Best Places to Visit Near Preston
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit near Preston are Avenham and Miller Parks, Church of St Walburge, Longton Brickcroft Nature Reserve, Hatch Brook Waterfall, Roddlesworth Waterfall, White Spout, Gaddings Dam and Birkenhead Park.
Preston sits on the River Ribble in the heart of Lancashire, an old cotton town with green riverside parks at its core and wild moorland country spreading out on every side. Close to the centre you will find two linked Victorian parks sloping to the water, along with a soaring Gothic church whose spire is among the tallest in the land.
Head southwest to Longton and a former brickworks has become a peaceful nature reserve of lakes and reedy ponds. South and east, in the West Pennine Moors near Chorley and Blackburn, a pair of woodland waterfalls hide among the trees.
Venture further and the rewards grow wilder still: a remote moorland fall on the edge of the Forest of Bowland north toward Lancaster, a high sandy-beached reservoir above Todmorden in West Yorkshire, and, over on Merseyside, one of the country's earliest public parks. From parks and churches to waterfalls and wild swimming, there is real variety here.
Here are eight places to visit near Preston.
Avenham and Miller Parks
Photo: David Dixon via Geograph.org.uk
Avenham and Miller Parks Right beside the city centre, these two adjoining Victorian parks slope down to the banks of the River Ribble. Edward Milner laid them out together and they opened in 1867: Avenham is the larger and more natural, falling gently to the river, while Miller alongside is smaller and formal, with a fountain, a grotto and a statue of the Earl of Derby.
Riverside walks, a Japanese garden and the old tram-road bridge across the Ribble all draw people in, and a pavilion cafe sits near the middle. The layout has barely changed since the 1880s, so it feels wonderfully unhurried.
Church of St Walburge
Photo: David Robinson via Geograph.org.uk
Church of St Walburge A short way from the centre rises this large Roman Catholic church, built in the 1850s to a Gothic design by Joseph Hansom, the same architect who lent his name to the hansom cab. Its limestone spire climbs to around 94 metres, the tallest church spire in England outside the cathedrals at Salisbury and Norwich.
Step inside for a wide nave beneath a soaring hammerbeam roof, lit by a large rose window. Since 2014 the church has served as a shrine with daily traditional Latin Mass, and now and then the spire opens for booked climbs.
It is a striking Preston landmark.
Longton Brickcroft Nature Reserve
Photo: Gerald McKenna via Geograph.org.uk
Longton Brickcroft Nature Reserve Southwest of Preston at Longton, this nature reserve grew up on the site of an old brickworks, where the clay pits flooded to leave a scatter of lakes. Some eleven hectares of ponds, woodland, meadow and marsh make up the reserve, which became a local nature reserve in 1998 and has flown a Green Flag ever since.
Paths loop around three large ponds, with smaller dipping ponds too, plus a visitor centre with limited hours, toilets and free parking. It is a fine spot for a gentle wander with plenty of birdwatching and pond life to keep you looking.
Hatch Brook Waterfall
Photo: Alan Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Hatch Brook Waterfall A little to the south, above the village of Brinscall in the West Pennine Moors near Chorley, this small woodland fall tumbles down Hatch Brook. It drops through a wooded ravine, its flow swinging wildly with the weather, from a decent cascade after heavy rain to little more than a trickle in dry spells.
Reaching it takes some effort, as you either peer down from above the track or pick your way down a steep scramble to the base. Tucked away in the Brinscall woods, it is a little-known corner that rewards those willing to seek it out.
Roddlesworth Waterfall
Photo: Mr T via Geograph.org.uk
Roddlesworth Waterfall Further east, in the woods of the Roddlesworth and Tockholes plantation south of Blackburn, this modest cascade slips down the River Roddlesworth. The mixed woodland is laid out around a chain of reservoirs, and a short walk from the road along riverside and woodland paths brings you to the fall, which ranges from a quiet trickle in dry weather to a roar after rain.
The wider wood, with the ruins of an old house hidden among the trees, is popular for family walks and dog-walking, though you will find no facilities at the fall itself. It makes a pleasant, easy outing.
White Spout
Photo: Tom Richardson via Geograph.org.uk
White Spout For a longer drive north toward Lancaster, White Spout is a small moorland waterfall in upper Littledale, on the edge of the Forest of Bowland. It falls on a minor stream, Whitespout Gutter, amid high grazing land that drains down through Udale Beck and Artle Beck.
This is remote, unspoilt country with no signposts or facilities, so you reach the fall on foot across rough open ground on the Littledale circuit. The best view is from beside the beck where the path crosses near the old shooting butts.
It is one for walkers who like their scenery wild and quiet.
Gaddings Dam
Photo: Steve Partridge via Geograph.org.uk
Gaddings Dam Worth the drive east into West Yorkshire, Gaddings Dam is an old mill reservoir set high on the moors above Todmorden, more than a thousand feet up on open, windswept ground. Along one side runs a small sandy beach, often claimed as the highest in Britain, which tempts wild swimmers up the steep climb to the water.
Local people saved it from being drained by buying it themselves to keep it. There are no facilities and no road to the reservoir, just moorland stretching away on every side.
Pick a fine day and it is a memorable place for a bracing swim.
Birkenhead Park
Photo: Stephen Richards via Geograph.org.uk
Birkenhead Park Over on Merseyside, a day-trip west, Birkenhead Park is a grand Victorian park laid out in the 1840s and often held up as the first of its kind, a green space built with public money for ordinary people. It opened in 1847 to a design by Joseph Paxton, who shaped it not as formal gardens but as a rolling landscape of meadows, winding paths, woodland and two ornamental lakes.
A pretty covered Swiss bridge crosses the water, with a lakeside boathouse and a grand columned entrance arch. Its ideas helped inspire New York's Central Park after Frederick Law Olmsted visited in 1850.
FAQs
Where can I find waterfalls near Preston?
The West Pennine Moors south and east of Preston hold two woodland falls, Hatch Brook Waterfall above Brinscall near Chorley and Roddlesworth Waterfall south of Blackburn, while the more remote White Spout lies out toward the Forest of Bowland.
Is there wild swimming near Preston?
Yes. Gaddings Dam, an old mill reservoir high on the moors above Todmorden in West Yorkshire, has a small sandy beach and is a well-loved wild swimming spot, though it is a fair drive east of Preston with no facilities.
Which parks are worth visiting around Preston?
Avenham and Miller Parks by the River Ribble sit right in Preston, while the historic Birkenhead Park on Merseyside, an inspiration for New York's Central Park, makes a rewarding day-trip further afield.
Conclusion
Few cities pack in such contrast so easily. Within a short stroll of Preston centre you can wander riverside Victorian parks or stand beneath one of England's tallest church spires, then drive out to quiet lakes at Longton or hidden waterfalls in the West Pennine Moors.
Those willing to travel a little further are rewarded with the lonely moorland fall of White Spout, a bracing swim at high-set Gaddings Dam above Todmorden, and the graceful landscapes of Birkenhead Park on Merseyside. Parks, a Gothic church, cascades and wild swimming make for a full and varied itinerary, so whether you have a spare afternoon or a whole weekend, these are the places to visit near Preston.
