Williamson Park
The Ashton Memorial dome you can see from the M6, with views across Morecambe Bay, a butterfly house, mini beasts and a good playground below it. Lancaster's best free afternoon.
Crook O' Lune Picnic Site
- Cost
- Free, £1 a day to park
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Where
- Lancaster, Lancashire
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up
The Lune does a full horseshoe here, and the county council put a picnic site on the inside of the bend with a car park, toilets and tables looking straight at the water. It is more than a lay by with a bin, and it is the obvious second Lancaster outdoor option once Williamson Park has been done to death. Walking is the reason to stay: paths run along the wooded riverbanks in both directions and connect to the wider network heading out into the Lune valley, and the surface near the site is flat and forgiving. On a warm day the river draws people down to the shingle, though the Lune is a real river with real current, so treat it as a paddling and stone skimming spot and keep the swimming for a pool. Charges are £1 per day, paid by card or phone, with a £50 annual permit through RingGo if you end up coming every weekend, and the money raised goes back into maintaining the county's countryside sites. There is no shop. Take everything you need with you, because there is nothing on site beyond the toilets.
What it costs: Free to visit. Car parking is £1 per day, paid by card or phone. Annual permits from the RingGo app cost £50.
Know before you go
- Parking is £1 a day by card or phone, so bring a phone with signal instead of assuming there is a coin machine.
- The riverside path off the site is flat and easy for a good distance, so it works with a scooter or a balance bike better than most countryside stops. There is no shop, so bring the picnic: the nearest food is back down the road in Caton.
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Salt Ayre Leisure Centre
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Ryelands Park
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The Little Cobbled Village
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Judges' Lodgings Museum
A 17th-century townhouse below the castle with a Museum of Childhood on the top floor: 200 years of toys, a Victorian schoolroom and nurseries. Free for children, adults £5, and open Thursday to Sunday until mid November.
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