Hest Bank – Morecambe Bay, Trails and Canal History

Hest Bank offers you two special ways to begin a trip: the coastal landscape of Morecambe Bay and the historic world of the Lancaster Canal. Added to this are distinctive structures, traces of former canal traffic and a bus connection to Lancaster.

Morecambe Bay and Waterside Trails

Along the shoreline of Morecambe Bay within the parish boundary of Slyne-with-Hest runs a footpath that forms part of the Lancashire Coastal Way. The Shore in Hest Bank is also used by day-trippers, among other things, for walking. These two points give your travel planning different accents: the coastal path is associated with a nationally named route, while The Shore is mentioned as a place for walks.

A special but challenging-to-plan experience is walking across Morecambe Bay. The most frequently used historic route ran between Hest Bank and Kents Bank. A walk across the bay, including this historic route, requires the support of a competent guide familiar with the bay. If you are considering this undertaking, you should treat the guided walk as an integral part of your planning and not equate it with an ordinary walk along the shore.

Canal History Between Bridges and Warehouses

The Lancaster Canal forms a second area of interest in Hest Bank. The towpath and the waterway between Bridge 116 and Bridge 119 are designated as a Local Green Space. Bridge No. 118 over the Lancaster Canal was opened in 1797. For visitors interested in transport routes, hydraulic engineering and historic townscapes, this creates a tangible connection to the canal's history.

Several buildings add to this picture. The Canal Warehouse next to the Hest Bank Hotel was built in 1820 and has now been converted into private apartments. The houses at 1 and 3 Hest Bank Lane were probably former canal warehouses; the historical classification therefore remains explicitly a probable attribution. The Hest Bank Pub is also home to the multi-windowed Lantern Room, which faces Morecambe Bay and was built in the late 18th century.

Hest Bank Wharf, recently exposed by the shifting sands of Morecambe Bay, also points to the history of the place. It lies offshore at Hest Bank's railway crossing and stands 4 metres above the tidal line. Together with the canal structures, this site shows how differently the historic traces are distributed throughout Hest Bank.

Choose the Right Base for Your Trip

When searching for a holiday apartment in Hest Bank, you can align your priorities with these themes. For a trip focused on Morecambe Bay, the coastal path, The Shore and the historic route to Kents Bank are the most obvious points of reference. If you are more interested in canal history, the section between Bridges 116 and 119, Bridge No. 118 and the former warehouses come to the fore.

A bus to Lancaster runs regularly in the parish of Slyne-with-Hest. This may be relevant to your planning if you would like to include Lancaster as well as Hest Bank. In this way, you can choose your accommodation according to the desired character of your trip without reducing the place to just one attraction.

More Places to Include in Your Search

If you would like to expand your selection of destinations, you can also include Salterforth, Colne, Fulwood, Bolton by Bowland, Southfield, Longridge, Leyland and Lytham Saint Annes in your wider accommodation search.

To the overarching travel overview: Lancashire.