Springtime in Bowland
After the long winter months of almost suspended animation, Spring is quite possibly the busiest of all the seasons in Bowland. Hints and harbingers of spring can arrive surprisingly early, but speak to the locals, and as far as they
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‘Father’ of the Pennine Way to be remembered at 60th Anniversary of Britain’s first National Trail
On the 60th anniversary of its opening, guidebook writer Nick Burton recalls the pivotal role a duo of Pendle Radicals played in the establishment of the Pennine Way. Tom Stephenson - father of the Pennine Way Thomas Leonard - founder
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Discover Bowland 2025
Start planning a visit to the Forest of Bowland with the 2025 Discover Guide: packed with ideas and inspiration for your next big Bowland adventure! The Forest of Bowland National Landscape team is excited to announce the launch of its
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Bowland Bus Walks | Spring 2025
In March, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape is hosting two guided car-free walks to showcase the car-free walking opportunities offered by the Service 11 route. Start and finish times will line up with the Number 11 bus service from
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Join artist Rob for a walk and talk
Artist Rob St John is running a series of 'creative conversations' around Bowland with a focus on land and our access to it. It’s part of a nationwide rural community arts initiative called ‘Nature Calling.’ The Walk and Talk session
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Bowland blazes a trail for contemporary art in the landscape
The Forest of Bowland National Landscape has released new original work by OneDa, a Manchester-based rapper and BBC 6 Music favourite as part of a nationwide campaign to develop contemporary arts in rural settings. OneDa’s music blends hip-hop, drum and
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High tech helping hands to restore peatlands
Millions of pounds is being invested in peat restoration across the UK’s northern uplands with conservationists deploying the very latest technology to maximise success rates in the Forest of Bowland’s precious peatlands. Peatlands are at the heart of the UK’s
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Join us for car-free guided walks this spring
The Service 11 Bus connects villages across the Ribble Valley, Forest of Bowland and Yorkshire Dales, providing a welcome boost to public transport to the rural communities on both sides of the Lancashire-Yorkshire Border. Service 11 buses operate Monday to
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Hen harriers on road to recovery in Bowland
Juvenile Hen Harrier © Ivan Ellison. Chosen as the logo of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, hen harriers are one of the most iconic bird species nesting in our upland moorland habitats, but also one of the rarest and
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Wildlife to look out for in the Forest of Bowland this winter
Winters can be long and harsh in the Forest of Bowland and it’s all too easy to fall into a state of suspended animation during January and February, with only the hardiest types venturing out into the icy uplands. But
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Rural entrepreneurs celebrate milestone year following successful farm diversification plan
An ex-teacher-turned-boutique glamping site owner is celebrating success after having achieved the goals she set herself five years ago after leaving her profession to ‘help her husband on the farm’. Five years later, having been featured on Channel 4’s Four
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RSPB pioneers new conservation techniques to save our endangered upland waders
Curlew on a wall © Gavin Thomas RSPB volunteers in the Forest of Bowland have collected a record amount of data to inform innovative new ways to improve the breeding success of iconic upland species like the curlew and lapwing.
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All Aboard to Explore Bowland by Bus
September is ‘Catch the Bus’ month – a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of bus services around the country – including the recently relaunched Route 11 through the beautiful Forest of Bowland. As part of a national initiative by the
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Wildlife to look out for in the Forest of Bowland this autumn
As the days shorten and the shadows lengthen, the steep-sided river valleys gild the fringes of the Bowland uplands with the auburn colours of autumn. Along the Hodder, Wyre, Roeburn and Wenning, the leaves melt into a fiery display that
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Forest of Bowland to pioneer £2 million community arts project
The Forest of Bowland National Landscape is to become a major hub in a ground-breaking national £2 million art project: Nature Calling. Working with writer, rapper and performer OneDa, and artist Rob St John, the Forest of Bowland National Landscape
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Join Carla for a beginners’ Watercolour Workshop
Join local artist Carla Gebhard for a lovely and relaxing group watercolour workshop at beautiful Wyresdale Park this October. Perfect for beginners, this workshop is inspired by dried flowers and their imperfect beauty. This relaxed approach encourages you to loosen
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Uncovering the Lost Celtic Past of North West England: Annual Bowland Lecture
Browsholme Hall's Tithe Barn will be the setting for an early autumn lecture delivered by Neil Whalley on the evening of Tuesday, October 1. In his talk, The Celtic history of the North West, local historian Neil Whalley will trace
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Feast Bowland 2024: Celebrating Local Food and Heritage
A festival of food heritage and local produce during a week of Feast Bowland events The annual Feast Bowland week returns from September 21 to 27, offering a week-long celebration of the rich culinary heritage and local produce found across
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Enter your best shots in the Bowland photography competition
Golden Light Badger © Bradley Hamer Golden Light Badger This month sees the launch of a special photography competition to celebrate Bowland as a newly named National Landscape during its 60th anniversary year. The Forest of Bowland photo competition – Life
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Explore nature and history at Festival Bowland events this summer
Whether you take a journey through time, get close-up to nature with your smartphone, or venture out for a guided nocturnal walk, the Festival Bowland events programme is a great way to discover the Forest of Bowland and surrounding countryside.
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Sign up for the new Love Bowland newsletter!
