View a slideshow showing the city of Lancaster
The Lancaster area
Lancaster is a small, historic city with a strong community feel. It began as a Roman settlement on the banks of the River Lune, and Lancaster Castle, which dates back to the 12th century, is visible from many parts of the city, as is the distinctive outline of the Benedictine Priory Church. A further prominent feature of the city is the dome of the Ashton Memorial, an Edwardian Baroque folly, set in Williamson Park.
Lancaster offers a good mixture of shops, restaurants, theatre, cinemas, pubs and nightclubs. With its extensive traffic-free shopping area, Lancaster is the ideal "university town" about 2-3 miles from the University campus. Virtual Lancaster is a good site for finding out more about the city.
The city lies between the sea at Morecambe Bay, and the Forest of Bowland - an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty just a few miles from Lancaster city centre. Morecambe Bay is famous for its quicksands and fast-moving tides. A popular day out for local people is to join one of the large guided walks across Morecambe Bay's sands.
Half an hour from Lancaster is the Lake District, one of Britain's most beautiful National Parks. Its scenery is characterised by many lakes and mountains, including England's highest. It was home for Beatrix Potter, original author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and many other famous children's books, and provided the setting for many of them. Her home and some of the actual buildings featured in the books may be seen to this day.
The Lake District is a wonderful place to relax and to unwind - take a boat trip on one of the lakes, walk on the many footpaths by the lakes or in the mountains, go climbing, or just sit in a pub enjoying the views and the ale.
Also within easy reach of Lancaster are the Yorkshire Dales, a major attraction for country lovers and for cavers and pot-holers. The University has an Outdoor Pursuits Centre available to students near to Ingleton in the heart of the pot-holing area.
Lancaster is also a great centre from which to access Britain's cities. Manchester is 50 minutes away, Glasgow and Birmingham 2.5 hours and London 3 hours.
Lancaster and Morecambe has a thriving business community which works in partnership with Lancaster University. Investment in Lancaster's new Economic Development Zone makes the city a very attractive location for companies eager to tap into the University's world-class knowledge base.
