Burscough, pronounced Bursco, was once the most important canal town in Lancashire. Supplying the cotton towns with goods and locally grown vegetables it got in return Liverpool's effluent to use as fertiliser. This must be one of the easiest walks we've done for a long time as it's absolutely flat. So if you like canals and wide open spaces stretching to the horizon, then this is the walk for you. And if a something a bit more than a sandwich in the shelter of a hedge (and there aren't many of these in this expanse of open fields) then try Brandreth Barn Tea Room.
LOCATION: Nine miles north-west of Wigan
START: A59 Burscough, car park near canal bridge, opposite Old Packet House
Grid ref: SD444122 Postcode: L40 0SA
DISTANCE: 7 miles
GRADE: Easy
TIME: 3.5 hours
MAP: Explorer Southport & Chorley Landranger 108
REFRESHMENTS: Four canalside pubs and Brandreth Barn Tea Room (when open)
EN ROUTE: Leeds & Liverpool Canal
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News