milnthorpe & arnside...
Milnthorpe, on the banks of the River Bela and sitting astride the A6, is a thriving market town with a diverse range of industries.
A large part of this area is designated as the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
About the area
History & heritage
Ancient churches, medieval towers, historic houses and a world-famous topiary garden.
Art & culture
The area is now home to a thriving complex of craft workshops and small enterprises.
Natural environment
Leafy ash woodlands and flower-rich grasslands are abundant in this AONB.
Oddities
Heversham
Heversham is exactly halfway between Land's End and John O'Groats.
Hincaster Tunnel
Canal barges were pulled through the Hincaster Tunnel by rope or ‘legged' through by boatmen pushing against the sides of the tunnel.
Fairy Steps
According to legend, if you can climb the narrow Fairy Steps at Beetham (SD 486 789) without touching the sides, your wishes will come true.
Ephraim Chambers
Ephraim Chambers (c. 1680-1740), who compiled Chambers' Cyclopaedia of 1728 (the forerunner of modern encyclopedias), went to school at Heversham. He is buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey.
