Focus on: Preston

Lancashire is a large county and I know that many of my readers will have a favourite part. I still have many parts of Lancashire to visit myself, so I thought it would be great to get a little series going which focusses on a different part of Lancashire each time. This week, for our first week, we’re looking at Preston.

I asked some blogger friends for recommendations of things to do, places to go and sights to see in and around Preston. Here’s a list of their top five.

1 Avenham Park

With a Japanese rock garden, water features and a visitors cafe, this is a park recommended by Bex at Clearly Bex. She tells me the caramel slices are delicious! Once you’ve sampled their culinary delights, why not take a walk along the river there, as suggested by Rachel at Vintage Folly?

2 Brockholes

Part of the Wildlife Trusts, Brockholes Nature Reserve is just outside of Preston and is well worth a visit. It has a floating village – what other reason do you need?!

3 Hartley’s Bar

Another recommendation from Rachel is a visit to Hartley’s Bar on Mount Street. She recommends it for ‘perfect music and great food and drink’… sounds good to me!

4 The New Continental

The New Continental is a lovely Gastro & Real Ale pub on the edge of Avenham Park, near the viaduct. Great place to have a nice lunch then walk through the park and into the centre of Preston, according to Helen from Loves & Loathes.

5 Harris Museum

Recommended to me by Nisbah from Five Adventurers, Harris Museum and Art Gallery offers a whole host of activities, exhibitions and activities for all ages of visitors.

Oliver Gradwell, founder of Wonder Liverpool, gave me a quick take on Preston from his point of view:

No more than three minutes walk from Preston’s Premier Inn is Winckley Square, which is a really nice park, similar to those you find in London perhaps. During the summer it is quite popular with people taking a break from shopping or during their lunch break.

I also really like Avenham and Miller parks as well, which are only another minute or from Winckley Square. They are surprisingly big actually, with lots of options for some lovely walks both long and short, especially along the river.

There are a few surprised you’ll just have to discover for yourself, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about the hill on the way back!

A good spot for a drink before tackling said hill is the Continental pub on the outskirts of Miller park, on the far side, just below the railway bridge. They have a good beer garden, great selection of ales and the food isn’t too bad.

The Continental is also a surprisingly good events venue that is worth checking out at night, with a variety of live music, film and theatre productions on throughout the week.

Back in the city centre is the Harris Museum and whilst you might want to give the library a pass if you are just visiting, the Museum is well worth a look and often surprises most visitors with the range and quality of exhibits. If you get chance, take in a guided tour of the Egypt Balcony, there is a small cost but it isn’t lots at all, about 50p a child and £1 per adult. It is at the top of the museum though, so I hope you have a head for heights!

Are you a Prestonian? Perhaps you went to Uni there? What are your favourite memories of the town?

I’d love for you to share them with me over on my Facebook page.