National nature reserves in Lancashire

Hawthornthwaite Fell is one of the larger hills in the Forest of Bowland in the north west of England. Hawthornthwaite Fell marks the extreme western limit of the West Riding of the historic county of York. Since 1974 it has fallen within the boundaries of the administrative county of Lancashire. However, most of the hill is on the Duke of Westminster's land. It occupies a north-facing position on the south-western range, close to Bleasdale and Fair Snape Fell. The only path to the summit comes over the hills from the south. The summit is boggy and flanked to the north by steep heather slopes. Grouse are farmed in the area and hen harriers can be seen frequently. The trig point and the remains of its foundations are no longer upright, lying horizontally pointing westward.

Abbeystead House is a large country house to the east of the village of Abbeystead, Lancashire, England, some 12 km (7 miles) south-east of Lancaster. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

William Philip Molyneux, 4th Earl of Sefton, (14 October 1835 – 27 June 1897) was a British peer.

Abbeystead is a small hamlet located in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in Lancashire, England. Abbeystead lies close to the Trough of Bowland but even in medieval times, was considered part of Wyresdale rather than within the domain of that powerful local magnate, the Lord of Bowland, so-called Lord of the Fells. Abbeystead is located in the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Over Wyresdale.

Over Wyresdale is a civil parish and a parish of the Church of England in the City of Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. It has a population of 348, decreasing to 316 at the 2011 Census. The parish includes the hamlets of Abbeystead, Lee, Lower Green Bank, Ortner, Marshaw and Tarnbrook. The parish church, Christ Church is located about a mile to the west of Abbeystead. The vast majority (around 16,000 acres (6,500 ha)) of the land in the parish lies within the Abbeystead Estate, which is the property of the Duke of Westminster, and which extends into neighbouring parishes to a total extent of approximately 23,000 acres (9,300 ha). Of the hamlets, only Lower Green Bank does not form a part of the Abbeystead Estate. The only other significant landowner is the Leigh family.

Grizedale Bridge is a Grade II listed bridge in the English parish of Over Wyresdale, Lancashire. The structure, which dates to the 19th century, carries Rakehouse Brow (part of the road between the Trough of Bowland and Lancaster) over the River Grizedale. A Grade II listed structure, it is in sandstone and consists of a single elliptical arch and has a solid parapet with a rounded top.

Wyresdale Abbey was a short-lived medieval monastic house in Over Wyresdale, Lancashire, England. It was founded around 1170 or a little later and ceased to exist by 1204.Cistercian monks from St Mary of Furness built the monastery near the end of the reign of Henry II. Its charter was granted between 1194 and 1198. The chaplain of St. Michael-on-the-Wyre was appointed chaplain of the monks for life.The only remaining traces of the abbey are some carved stones reused in other buildings. The village of Abbeystead takes its name from Wyresdale Abbey and is situated just north of its former site.

The River Grizedale, also known as Grizedale Beck, is a river in Lancashire, England. The river rises at Grizedale Head between Abbeystead Fell, Cabin Flat and Dunkenshaw Fell and flows southwards, picking up several small streams on its way. Grizedale Beck is used as a nursery for juvenile salmon and trout. It flows through the Grizedale Reservoir, continuing southward and joining the river Wyre north east of Garstang.

The Grey Stone of Trough is an historic boundary marker in Bowland Forest High, in the Trough of Bowland, Lancashire, England. A Grade II listed structure, erected in 1897 and standing on Trough Road, it marks the line of the pre-1974 county boundary between Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. Historically, the Trough marked the westernmost boundary of the ancient Lordship of Bowland. It is in sandstone and has a triangular section with inscriptions on the two sides that face the road.

The Abbeystead disaster occurred on the evening of 23 May 1984 when a methane gas explosion destroyed a waterworks' valve house at Abbeystead, Lancashire, England, killing 16 people. A group of 44 visitors were inside the underground building at the time, attending a public presentation by North West Water Authority (NWWA) to demonstrate the operations of the station. Eight were killed instantly by the explosion, and the others were severely injured. The explosion also caused the concrete roof to fall down onto the group, destroying the steel-mesh floor and throwing some of the victims into the water chambers below, which rapidly filled with river water. Another eight people subsequently died of their injuries in hospital; an 11-year-old boy and his mother were among the dead. The official inquiry into the disaster concluded that the methane had seeped from coal deposits 4,000 feet (1,200 m) below ground and had built up in an empty pipeline. The gas was then ejected into the valve house by the sudden pressure of water as the pumps were switched on. The cause of ignition has never been determined.

Ward's Stone is the highest hill in the Forest of Bowland, England. Its flat top hides two trig points nearly a kilometre apart. The western trig point sits atop of large rocks, including one, the Ward's Stone, that is so large it attracts boulderers and climbers. The path from Grit Fell is difficult: crossing Cabin Flat, it weaves its way across hidden pools of stagnant water, the presence of which is betrayed by a form of red grass. White markers supposedly point out the way, but more often result in leading the walker astray. The second trig points faces the empty vastness of the eastern Forest of Bowland, with the summits of Wolfhole Crag, White Hill and the distant Ingleborough breaking the horizon. A second path approaches Ward's Stone from Tarnbrook, where limited parking is available. On the southern slope of this hill are Thorn Crag, Hell Crag and Long Crag, rocky outcroppings that are popular with climbers. Within Thorn Crag, a shallow cave system exists that leads to Hell Crag; this route was first traversed by Lancaster University Mountaineering Club.

The Trough of Bowland is a valley and high pass in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Lancashire, England. The pass, reaching 968 ft (295 m) above sea level at the head of the valley, links to Wyresdale, dividing the upland core of Bowland into two main blocks. Though steep and narrow, the road is the most direct connection between Lancaster and Dunsop Bridge, and hence Clitheroe. It was the route taken by the "Pendle witches" to their trial at Lancaster Castle in 1612. The Grey Stone of Trough, at the head of the pass, marks the line of the historic county boundary between Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. Historically, the Trough marked the westernmost boundary of the ancient Lordship of Bowland.