Cycle Ale Trail

North-West Preston loop

The weather should be warming up, you’ve got a bike and you like real ale – time for a relaxing cycle ale trail! This one is fairly easy – no steep hills, mainly off busy roads and with plenty of scenery, and it takes in 6 pubs that you might not normally go in. Five of them are foody pubs with beer-gardens so you might want to use this trail to scope out prospective pub-food trips. It also uses a good chunk of the western sections of the rather marvelous Guild Wheel to get off-road where possible. (If you haven’t already done it, it’s well worth having a go at the full circuit https://www.visitlancashire.com/dbimgs/guild-wheel.pdf) This trail does visit the only two pubs on the Guild Wheel.

Obligatory warning – know your limits: cycling whilst drunk is not a good idea – I stuck to half-pints. Also, this trail is intended for daylight hours – there is no street lighting for most of the circuit. I did the trail on a Saturday starting at about 3pm – check Whatpub opening times if you fancy doing it on a weekday. If the idea of slogging up any hills puts you off, get your bike electrified – I have and it is life-changingly brilliant. Here is the overview of the route:

Leg 1: Penwortham to Lea Town

(6.4 miles, some uphill bits) The weather was warm, hazy sunshine and we start at the BARREL AND BEAN micropub in Lower Penwortham / Middleforth, (Green circle on map) and just off the Guild Wheel route. Only one handpump on at the moment – Cross Bay Blonde – need some fuel for the longest section of this trail (6.4 miles).

Head towards Preston for a few hundred yards until you get to Tinkerbells nursery (which used to be the Bridge Inn pub) on a nasty blind left-hand bend – opposite is the pedestrian cobbled bridge across the river to Broadgate – cross over the road carefully, go over the bridge then turn left to join the Guild Wheel (clockwise). It is pretty well-signposted. Follow the Guild Wheel all along the riverside paths to the docks and out towards the estuary. It brings you back a bit at the engine shed and takes you up to the Blackpool Road cycle path past car showroom country. At the end of the long incline you will probably hit the Preston West Distributor Road (PWDR) roadworks. At the far side of these the Guild Wheel takes you over a road bridge, but we don’t go that way – keep straight on the cycle path towards Blackpool, past the Lea Gate pub on the right. Ignore the road to the left to Freckleton, and 200 yards further on is a right turn to Clifton – take it (bit dangerous crossing busy traffic). About 500 yards up this road turn right onto Ash Lane which takes you out into a pleasant country lane. At the T-junction turn left on to Lea Lane and the Smiths Arms pub is about 200 yards up the road on the right.

Leg 2: Lea Town to Salwick

(2 miles, fairly flat) The SMITHS ARMS is a Thwaites house that does food, and has a beer garden and a pool table. Wainwright and Hobgoblin Ruby were on offer when I called in. I chose a half of Wainwright – very nicely kept – and relaxed outside watching the minimal traffic go by in the stillwarm haziness.

Saddle up and backtrack about 80 yards and bear right to go around the Salwick/Westinghouse nuclear fuels works. Be warned – the road surface is absolutely appalling over this section. Turn right at the crossroads (opposite the now-defunct Windmill pub) and follow the road past Salwick railway station all the way to a T-junction and the Hand and Dagger pub.

Leg 3: Salwick to Bartle

(<2 miles, fairly flat) The HAND AND DAGGER is a very rural pub by the canal, with food, a huge beer garden, chickens and glamping pods. It even has 4 cycle racks (concrete). Beers on offer were Marstons Pedigree and Bowland Boxer Blonde and I drank my half in the garden. Very peaceful. But getting cooler.

Time to move on, so turn left out of the pub and head east along Treales Road over the canal. Pass through Bolton’s Croft and the road turns into Blackleach Lane and you hit a T-junction at Bartle Hall – turn right. 300 yards down this road on the left you will find the Sitting Goose pub (smack in the middle of PWDR roadworks on my trip).

Leg 4: Bartle to Cottam

(< 2 miles, fairly flat) The SITTING GOOSE is another

Thwaites pub that does food and has a beer garden (and a real fire was burning when I called in). Beers on offer were Thwaites Gold and IPA. I went for the IPA and sat in the garden. Definitely cooler.

Just past the pub is the new roundabout for the PWDR – bear left and head towards Preston, past the now sadly-defunct Saddle pub, for a few hundred yards until you find Hoyles Lane on the left. Go down Hoyles Lane until you encounter Cottam village green on the right. Turn right down Miller Lane and you will pick up the Guild Wheel route again at the bottom. Turn left and follow the Guild Wheel for a few hundred yards – when it emerges alongside Merrytrees Lane you will spot the Ancient Oak on the other side of the road: our next stop.

Leg 5: Cottam to Miller Park

(5 miles, fairly flat with some downhill bits) The ANCIENT OAK is an Ember Inns large family pub that usually tries to put on a good selection of real ales, even if some are settling in the cellar. It also has a beer garden and does food. When I called in there were four available – Black Sheep Twilighter IPA, Doom Bar, Wainwright and

LEG 4: BARTLE TO COTTAM

Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. I chose the Twilighter and drank it outside in the quite-busy outside seating area which I think they enhanced with little hut things as a result of Covid rules.

Retrace your route on the Guild Wheel and keep going (counterclockwise) for a mile or two, past the UCLAN Sports Arena. When you cross over Savick Brook and the Guild Wheel turns right, leave the Guild Wheel route and proceed straight on up Savick Way. Bear right onto West Park Avenue until you meet Blackpool Road. Turn left and use the cycle lane (probably chock-a-block with parked cars!) for only a hundred or so yards, then carefully cross over into Larches Lane and sharp left on to

LEG 3: SALWICK TO BARTLE LEG 5: COTTAM TO MILLER PARK

JOURNEY’S END

Ribby Place to get onto Ashton Park, then go round the perimeter path anti-clockwise to the far corner.

Carefully emerge on to Pedders Lane and go down to the traffic lights at the bottom of the hill opposite McDonalds. Head straight across then turn right at the roundabout. This will take you back to the docks swingbridge and you can pick up the Guild Wheel again and go back along the river (you’ve been here earlier). Go straight on past the cobbled stone bridge and keep going until you hit the Continental on the edge of Miller Park. THE CONTINENTAL is a wellknown and very popular Preston pub – it also does food and has a large beer garden, and has a really wide selection of real ales. It also has bike racks near the front door and our journey is over.

There were eight real ales on and I chose the Black Band porter from Kirkstall and drank it in the garden. It had started to rain gently and had cooled quite a lot. Lancashire weather! I’m going to have to do this route again when we have some real