Long Preston: Nature, Trails and History

Long Preston between the floodplain and the Yorkshire Dales

Long Preston brings landscape, trails and history together within a compact thematic area. The village lies on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. To the north, the landscape rises towards the fells, moors and picturesque valleys of the Yorkshire Dales, while the wetlands of the Ribble Valley lie to the south. This allows you to experience the surroundings from different perspectives: you can explore the character of the river landscape, plan a walk or take note of the village's cultural and historical traces.

Long Preston Deeps and the Ribble Way

A defining landscape feature is the Long Preston floodplain, locally known as Long Preston Deeps. In the upper reaches of the River Ribble, it covers approximately 766 hectares. The area covered by the Long Preston Floodplain Project is of national importance for breeding wading birds. Anyone interested in wetlands and birdlife will find a particular focus in the surrounding area, without this implying any specific observation result.

The main access to the Long Preston Floodplain, also known as Long Preston Deeps, is via the Ribble Way, which can be reached from Long Preston. A bird hide is also accessible along the Ribble Way north of Cow Bridge. For planning your day, you can therefore choose between experiencing the landscape along the trail and making a specific detour for birdwatching. The return route from Settle to Long Preston runs along the Old Road and offers beautiful views across Ribblesdale to Pendle Hill. This means that, alongside the floodplain, further landscape perspectives are available.

Discover history in the village

Long Preston also has a history that extends beyond its landscape. In the early 18th century, the village was an important centre for driving livestock. The railway is also part of the village's development: the railway section through Long Preston opened for freight traffic on 30 July 1849 and for passenger traffic on 1 August 1849. Long Preston railway station was built by the North Western Railway Company, known as NWR for short. These dates provide specific points of reference in the village's history if you would like to combine nature with the region's past.

Another cultural detail is the Church of St Mary the Virgin. It has several stained-glass windows by Capronnier of Brussels. Together with the history of livestock driving and the railway, this creates a diverse picture of Long Preston: the landscape is not merely a backdrop for trails, but stands alongside a local history shaped by transport, trade and sacred art.

Which type of stay suits your plans

When looking for a holiday cottage in Long Preston, it is worth deciding on your preferred focus first. If you would like to centre your stay on the wetlands and the Ribble Way, you can plan your days around Long Preston Deeps, Cow Bridge and the trail sections mentioned above. For a more landscape-focused trip, the Yorkshire Dales north of the village and the views across Ribblesdale offer different impressions. Those more interested in local history can combine their nature plans with traces of livestock driving, the railway and St Mary the Virgin.

Long Preston is therefore suitable as a destination for travellers who want to bring nature observation, trails and history together in one travel idea. When planning, take into account the specific landscapes and routes you would like to visit, and choose your holiday accommodation according to the type of days you are mainly hoping to spend.

More places for your search

For further orientation, you can also look at Hawes, Oldstead, Cray, Dalton, Gristhorpe, Cloughton, Castleton and Hunmanby.

To the main travel overview: North Yorkshire.