toms
Honouring two giants of UK hiking, this 25-mile Lancashire route links to the Pennine Way – and finally frees the hill from its witchcraft associations
July 2022
The pub walk
A canal and seaside walk to a great pub: the Hest Bank, near Morecambe Bay
Taking in medieval and more recent industrial history, a stroll along this flat route is rewarded by a lovely old pub, great beer and views of the bay
May 2022
A local's guide
Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s guide to Liverpool: ‘Make sure you see the city from the Mersey’
The children’s novelist and screenwriter on pubs, green spaces, childhood memories and those ubiquitous watery views
January 2022
Walkers of the world unite! The last Clarion House, a radical rest for ramblers and cyclists
Near Nelson, Lancashire, a refuge built in 1912 for mill workers to meet in nature is still open for tea and leftwing sympathy
October 2021
The pub walk
A great walk to a great pub: Four Alls Inn, Higham, Lancashire
A stroll through Lancashire’s horrible history, with beer and hotpot in a ‘proper’ pub to cheer the spirits
September 2021
From coal mining to soul mining on a heritage walk around St Helens
Discover the traces of Merseyside’s industrial past with a new walking app, partly made by former miners determined the past should not be forgotten
June 2021
Skylarks, sunshine and solidarity on Winter Hill, Lancashire
From the first mass trespass to mass communications, the West Pennine Moors have always brought northerners together
UK seaside revival
‘Morecambe was never a kiss-me-quick place – it’s a proper seaside resort’
With natural wonders like Morecambe Bay and the Trough of Bowland close by, it’s no surprise a seafront Eden Project North is in the pipeline
UK seaside revival
You don’t come on holiday to Blackpool for a good night’s sleep
The resort still offers fun and naughtiness, but now has an arty B&B and some classy food if, for some reason, you don’t want cod and chips
May 2021
Quakers, radicals and witches: a walk back in time on Pendle Hill
Our Lancastrian writer climbs the famous hill for the first time – and discovers a rich rebel history and a new walking trail celebrating local heroes
