Forest of Bowland

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty stretching from Lancashire to North Yorkshire, the Forest of Bowland offers unparalleled walking, cycling and other outdoor activities.

Covering 312 square miles from Lancaster in the east to Bentham in the north, Settle in the west and Clitheroe in the south, the Forest of Bowland is a vast area of natural beauty, flora and fauna. There’s so much to see and do.

The name ‘forest’ is actually used in its traditional sense of ‘a royal hunting ground’, as the area is dominated by a central upland core of deeply incised gritstone fells with summits above 450m and vast tracts of heather-covered peat moorland.

The fells’ fringe of foothills is dissected by steep-sided valleys which open out into the rich green lowlands of the Ribble, Hodder, Wyre and Lune Valleys.

Bowland’s ecological features make it a nationally important area for nature conservation and 13 per cent is designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The moors are a major breeding ground for upland birds and the major part of the Bowland Fells is designated as a Special Protection Area under the European Birds Directive.