Around Preston

Hest Bank is a village just north of Morecambe. It is notable as the only point on the West Coast Mainline that is actually on the west coast. it is also one of the few places on the West Coast Mainline that still has a level crossing. If you drive over the level crossing, the road turns right into a free car park next to the beach, and that is where I started. The beach is pebbles, not sand, which is perhaps why it did not develop as a resort. This is the view looking southwest, and if you look really closely you can see Morecambe on the skyline. I think the white building in the centre of the photo is the Midland Hotel. This is looking north-northwest, across Morecambe Bay at the hills of the Lake District. I think the town in the middle of the photo is Grange-Over-Sands. Walking across the sands of the bay was once a shortcut to Lancaster, and the safest path brought the traveller to Hest Bank. I walked south along the beach - not easy. This is the view looking back, with the cark p...