Lancaster Canal cycleway opens

The northern section of the Lancaster Canal is set to form part of a key route for cyclists. This Friday, the Lancaster to Kendal section of the National Cycle Network will enter service - eschewing busy roads for the canal towpath and quiet country lanes.

Local councils, cycling charity Sustrans, and British Waterways have co-operated to establish the 22-mile scenic route. It will be opened with an inaugural ride from the Maritime Museum in Lancaster to Gooseholme in Kendal. The riders will be sent off by the Deputy Mayor of Lancaster at 12 noon and arrive in Kendal at 4.30pm to be greeted by Tim Collins MP, Shadow Secretary for Transport, who will officially open the route.

The Lancaster to Kendal section is part of National Cycle Network Route 6 which continues North into the Lake District National Park and then on to Gretna. The Lancaster to Kendal section intersects with key national and regional routes including the Pennine Cycleway, the C2C2, the Lancashire Cycleway and the Cumbria Cycleway.

Tim Collins, MP, said: "The National Cycle Network represents a major practical step towards the development of an integrated, sustainable transport system in the UK, and Route 6 is one of its key strategic arteries. It is to be hoped that the opening of this section will also provide increased momentum to the development and completion of links further north so that the spine route through the heart of the Lakes can reach its full potential."

Canal enthusiasts are hopeful that the cycle route will give a boost to the plans to reopen the abandoned stretch of the Lancaster Canal between Tewitfield and Kendal.