From Preston’s bustling high street to the Blackpool Zoo and Pleasure Beach, Lancashire is home to some of the most popular residential areas in the North West. Whether you’re looking to renovate a rural cottage in the Forest of Bowland or looking for a new build home within easy reach of the Lake District, buying a house in Lancashire is the most versatile move you can make. Here are some of the best places to live in Lancashire, whether you want to take advantage of its excellent connections to Manchester’s motorways, Liverpool’s ferry terminals or Yorkshire’s moorland hikes.
One of the most popular cities in Lancashire is Preston, a beautiful combination of traditional markets and modern retail a short drive away from the Forest of Bowland. It has access to three motorways - the M6, the M55 and the M65 - and has a 7-platform train station to connect you to Manchester, Blackpool and York. It’s also close to Blackpool Zoo and the town of Blackburn, and it’s one of the best places to live if you’re looking for multi-city access across Manchester and Liverpool. Life in Preston offers plenty of shopping, with a high street full of chain stores and a large shopping centre at St George’s.
Preston is a city, and city living comes with plenty of amenities. Cinema trip? Try the ODEON at the Preston Marina. Craving a fancy dinner with your friends? Visit one of Fishergate’s top-rated restaurants, such as Mowgli’s or Turtle Bay. Short of a few items in your winter wardrobe? Head to St George’s to shop at Matalan, M&S or New Look. You’re also a short drive away from the Forest of Bowland, where you can enjoy some of the darkest skies in the UK.
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, a compact city with a castle that’s nearly 1,000 years old and has a notorious history of witch trials. It’s cut through by the River Lune, located a short drive away from the coast at Morecambe Bay and an even shorter drive away from the M6. Its narrow streets and cobbled roads are popular for their historic appeal, and the city is very attractive to historians and museum lovers alike. As for the lifestyle you can expect, it’s a blend of city amenities, coastal leisure and countryside charm, with plenty of green spaces just off the beaten path.
Lancaster Castle is a must-see for residents and visitors alike, an imposing monument built on top of three individual Roman forts. You can also visit the Lancaster Grand Theatre along St Leonard’s Gate, where productions of Snow White, Puss in Boots and Copacabana provide an evening of entertainment after a long day at work. As for the outdoorsy aspect of Lancaster life, the Pendle Witch Trail runs all the way to Pendle Hill from your new home in Lancaster, crossing the Forest of Bowland and giving you some prime views of Hawthornthwaite Fell along the way.
A short drive west of Walshaw Moor, Burnley is one of Lancashire’s easternmost towns. It’s home to Burnley FC, a plucky club that plays at Turf Moor. It’s also a great place to learn about the North West’s textile and mining industries one minute while hiking the upper moors at Bridestones and Gorpley Clough the next. As for commuter convenience, Burnley residents are a 40-minute drive away from Manchester and a 30-minute drive away from Preston city centre.
Living in Burnley, you’ll be a stone’s throw away from numerous industrial museums that you can visit on the weekends. These include the Weavers Triangle Visitor Centre, the Woodend Coal Mining Museum and the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection, as well as the Queen Street Mill Textile Museum next to St James’ Church. Burnley’s high society is also on display at the National Trust site of Gawthorpe Hall, an Elizabethan country home with 50 acres of land attached.
Silverdale hugs the northern border of Lancashire, a short drive away from Arnside and a little bit closer to Far Arnside. It’s built along the estuary of the River Kent and faces Morecambe Bay across the water, with an excellent view of Lancaster just down the coast. Silverdale offers a taste of Lake District living while still being in Lancashire, located a 30-minute drive away from the Whitbarrow Reserve and a 40-minute drive from Lake Windermere.
Silverdale is the place to go if you want to experience Lancashire’s great outdoors, with the Lake District to the north, Leighton Moss to the south and the Hutton Roof Nature Reserve to the east. Birdwatchers can visit Leighton Moss to spot the rare marsh harrier, as well as kites, redshanks and even hen harriers. The Lakeland Wildlife Oasis is an 11-minute drive away from your front door, where you can volunteer with the animals or visit as a guest to see dik-diks, snow leopards and snowy owls. As for more active pursuits, Lake Windermere is a 40-minute drive away in the Lake District, where watersports, boating and canoeing are popular summer activities.
Chorley borders the West Pennine Moors to the east, tucked in between the M6 and the M61 and located a short drive away from Bolton, Blackburn and Preston. It’s famous for its markets and for the creation of the Chorley cake, a popular staple in the North West. It’s the perfect blend of amenity-rich town life and countryside surroundings, with its own cinema and an escape route into the hills if your social battery ever gets too low.
The Chorley Theatre is your local hub for drama and performance, regularly showcasing comedy, music shows and screenings. Chorley also has a small Reel cinema in the town centre, as well as several pubs and a leisure centre. Its real appeal lies in its surroundings, however; the West Pennine Moors are full of hiking routes and day trips, while all 2,000 acres of Smithills Country Park are within a 20-minute drive of your front door.
Ormskirk is a great place to live if you love being close to Formby, with a red squirrel reserve and a beautiful sandy beach located right next door. The town is just north of the M58, just west of the M6 and just east of the Irish Sea, with its own A-roads to St Helens and Liverpool. It’s the perfect place to live if you’re looking for a home life full of amenities close to the seaside, and it functions as a handy commuter town for Liverpool’s professionals. It’s generally quiet and peaceful, with a charming countryside atmosphere and bustling indoor and outdoor markets to visit on your day off.
Martin Mere is a 12-minute drive away from your home in Ormskirk, offering everything from standard birdwatching hides to an otter-based canoe safari. A little further north of the reserve, the Windmill Animal Farm provides kid-friendly day trips with a petting zoo, a reptile zone and a miniature railway, while you can hop across to Farmer Ted’s Adventure Farm to watch a birds of prey show. Closer to home, the Ormskirk Civic Hall is your go-to venue for social activities, hosting events such as communal dancing, wrestling and art markets.