Rufford and Burscough
Planning your visit
Address: Burscough Wharf, Liverpool Road North, Burscough, Lancashire L40 5RZ View on Google map
Price: Once you're there, it won't cost you a thing
Toilets: There are public toilets at Burscough Wharf
With flat towpaths, historic canal features and rich wildlife, the top locks on the Rufford Branch and Burscough, just through the junction of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, are the perfect place for family walks, bike rides and bird spotting. Rufford junction is a 10 minute walk along the towpath from Burscough making it perfect for a post-Sunday lunch stroll.
Burscough has a courtyard wharf. During the height of the canal age, the wharf was home to a purpose built as a veterinary centre for the horses that pulled barges along the canal. The site included stables, canal cottage, weighbridge, chop house, warehouse, harness rooms and offices. Today it has been restored and is home to small arts and crafts businesses, shops and cafes.
Things to do and see
- Walking and dog walking
- Cycling
- Bird spotting
- Fishing
Places to eat:
Boat trips:
Picnic spot:
There are some grassy spots by the canal where you can lay down a picnic blanket
Wildlife spotting:
With Martin Mere Wetland Centre not far away, don't be surprised if, along with the usual ducks and moorhens, you'll spot Barn owls, dippers and wagtails.
Getting here
By car - there's free parking at Burscough Wharf, along the road and for customers of the local pubs
By train - Burscough Bridge Station is just five mintures up the road from the towpath
