For riders wanting a genuinely ambitious day out, Lancaster and the Lune Valley offer a change of scenery from the Bowland fells – historic city streets, a very different river valley, and one of the best-known cycling landmarks in the North West.
A Longer Day
Lancaster sits around 20 miles from our Dunsop Bridge base, typically reached via the Trough of Bowland and the Marshaw and Abbeystead area before dropping down towards the Lune. This is a full day’s ride – roughly 40 miles there and back – so it’s one for confident cyclists making full use of a day’s e-bike hire, or those planning an overnight stop.
Crossing the Bowland Fells
The first half of the ride, over the Trough of Bowland and down towards Lancaster, is genuinely spectacular – open moorland giving way gradually to the gentler, greener landscape of the Lune Valley. It’s also a serious undertaking in terms of climbing, which is exactly where the e-bike proves its worth over such a long distance.
The Lune Valley and Aqueduct
Once you’re following the River Lune towards Lancaster, the riding becomes considerably flatter and easier, tracking the river through some of the county’s most attractive countryside. The Lune Aqueduct, carrying the Lancaster Canal high above the river, is a genuinely impressive piece of Georgian engineering and well worth a stop for photos.
Lancaster Itself
Lancaster Castle and Priory dominate the skyline as you approach the city, and the historic centre has plenty of options for refuelling before the ride back – or for stopping overnight if you’d rather split the trip across two days.
Should You Attempt This Route?
This is genuinely one of our longer recommendations and not something to take on lightly, even with an e-bike’s assistance. It suits riders who already cycle regularly and want to use their hire to properly explore beyond our immediate local area – for a gentler introduction to the region, our Hodder Valley or Slaidburn routes are a better starting point.
Check full-day and multi-day hire rates or contact us to talk through planning a longer route like this.