Campsites in Lancashire

The county of Lancashire in north east England is best known for the fun and loud seaside resort of Blackpool. But there is much more to see and do here for people of all spanning generations and personality types. From stunning moorland scenery to brilliant historic buildings, Lancashire is jam-packed with attractions for holidaymakers.

Don’t Miss

• The Forest of Bowland

• Lancaster Castle

• Blackpool

History and heritage

Lancashire has a wealth of historic buildings to explore that make for a great day out. There’s Leighton Hall in Carnforth, bowling visitors over with the fascinating history it has to tell. The very popular Lancaster Castle reveals gruesome stories of crime and punishment and the Lancaster Witches, something to fill your holiday with a bit of magic.

Greenhalgh Castle in Garstang is steeped in history and offers great views of the town below. Next on your list, Rufford Old Hall is one of the area's best examples of Tudor architecture and hosts an outdoor theatre in its stunning grounds during balmy evenings.

Another spectacular building is Samlesbury Hall, noted for its wonderful black and white exterior, where you can learn all about the turbulent stories of its past residents including a few ghost tales.

Also of note is Williamson Park, a breathtakingly beautiful building that has 54 acres of lovely parkland to wander in with a number of play areas for the kids, a tropical butterfly house and a small bird enclosure.

The county has a good selection of interesting museums, starting with the Museum of Lancashire and the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, both in Preston, and well worth visiting. The Harris Museum in particular has its finger to the pulse of local culture, with exhibitions in street style and a makerspace for craft and digital endeavours.

The Lancashire Infantry Museum offers an excellent range of artefacts and memorabilia throughout the ages. For even more detail, The Fusilier Museum tells stories from the 20th Regiment of Foot and the Lancashire Fusiliers, true heroes of the 20^th century.

A train journey is good way to enjoy the wonderful Lancashire countryside and forget all thoughts of traffic. The East East Lancashire Railway and the brilliant Ribble Steam Railway offer plenty of options for sightseeing.

Blackpool, with its instantly recognisable tower and pleasure beach, has long been a major tourist destination. Although the town has a somewhat brash reputation there have been recent investments and developments to update some areas while still maintaining the character of this well-known seaside resort.

Wild mystery

Lancashire has many fantastic opportunities for walking and cycling. To the north of the county you will find the Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells, a wild and beautiful area of barren fells, valleys and moorland. To the south of the county is the West Pennine Moors, another wild place where you can tramp, wind in hair, in total freedom.

The county also has a pleasant network of canals and waterways. Leisurely boat trips, canal-side cycling and riverside walks are all good ways to enjoy the wealth of waterside scenery.

For some wonderful wining and dining experiences there is Lancashire’s Ribble Valley Food Trail. The valley area is home to 35 restaurants and food shops where you can discover a immense variety of the finest Lancashire produce.

Parks and animals

Lancashire is a perfect place for some family fun and adventure that the kids will love. Popular Blackpool Pleasure Beach is one that every kid should try. The park has a ton of rides for thrill-seekers, from the Pepsi-Max - one of the tallest rollercoasters in Europe - to much more gentle rides for the little ones.

Not far from here is Nickelodeon Land, a park based on the characters of some of our best loved kids shows, there’s 12 fun-filled rides suitable for the whole family, so even those without nerves of steel won’t be left behind.

Animal lovers will really enjoy a trip to Turbary Woods, an owl and bird of prey rescue centre where you can see over 90 birds of prey including owls, eagles, hawks and falcons. 

Blackpool Zoo hosts a whole range of fun activities where you can see animals including elephants, gorillas, penguins and much more.

Younger kids will love Bowland Wild Boar Park where you can wander through lovely countryside and meet all kinds of animals including donkeys, piglets, deer, rabbits, lambs, and, of course, the wild boar.

Williamson Park in Lancaster is great for picnics and the butterfly house will also be popular with children. Ripley's Believe It or Not! in Blackpool is also fun for children of all ages. Billing itself as an odditorium, it’s a haven of all things bizarre and delightfully curious.

The Brockholes Nature Reserve with its floating village and Morecambe Bay are also well worth a visit for lovely scenery and spotting wildlife.

Sandcastle Waterpark located on South Beach in Blackpool has loads of huge water slides, river rapids and water cannons as well as shallow pools to keep kids of all ages entertained for hours.