A canal and seaside walk to a great pub: the Hest Bank, near Morecambe Bay

Taking in medieval and more recent industrial history, a stroll along this flat route is rewarded by a lovely old pub, great beer and views of the bay

Lancashire’s great seaside resorts were built close to mill towns, mining towns, cities and soot. Railways siphoned the sun-starved to the resorts, which grew and grew, until they looked a bit like the places the daytrippers and Wakes weekers were trying to escape.

That’s why Hest Bank, north of Morecambe, is special. It is scenic. It feels almost pastoral. It’s small and tranquil. And it has a namesake pub that combines the salty air and big skies of the foreshore with a cosy, village quality. People from all over Lonsdale come here for lunches and beer-garden sessions.