Champion Bowland works closely with the National Landscape Partnership team based at Dunsop Bridge.
The Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a 300 square mile expanse of remote uplands in the north of Lancashire, stretching from the outskirts of Lancaster to the edge of the Yorkshire Dales and from the market town of Clitheroe to the farming hub of Bentham.
The Forest of Bowland was designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1964 and became a National Landscape in 2023. The area provides some of the most peaceful and remote walking, riding and cycling in the country. It is also very much a working landscape, where farming and forestry dominate, but tourism is beginning to play an increasingly important role. Visit: www.forestofbowland.com
How is a National Landscape protected?
A National Landscape (formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty AONB) is designated and protected under the 1949 National Parks and Access to Countryside Act. Its protection is further enhanced by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, 2000 (CRoW2000).
Each National Landscape has been designated for special attention by reason of their high qualities. These include their flora, fauna, historical and cultural associations as well as scenic views. National Landscapes range from rugged coastline, dunes, salt marshes, peatlands, woodlands and estuaries to water meadows, gentle downland and upland moors.
The UK’s National Landscapes are a national asset containing a wide variety of attractive landscapes and – like National Parks – are very much living and working landscapes that have been, and continue to be, shaped by nature and human activity.
There are 46 National Landscapes in Britain (33 wholly in England, four wholly in Wales, one which straddles the English/Welsh border and eight in Northern Ireland) and they cover 18 per cent of our countryside.
National Landscapes are designated in recognition of their national importance and to ensure that their character and qualities are protected for all to enjoy. Visit www.landscapesforlife.org.uk
Sustainable Tourism
Tourism is an increasingly important component of the local economy and visitors are guaranteed a warm welcome in the Forest of Bowland.
But these landscapes are fragile and the rare wildlife that make its home is very susceptible to disturbance and deteriorating air quality. The roads and supporting infrastructure struggle to cope with significant increases in traffic and the limited car parking fills up very quickly.
Sustainable or ‘slow’ tourism is moving up the travel agenda and the good news is that many of Lancashire’s outstanding natural environments can be reached by train and explored on foot, by bike – or increasingly – by e-bike.
Lancashire’s Eco Escapes campaign encourages visitors to arrive by train and explore the National Landscape on foot, by bike or on e-bike. These outstandingly beautiful landscapes are readily accessible from railway stations at Wennington, Bentham, Clitheroe and Whalley.
The Eco Escapes website: www.ecoescapes.org.uk provides car-free sustainable travel plans which link main stations and visitor attractions and highlight visitor destinations which support sustainable tourism. Visiting these destinations will support Lancashire’s rural businesses – which were hit hard during Covid – and build momentum behind a new model of less carbon intensive tourism in these fragile rural environments.
