5, Overton – Heysham – Morecambe – Carnforth

Journey Overview

Spend life rushing around? Well, it’s time to unwind, stimulate your senses and explore via a gentle curve along the coastline and through some of Lancashire’s most gorgeous, calming and panoramic landscapes.

Peace and quiet go hand in hand at the beautiful and historic fishing village of Overton, which lies on the Heysham peninsula between Middleton and Sunderland Point, so be sure to have an explore before starting your journey. From Overton, the bus transports you through hamlets, quiet lanes and hedgerows at Middleton.

After this glorious village-cluster, the bus curves along the Morecambe peninsular where you’ll begin to feel the influence of the bay as the land flattens and salt-marshes and wide tidal channels of Morecambe Bay and the Lune estuary come into view to your left. The bus soon glides towards Heysham where lie the mysterious aforementioned graves near St Patrick’s Chapel and amidst heart-stopping vistas of sea, sky, church and beach.

The bus then dips inland via Sandylands and courses along seaside arterial roads – transporting you to sunny Morecambe promenade and holiday-period shops, Happy Mount Park at Bare, and open bay views.

On leaving Morecambe and heading North, the bus passes through the history-rich Hest Bank where you can glimpse the ancient crossing route of Morecambe Bay guides via its canal towpath at low tide before reaching Bolton-le-Sands. No relation of town of Bolton in Greater Manchester! Bolton-le-Sands is a lovely and picturesque village bedecked in stone cottages and through which Lancaster Canal winds peacefully through, offering further peace and luscious walking.

Last stop is the small market town of Carnforth – home to Carnforth railway station and the setting of one of the most iconic black and white 1940s films: Brief Encounter.

A Fab Day Out!

The number 5 bus is the perfect way to feast your senses in gorgeous Lancashire coast and countryside and quench your appetite for history, not to mention a myriad of cafes, restaurants and pubs along the way!

And relax…

Step into peace at Overton before you set foot on the bus and step back in time as the village is the site Roman settlement. Take a short meander through its quaint lanes and a pause at St. Helen’s Church, or the ‘Church in the Field’, to feast your eyes with sweeping views across the River Lune estuary.

Take in the air, take in the view

If you could take only one photograph throughout the day, you will not regret getting off at the Heysham Village stop where even the air feels sacred. Here, the enchanting ruins of St Patrick Chapel’s in the foreground tower humbly but powerfully against a backdrop of Morecambe Bay’s boundless horizon, sea and sky which in turn converges stunningly with the silhouette of beautiful gravestones at St Peter’s Church beset on a sea of sloping grassy mounds mid-ground, which look like they could be coming out of the very sand.

A hop and a skip away is the bite-sized and equally heart-stopping village where you can gather your thoughts over a delicious slice of something savoury or sweet at Tracy’s Homemade Pies and Cakes café.

Potter down the promenades

If you fancy a quiet stretch of seafront, alight at Sandylands where an invigorating stroll down the promenade, spectacular sea views and a classic, traditional seaside fish and chips top up will offer tonic to the spirit!

How can we narrate the meanderings of a fab day out courtesy of the number 5 without mentioning the birthplace of a Lancashire comedic legend and famous coastline favourite – whose name and said place are as one? Yep, Morecambe and Eric Morecambe – of Morecambe and Wise double act fame! If you do nothing else aside from a hearty mooch, a cheeky window shop and a restorative cup of tea, say hello to Eric whose statue looms large and playfully against the infinite coastline – a dazzling view of two icons.

If you fancy a few hours of fun, stop off at Bare, a delightful suburb of Morecambe whose Happy Mount Park, a family-friendly spot with gardens, play areas, and, even a miniature railway in summer.  Bare in name it may be but cloaked in independent shops it is too!

Refresh and rest at Hest

Had enough of breathtaking coastal splendour? Hope not because at Hest Bank, you’ll find one of the most scenic parts of the trip. Combine a well-deserved pit-stop at the welcoming Hest Bank pub – packed with character and charm – where you can feast your eyes at most striking bay/estuary views: tidal sands, mudflats, and wide horizons.

A closing burst of nostalgia

So, this glorious bus journey ends at the beginning of a timeless love story between two married strangers from pre-World War II England and transports you to heart-capturing railway nostalgia at Carnforth. The Heritage Centre at Carnforth’s historic railway station tells the story and history and the Refreshment Room café, well worth a tea and cake pit stop, sets the scene of where the two lovers meet first meet. If you’d like something stronger head to The Canal Turn pub which offers waterside dining with hearty British classics, while Brief Encounter Bistro & Bar provides a cosy option right in the town centre.

Please forgive the pun but there is nothing brief and everything memorable about this encounter of a bus journey.