The Paddock

If you’re a fan of pedal-powered explorations, pay a call to Lee Quarry Mountain Bike Trail (20 minutes’ drive) or get over to Gisburn Forest (50 minutes) for bike hire and tracks of all types through the Trough of Bowland. Like hikes with history? Starting 25 minutes away in Barrowford, the Pendle Way is a 45-mile circuit passing through, round and up some of Lancashire’s finest terrain, taking in sites from the 17th-century witch trials. Routes up Pendle Hill start from Barley, half an hour away, and end, on fine days, with views right over to the Irish Sea. For history of an urban and industrial kind, you can't beat Manchester, also half an hour away. Mix visits to the Museum of Science and Industry and the People’s History Museum with tours of the Coronation Street cobbles at ITV Studios and boat cruises down the Irwell river. Elizabethan Gawthorpe Hall (20 minutes) has an impressive exterior and elegant insides, topped off with a fine collection of textiles and embroidery. While you're time travelling, don’t forget Bremetennacum, or Ribchester as it became known after the Romans left: 40 minutes away, it’s a pleasant hilltop town with old Roman baths and a museum full of artefacts left by the former Imperial occupiers.