Lancashire Walking Guide

Lancashire Year Round Walks Conder Green

Canal And Railway Through Tidal Marshes: 3.5 Miles

WALK HIGHLIGHTS

This is a nice flat route ideal for days when minimal exertion is called for. For canal and railway enthusiasts, the walk explores the two lines of communication that linked Lancaster with its port at Glasson Dock.

Glasson was developed as a new port for the city in the 1780s as ships were having difficulty sailing up the silty River Lune. The Glasson Branch of the Lancaster Canal opened in the 1820s. Canal trade was superseded by a railway line from Lancaster, which opened in 1883. This old line now forms part of the Lune Valley Cycleway and the Conder Green Picnic Site was created on the old village train station site. STARTING POINT: Conder Green Picnic Site (pay and display), Corricks Lane, Conder Green. Sat Nav: LA2 0AN.

PARKING: Follow Corricks Lane in front of the Stork Hotel to reach the Conder Green Picnic Site car park. MAP: OS Explorer 296 Lancaster, Morecambe & Fleetwood. Grid Ref: SD457562.

TERRAIN: Surfaced cycleway, unsurfaced canal towpath, waymarked field paths and quiet lanes. FOOD & DRINK: The Mill at Conder Green is passed along the walk and is a walker-friendly inn serving Lancashire food and ales. There is also a popular café in Glasson Dock and the Stork Hotel near the start/end of the walk.

1. At the car park entrance join the old railway line on the right. From the car park you can see the platform of the former

Conder Green train station, closed in 1930. The railway line is now a cycleway and it crosses a bridge over the River

Conder heading into the River Lune.

Follow the cycleway for ¾ mile with coastal views looking north to the tidal river.

The cycleway meets the B road entering

Glasson village.

2. Cross the road to the large marina car park. Turn right to enter the village then left over the swing bridge controlled by traffic lights where the canal enters the harbour via locks. The village is worth exploring and offers shops and refreshments. To continue the walk recross the canal bridge and turn right by the snack bar to join a path on the right which runs alongside the marina on the edge of the car park.

3. Follow this path to the far end of the marina and then continue along it as it becomes the towpath of the Glasson branch of the Lancaster Canal. Keep the canal on the right and simply follow the towpath straight ahead. The towpath is now followed for nearly 1 mile until the locks at the Mill at Conder Green hotel are reached. Along the way it passes a nature reserve on the left and crosses under the A588 road to reach the Mill, now an inn.

4. Go straight along the towpath past the second lock. Go under the next canal bridge then leave it via the stile on the left. Cross the field and two footbridges to reach a path junction. After the second bridge (over the River Conder) turn diagonally left across the field to reach a gate in the opposite field corner. Follow the right field edge aiming for a wooden fence at the far side of the field. Cross a drain and follow the right field edge to a lane by a house.

5. Turn left along the lane. Ignore the lane forking left but keep right to soon join the A road. Turn left then right to pass the

Stork Hotel and return to the picnic site.