The Hidden Bowland Dales

Bridge House Farm Tea Rooms

Bustling café beside the bridge over the River Roeburn at the heart of Wray village that’s popular with locals, cyclists and waters. Excellent coffee and cakes and more substantial meals on an extensive menu prominently featuring local produce.

The stunningly converted natural stone building features solid oak floors and a real wood burning fire. Whether you’re after a coffee and a slice of our tempting selection of cakes or something more substantial from our delicious menu, you’ll always be guaranteed a warm friendly atmosphere and beautiful surroundings.

Indoor and outdoor dining, weather permitting. Legendary sausage rolls!

Lakewood Cottages

Lakewood Cottages are located on a small farm just outside the village of Galgate, a few miles south of the historic city of Lancaster and also a few miles from the small market town of Garstang.

A more idyllic location would be hard to imagine with the cottages enjoying their own, private lakeside setting (fishing welcome on the lake).

Finished to a high standard the cottages offer good, spacious family accommodation. Less than 200 yards away is one of the most beautiful stretches of Lancaster Canal which along with the lake and surrounding countryside, offers a multitude of pleasant and enjoyable walks. Golf and fishing are also available locally.

These cottages are a wonderful rural retreat, ideally placed for exploring Lancaster, The Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Forest of Bowland, Fylde Coast and Morecambe Bay.

The converted barn consists of four cottages, Granary (sleeps 2), Mill Cottage (sleeps 4), Stable Cottage (sleeps 4) and Stone Barn (sleeps 6), all four star gold award rated.

Please visit the Lakewood Cottages website for further details.

Moss Wood Caravan Park

Moss Wood Caravan Park is set on the coastal plain just outside the Forest of Bowland, south of the historic city of Lancaster and near Cockerham Sands on Morecambe Bay. We have 31 hard standing pitches to accommodate touring caravans, and 140 holiday homes on the park. We are proud winners of the Lancashire Tourism Award in 2019 for Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism – and have been recognised for our environmental work nationally such as through the David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme.

As innovators in sustainable tourism, our park is full of greenery and is an oasis for native wildlife – perfect for a peaceful and relaxing country escape. If you want to relax on the park you may enjoy our fishing lake, a stroll down the Woodland Walk, or try out our Nature Trail to spot some of the species that call Moss Wood home. Other amenities on our park include WiFi which allows you to engage with us over social media where we love to see pictures of wildlife you’ve spotted at Moss Wood.

If you want to explore the area, the Forest of Bowland is right on our doorstep and full of wonderful walks and attractions we highly recommend, with businesses who share our eco-friendly ethos. They are even cycling distance if you prefer to leave your car for the day! A little further is Blackpool, Lancaster and the Lake District.

To book go to https://mosswood.co.uk/

The Fleece Inn

The Fleece Inn is a traditional country inn, situated in the idyllic and historic village of Dolphinholme, near Lancaster.

With its stylish charm, our traditional English Inn offers a wonderful and relaxing location for you to drink, eat and sleep in the heart of the beautiful, Lancashire countryside.

Being in the extremely privileged location that it is, The Fleece sits right on the doorstep of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape and just 7 miles from the wonderfully historic city of Lancaster centre.

If you choose to venture a little further afield, you could take a scenic drive (just over 20 miles) and immerse yourself in the rolling hills and tranquil valleys of The Yorkshire Dales National Park, or head just 30 minutes north and you’ll be touching the southern edge of Cumbria’s wonderful Lake District.

At The Fleece Inn, you can enjoy some of the finest local produce, cooked to a very high standard by talented Head Chef, Ian Manning and his team. Honest food with a minimum of fuss – alongside always popular pub classics, you’ll find an exciting selection of international themed dishes, as well as a good choice of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options.

Of course, the bar at The Fleece Inn is well-stocked with top quality, locally brewed beers, as well as a fine selection of wines supplied by award-winning fine wine merchants, D Byrne & Co, Clitheroe. A warm welcome awaits at The Fleece Inn, visit us soon.

Enjoy the wonderful peace and tranquility of the Forest of Bowland wit a stay at The Fleece Inn. All our rooms (9 Classic and 3 Superior) are beautifully furnished, to a very high standard, with thick wool carpets and exposed oak beams, antique furniture and tasteful fabrics. The bathrooms are all exquisitely finished in Lakeland stone, with both bath and walk in shower provided.

The Gathering Fields

After returning to her childhood home, natural therapist Helen Leece established a centre for wellbeing and renewal high among the hills on the western fringe of the Forest of Bowland.

The Gathering Fields is a rural Retreat centre teaching Yoga, Meditation, Cookery and Wild medicine. The centre can be hired by companies and community groups and hosts a variety of retreats based around wellbeing in nature.

Standing some 140 metres above sea level, Swainshead Hall Farm, enjoys an elevated position offering amazing views of both the fells and the wide sweep of Morecambe Bay, with the hazy outline of the Lakeland Fells peeping over the northern horizon.

It’s a truly enchanting view that’s entirely in keeping with the aura that permeates this magical rural hideaway overlooking the upper Wyre Valley and the Ward Stone – the highest point in the Bowland Fells.

Helen returned to her family home – a working hill farm of some 280 aces – after a varied career which saw her qualify as a holistic therapist and practitioner of Ayurveda – an Indian-based holistic medical system incorporating diet, lifestyle and herbal medicine.

She immediately set about diversifying, converting the outbuildings into cosy bunkhouse accommodation and indoor and outdoor spaces for learning and discovery, which she christened ‘The Gathering Fields.’

“This little community has been a place where people have come together in friendship for centuries and we want to preserve those traditions,” said Helen. “The name the Gathering Fields seems to capture that instinct for like-minded people to share each others’ company in a relaxed and open setting.”

Ideal for extended families or informal friendship groups, community groups and charities, the Gathering Fields offers yoga, Sound relaxation, herbal foraging with a medicinal twist, Flower essence making or simply revelling in the glorious countryside on the doorstep.

Alongside the camping barn – which was once a cowshed – there’s also a paddock to pitch tents and a wonderfully expansive covered outdoor seating area complete with communal firepit to while away the evenings around the campfire.

A recently restored community pub is a shortish hike across the fields, while the ridgeline of surrounding hills can be reached on foot within an hour. The Gathering Fields also makes the perfect base for exploring the quiet roads and wild trails of Bowland on road, mountain or electric bikes.

“We encourage a ‘back to nature’ approach to stays on the farm,” said Helen. “But while it’s deliberately rustic, the camping barn has all mod cons, with hot and cold water, heating, toilets and indoor kitchen and plenty of room to dry out wet clothes and boots.

“Families love the sense of space and safety and seem to settle in and get comfortable in their surroundings very quickly. We know the surrounding area really well and can point guests in the direction of the best places to walk, cycle, explore – and enjoy a pint! We’ll even supply torches if they fancy a night hike.

“We welcome guests to share stories, skills, open fires, music, make friendships and from here we can bring people together to grow a community.”