A warm welcome and so much to see
LANCASHIRE is the best place to live in the UK. It seems almost obvious that should be true when it’s the county that is home to a 213ft drop off The Big One at Pleasure Beach while also nurturing its rich history at every turn.
I moved to Lancashire in 2018 to study at Lancaster University, but my love for the county grew slowly - there’s something about Lancashire that sneaks up behind you and when you’re faced with the decision of leaving it, find that you can’t.
Moving to a new county as a student is a pretty limiting experience. You’re 18 years old and have a pretty ignorant list of priorities.
Simply, getting to know your new home isn’t the top of your list - clubbing, on the other hand, definitely is.
In some ways, I’m grateful for the governmentsanctioned daily walks that pushed me into Lancashire as I entered my early twenties. I still find myself in disbelief of the places you can stumble into on one single bike ride along the River Lune.
Let’s start in Lancaster: a small and comforting city centre. Your trip to visit the endless local businesses is shadowed by an unforgettable skyline and the three peaks of the Castle, Priory and Ashton Memorial. It has all the bustle of a huge city but it doesn’t let you get lost, this feeling of being immensely grateful that you’ve ended up there comes from somewhere in between those peaks.
Evidently, there are not many places that can brag about the Lake District being on its doorstep, but Lancashire can. It took me three years to visit the Lakes from my home in Lancaster and I believe that’s a real testament to Lancashire. I didn’t need to venture out quickly, as soon as you think you’ve seen most of the county, hopping onto a different bus on the way home guides you through its edges and you’ve suddenly got a new itinerary of places to visit.
But Lancashire is so much more than high streets and stunning views, it’s a county that nurtures its residents and gives them the opportunity to push themselves. Its wild streak, seen in the hundreds of wild swimmers and kayaks venturing through the River Ribble, consistently inspires people to connect with the place they’ve found home upon, but it’s a county that welcomes tourists with open arms, too.
There’s something in that connection that forms the people around you. I’ve always felt immensely proud when people come up to visit me and comment on the irresistible friendly nature of the people in Lancashire. People want to see the businesses and estate around them flourish and it’s a mutual love that results in making friends at the market, having a barista who recalls your coffee order as soon as you enter or finding a group of fellow beer-drinkers who want to hit Preston’s craft beer pubs with friends as much as you do. You are never left to feel alone.