Preston

Preston sits on the north bank of the River Ribble, roughly midway between Manchester and the Lake District, and has been a market and mill town for centuries before becoming, in 2002, one of the UK's newest cities. Its skyline mixes red-brick Victorian civic grandeur with the sweeping concrete curves of the Grade II listed Preston bus station, one of the most photographed pieces of brutalist architecture in the country. The city grew rich on cotton in the nineteenth century, and that money paid for the parks, museums and public buildings that still give the centre its handsome, slightly formal character.

What makes Preston an easy base for exploring Lancashire is its position: the Ribble Valley and the fringes of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty begin within a few miles of the centre, the Fylde coast and Blackpool are a short drive west, and the M6 and M55 meet right on the doorstep. Preston also holds the Preston Guild, a civic celebration held only once every twenty years (most recently 2012, next due 2032), a tradition that gave rise to the phrase "once in a Preston Guild" for something rare.

Top things to do in Preston

The city centre is compact enough to explore on foot, with several genuinely notable attractions within easy walking distance of each other.

• The Harris Museum, Art Gallery and Library — a Grade I listed neoclassical building on the Flag Market, home to fine art, local history collections and a fossil elk skeleton; it has undergone a major renovation reopening as "Preston's Harris".
• Avenham and Miller Parks — a pair of adjoining Victorian public parks designed by landscape architect Edward Milner, laid out on the steep banks above the River Ribble with formal terraces, a boathouse and riverside walks.
• Flag Market — the large paved square in front of the Harris, used for markets, festivals and civic events since medieval times.
• Preston Bus Station — a Grade II listed 1969 brutalist landmark, restored and still in daily use, regularly cited among the most striking transport buildings in Britain.
• River Ribble and Guild Wheel — the Ribble runs along the southern edge of the city, and the 21-mile Guild Wheel cycling and walking route rings Preston, taking in riverside paths, parkland and countryside.
• UCLan campus and city centre — the University of Central Lancashire sits right in the city centre, giving Preston a lively, youthful feel with independent cafes and shops around it.
• Ribble Valley and Beacon Fell Country Park — a short drive north-east brings you into rolling Ribble Valley countryside and Beacon Fell, a popular hilltop viewpoint on the edge of the Forest of Bowland.

Getting to Preston

Preston is one of the best-connected towns in the North West. Preston railway station is a principal stop on the West Coast Main Line, with fast services to London Euston, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, plus regional lines into the Ribble Valley and towards Blackpool. By road, the M6 and M55 motorways meet at Preston, making it a straightforward journey from Manchester, Liverpool, the Lake District and the rest of Lancashire. Manchester Airport is around an hour's drive south, and Liverpool John Lennon Airport a similar distance to the south-west.

Best time to visit Preston

Like the rest of Lancashire, Preston sees changeable weather year-round, so late spring through early autumn (May to September) tends to offer the best conditions for exploring the parks and surrounding countryside, with the Ribble Valley and Forest of Bowland looking their greenest. Summer brings the busiest run of markets and outdoor events on the Flag Market, while a crisp autumn day is ideal for walking the wooded slopes of Avenham and Miller Parks as the leaves turn. Winter visits suit those coming mainly for the museums, shopping and city-centre food scene.

Where to stay in Preston

The city centre has a good spread of chain hotels handy for the railway station and the main shopping streets, while the Riversway Docklands area by the Ribble offers a quieter, waterside alternative with its marina and restaurants. For a slower pace, the villages around the Ribble Valley just outside Preston — such as Longridge and Whalley — provide a countryside base with easy access back into the city.

Food and drink in Preston

Preston's food scene has grown well beyond traditional pub grub, though a good Lancashire hotpot is never far away. Bar Pintxos, on Guildhall Street, is known as the only dedicated pintxos bar in the north of England, serving Basque-style small plates. A little further out, in the Ribble Valley village of Little Eccleston, The Cartford Inn holds two AA Rosettes for a kitchen that blends French technique with Lancashire ingredients. Back in the city, the streets around the university and the Flag Market have a growing choice of independent cafes and international restaurants alongside long-standing pubs serving real ale — a reminder that this is still very much a working Lancashire city with a strong brewing tradition.