Lancashire
From Wikitravel
Contents
Lancashire is a county in the North of England.
It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is known as the Red Rose county. The traditional county is larger than the current administrative county which was set up in 1974, when the cities of Manchester and Liverpool were hived off to form their own counties, and the portion of Lancashire to the north of Morecambe Bay was made a part of the new county of Cumbria.
[edit] Understand
Lancashire featured prominently in the industrial revolution with many towns built around the textile industry. The inland towns still show this industrial heritage. Conversely, the coastal towns developed into holiday resorts for the textile mill workers, including Blackpool, Morecambe, and Southport.
Lancashire enjoys a friendly rivalry with neighbour Yorkshire which dates back to the War of the Roses when the two royal houses of Lancaster and York vied for the English throne.
[edit] Cities, towns and villages
[edit] Cities
[edit] Towns
[edit] Villages
[edit] Other destinations
[edit] Talk
People from Lancashire tend to speak English with a Northern accent called Lancastrian. The accent can differ from one town to another, although non-Brits are unlikely to be able to tell any difference. Traditional Lancashire accents are rhotic, as are most American and Irish accents.
As with most of the UK, very few natives speak other foreign languages, however, many ethnic minorities/immigrants now reside there and languages such as such as Hindi, Urdu Chinese, Polish and Lithuanian are also spoken within these groups.
[edit] Get in
You can reach Lancashire via ferry from Ireland, by road via the UK motorway network, or you can fly in via airports in Liverpool, Manchester, or Blackpool.
[edit] Get around
The county is well served by motorways. The M6 runs north-south through the county, there are various spur motorways linking the M6 to towns (eg the M55 to Blackpool, the M65 to Blackburn and Burnley, the M58 to Merseyside), and the M62 crosses the pennines to Yorkshire.
The Leeds-Liverpool Canal is a picturesque but slower way to travel in Lancashire.
[edit][add listing] See
- Blackpool - Britain's premier holiday resort.
- The Forest of Bowland - moorlands which are an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the north-east of the county.
- Arnside & Silverdale - another Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty situated between Lancaster and the Lakes.
- Pendle Hill - moorlands near Burnley, renowned for the historic Pendle Witches.
- The Ashton Memorial' - a monument in Lancaster's Williamson Park which can be seen when passing on the motorway and looks link St Paul's cathedral set among woodlands. Lord Ashton (a linoleum industrialist) gifted the park to the people of the city, and built the memorial to his wife. Contains an art gallery and a butterfly house.
[edit] Itineraries
[edit][add listing] Do
- Walk in the scenic countryside areas listed above. There are extensive public footpaths.
- Visit the lively resort of Blackpool, or the quieter one Morecambe.
[edit][add listing] Eat
[edit][add listing] Drink
Pubs sell all sorts of alcohol, although keep in mind the drink drive limit. Off licenses also sell alcohol, amongst other things.
[edit] Stay safe
Basically, common sense is a good thing to have. It is best to avoid unlit areas at night, to hide valuables you are wearing and to keep mobiles/mp3 players etc out of sight. Women are generally safe to be by themselves, but late at night is dangerous anywhere and they should stay with friends when out.
On Friday and Saturday nights, especially late at night in the bigger city and town centres, you may see drunken behaviour and a lot more police officers. The best advice is to keep away from drunks, stay alert and don't get involved in fights.
[edit] Get out
Ferries and flights for the Isle of Man leave from Lancashire, while to the North the Lake District is generally considered Lancashire's playground.