We’ve created a newsletter to keep people who love Bowland up to date with what’s happening in the Forest of Bowland National Landscape. The main focus will be on wildlife, conservation and nature recovery, but we’ll also bring you details
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Bowland Brewery adopts reusable beer cups for summer festival season
Bowland Brewery has introduced reusable plastic beer cups in a bid to dramatically reduce the use of single-use plastics during the summer festival season. Confirmation of the switch to re-usable plastic beer cups comes as the brewery gears up for
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Access for All Showcase this summer
Access for All: A Celebration of What's Possible, will be held on the 25th and 26th of June at Gisburn Forest – a Forestry England site in the Forest of Bowland. This exciting free event is aimed at organisations, businesses
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New bus service connects Ribble Valley, Forest of Bowland and the Yorkshire Dales
A new bus service connecting villages across the Ribble Valley, Forest of Bowland and Yorkshire Dales enters service on Monday, April 8, 2024. Operated by 21 Transport, the new Service 11 Bus is jointly funded by Lancashire County Council, Ribble
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A Diamond Year to Discover Bowland
Walkers negotiating the stepping stones over the river Hodder at Whitewell, Clitheroe, Lancashire. 2024 marks 60 years since the designation of the Forest of Bowland as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and coincides with celebrating our new name as
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Forest of Bowland set to sparkle in February
The Forest of Bowland National Landscape (formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and is marking the occasion with a brand-new photography exhibition alongside its annual Dark Skies Festival. Covering 800 square kilometres (300 sq
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Welcome to England’s new National Landscapes!
Today marks a very special occasion when all designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in England and Wales - including the Forest of Bowland – become National Landscapes. This new designation recognises the vital role our 46 National Landscapes
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Go-anywhere wheelchairs open up access to the Forest of Bowland for all abilities
All-Terrain Wheelchair demonstration day enables mobility-impaired nature lovers to explore the great outdoors Gisburn Forest in the Forest of Bowland hosted one of the largest gatherings of All-Terrain Wheelchair (ATW) manufacturers and access organisations to promote inclusive access to the
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Photo Exhibition celebrates 60th Anniversary of the Forest of Bowland AONB
Owl © Steve Bradley Great Crested Grebes © Mark Harder Bentham Big Stone © Andy Ward Entries are now open for an exciting new photography competition which will showcase landscape, portrait and nature photography in the Forest of Bowland Area
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Historic guided walk revives an ancient countryside tradition
Popular ‘beating the bounds' perambulation to become an annual celebration of the outstanding landscape of the Forest of Bowland An ancient tradition which was revived after an absence of more than 350 years will again take place in the Forest
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Eco Escapes sustainable tourism initiative wins green business award
The Forest of Bowland AONB Partnership has won a prestigious Chamber Low Carbon Award for its ground-breaking Eco Escapes sustainable tourism initiative. In the very first Lancashire Business Environment Awards ceremony at Crow Wood Hotel & Spa in Burnley, the
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Family-friendly new Festival aims to build on the legacy of Cloudspotting
Join us this summer to Seek Out a big family adventure – filled with music, arts, and family-friendly activities in the Forest of Bowland. Located in the beautiful Gisburn Forest, SEEKOUT arts and music festival aims to bring an eclectic
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Walks, talks and workshops – what’s on in Bowland this summer?
Summer is always a busy time in the Festival Bowland programme and this year is no exception. A riot of colour and buzzing with life, Bowland's traditional hay meadows are true havens during the summer months – and there are
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Bowland Businesses celebrate green tourism awards at ecotourism ‘Summit’
Rural businesses across Lancashire celebrated winning a raft of green tourism awards in recognition of their efforts to make tourism more sustainable via the Eco Escapes responsible tourism initiative. Eco Escapes is designed to build momentum behind a new model
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Watch Spring unfold in the Forest of Bowland
What's on in the Forest of Bowland this springtime? Has Sir David Attenborough's amazing #WildIsles inspired you to get outside in nature this springtime?Here are some ideas for you! It's a delight to be in Bowland during the spring-time months
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2023 Discover Bowland Guide now available!
Rural businesses are encouraging visitors to explore Forest of Bowland AONB all year round with the launch of the 2023 Discover Bowland guide Star-studded night skies over the Forest of Bowland AONB As the Forest of Bowland launches its 2023
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Go stargazing in the half term holidays!
Join the Forest of Bowland AONB Partnership during half-term and raise your gaze skywards to celebrate the beauty of Bowland after dark This year's Bowland Dark Skies Festival not only offers a helping hand to navigate the stars, it's also
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Historic walk raises funds for Mountain Rescue and local charities
A group of more than 30 keen walkers has completed a new ‘Perambulation’ of the ancient boundaries of the Forest of Bowland – exploring the scenic south-eastern boundary of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in rural Lancashire. There were
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Take a sustainable Eco Escape this winter
Lancashire's Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty unite to encourage sustainable short breaks in the Forest of Bowland and Arnside & Silverdale The Forest of Bowland and Arnside and Silverdale Areas of Outstanding Natural beauty are year-round destinations where the changing
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2022 Discover Bowland Guide Now Available
The 2022 Discover Bowland Guide is now available – celebrating the very best the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has to offer. This year's bumper guide has been lovingly produced by the AONB team with input from
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