Places to visit on a foodie break in Lancashire

When the Hairy Bikers visited Archers Café at Red Bank Farm for their Hairy Bikers Go West series, they feasted on its signature salt marsh baked lamb. Sourced from local farms on the salt marshes of Morecambe Bay, this succulent, slow-roasted dish is pure Lancashire: hearty, honest and full of flavour. Lunch here is the perfect start to your foodie adventure.

Stretch your legs on a post-lunch stroll along the seafront, following the Morecambe TERN Trail – a route peppered with outdoor sculptures and statues. Look out for steel cormorants, gannets and razorbills, and a larger-than-life figure of Eric Morecambe  – as well as puzzles and poetry to ponder as you walk. One of the top free places to visit in Lancashire. 

From Tudor murderers to Elizabethan swindlers, Lancaster Castle has housed them all. For almost 1,000 years it served as a notorious prison, and its grisly history is now brought to life by guided tours and interactive exhibits: a fascinating insight into crime and punishment through the ages. Discover tales of “witches”, gangs and con artists, as well as the Australia-bound convicts of the 1700s. One of the spookiest places to visit in Lancashire.

In a historic barn near beautiful Warton Crag, the team at Old School Brewery make magic with malted barley, hops and yeast. Its small bar is a local favourite: the beer is cold, the company is warm, and live bands play everything from folk songs to rock classics. Try a pint of dark, biscuity Blackboard, or a golden-hued Hopscotch pale ale. 

Since the 1930s, the Midland Hotel Morecambe has been wowing guests with its sleek art deco design and panoramic sea views. If it looks familiar, that’s because it’s been used as a filming location many times – including for ITV’s Poirot and Amazon Prime’s Harlan Coben series, Lazarus. Dinner is served at the beach-facing Sun Terrace restaurant, whose AA-rosette menu includes a signature fish pie topped with Lancashire cheese, and coffee creme brulee with house-made shortbread. 

Founded in 1957, Dewlay Cheesemakers is famed for its crumbly Lancashire, its rich Garstang Blue, and its cheddars spiked with everything from garlic to black pepper. This morning, hit up its Cheese Shop: as well as serving sliced cheeses-to-order (plus vacuum-packed cuts to take home), it sells crackers, bread, jams, chutneys and more. Everything you need for today’s gourmet picnic. 

Vrooom! You’ve got two options today: the first is an adrenaline-pumping motorcycle experience at Inch Perfect Trials – with 100 acres of glorious Ribble Valley to explore on two wheels. From beginners’ sessions to pro-level courses, this is one of the most thrilling places to visit in Lancashire, with both private and group tuition available. Afterwards, get stuck into your picnic or hit the cafe for fudge cake and sarnies. 

Alternatively, unroll your picnic blanket at Gisburn Forest and Stocks, whose walking trails weave through pristine woodland, dappled glades and old railway tracks. As well as a 5-mile (8km) wheelchair-accessible route from the cafe, you can hire an all-terrain electric scooter for £10. With its playful squirrels and chorus of birdsong, this is one of the loveliest places to visit near Manchester. 

Tonight, we recommend staying at Northcote Hotel & Restaurant, a top-rated hotel in the Ribble Valley. For dinner, you have a choice: book a table at the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, or venture a little further afield? It’s not every day that you have a menu praised by Michelin for its ‘superb produce’ on your doorstep. Northcote champions local suppliers, alongside veg and herbs from its own garden. Expect sustainable, unpretentious fine dining. 

Your second dinner option is at another of the best restaurants in Lancashire – Eight at Gazegill. It runs entirely on renewable energy generated on Gazegill Farm, and its menu is packed with locally sourced produce. From home-reared organic beef to foraged girolle mushrooms and Morecambe Bay seabass, this is Lancashire’s larder at its best. The five-course tasting menu features the farm’s freshest seasonal bites. 

This morning, experience a taste of Italy in the Ribble Valley, with a cooking class at the top-rated La Locanda restaurant. You’ll be learning from its award-winning chefs how to make authentic pasta, focaccia bread or risotto alla Milanese – followed by a light lunch and glass of Italian wine. The experience starts at 10am and includes an apron and recipe cards to take home.

What makes the ice cream at Mrs Dowsons so delicious? Maybe it’s the pampered cows, roaming free on fresh Lancashire meadows – or the fact that it’s “zero-miles”, with the scoops served mere steps from the herd? This family-owned farm makes ice cream to a recipe created around its kitchen table – a sweet stop-off on your way to Blackpool.

Whether you’re meeting your celebrity crush at Madame Tussauds, revelling in the sea views from its world-famous tower, or braving the Pleasure Beach roller coasters, there’s never a dull moment in Blackpool! If the weather isn’t playing ball, catch a matinee show at the award-winning Winter Gardens Blackpool: look out for comedy, musicals, live music and more. 

Looking for the tastiest places to visit near Manchester? Brindle Distillery’s gin tours trace the journey of its award-winning Cuckoo Gin from botanicals to bottle, in the grounds of the family-run Holmes Farm. With a G&T in hand, you’ll learn how gin is created, which mixers to combine it with, and its fascinating place in English history. Gin-making workshops are available too. 

Take your pick from three Michelin-starred eateries this evening, all in the village of Aughton. There are five in total at Moor Hall hotel: its three-star Restaurant (plus one Michelin Green Star for its sustainable offering), and one-star The Barn – both source ingredients from the hall’s own grounds. Meanwhile, sō–lō has a British-wide style: think Isle of Skye scallop with Scottish girolles, and toffee salt-baked celeriac. The choice is yours, and you can’t go wrong: they’re three of the best restaurants in Lancashire.