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Beacon Fell Country Park



OS Grid ref:- SD567428

Beacon Fell Country Park, situated at Goosnargh, on the edge of the Forest of Bowland, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is one of the oldest in Britain, being designated in 1970.

Beacon Fell Country ParkBeacon Fell Country Park

The Country Park consists of 110 hectares (271 acres) of woodland, moorland and farmland.

The summit of Beacon Fell rises to 266 metres (873 feet) and offers stunning views across the plain of the Fylde, with Blackpool Tower and Morecambe Bay to the west, as well as the Ribble valley to the south. On a clear day the Welsh hills, the Lake District hills and the Isle of Man are all visible from the summit. A beacon has stood on the fell from as early as 1002. In Elizabethan times the fell was part of a chain of beacons to warn of the approach of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and of French forces between 1795 and 1815.

The popular country park has a network footpaths through largely coniferous woodland. The conifer trees were planted between 1938 and 1959 when the fell was used to gather water for the local reservoirs to serve Fulwood in Preston.

Beacon FellBeacon Fell Country Park

The Bowland Visitor Centre (pictured above right) provides information about the fell and the Forest of Bowland, and serves refreshments. The fell has a number of sculptures by local artist Thompson Dagnall, including Black Tiger and Kissing Seat (2006), Walking Snake (1998), Hanging Bat (1998), Spruced up Heron (1996) and Orme Sight (1996).

Wildlife observed at the country park includes roe deer, rabbits, hares, red fox, badger, mole, otter, stoats and weasels. Several species of dragonflies and damselflies may be seen around Beacon Fell Tarn during the summer months.


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