Lancashire is probably best known for the seaside resort of Blackpool and the cities of Manchester and Liverpool. However rural Lancashire offers unspoilt places that are truly far away from the pressures of modern life.

The two great cities of Lancashire have seen a renaissance in the last few years and are shedding their images of dark, northern English industrial cities by focussing on culture, shopping and sport. The regeneration is grounded in the history of the respective cities. With its maritime past, the focus of the renewal in Liverpool has been the redevelopment of Albert Dock, home to several museums including the Tate and The Beatles Story.

Manchester has revitalised an area of former dockland at the end of the Manchester Ship Canal and just a short distance from the city centre. Salford Quays is home to The Lowry, a spectacular arts complex and the largest collection of paintings by LS Lowry, plus the Imperial War Museum North.

Blackpool is synonymous with English seaside holidays and although you can still enjoy a nostalgic visit complete with donkey ride, fish and chips and a stroll along the promenade, the resort has moved on to cater for the demands of the 21st century holidaymaker.

In complete contrast, rural Lancashire offers some of the best scenery and finest locally produced food in the country. The Ribble Valley is a rural haven where you will find green valleys, commanding fells and heather-strewn moorland.

Following the Ribble Valley upstream through rolling countryside and quaint villages you will come across the cosy market town of Clitheroe. It is well known for its specialist shops including tempting food and drink outlets such as fine wines, award-winning sausages and a renowned coffee shop. Indeed, the Ribble Valley is home to some of Lancashire’s best food and drink. An array of wonderful foods - meat from traditional Lancashire breeds, organic milk and cheese, yogurt and ice-cream, handmade chocolate, pies and pastries, and a feast of fruit and vegetables packed with natural flavour - can be found at shops and restaurants along leafy lanes and in its historic towns and villages.

Clitheroe lies on the edge of the less well-known western Pennines and the misleadingly named Forest of Bowland. 'Forest' is used in its traditional sense of a royal hunting ground, when in fact this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is mainly open moorland and small valleys dotted with farming communities. Until quite recently visitors have been unable to access many of its rugged fells as private landowners reserved them for grouse-shooting. Walkers are now beginning to be drawn to this stunning location where a network of paths cross ancient moorland and the Bowland Fells, where dramatic scenery and waterfalls are discovered. Slaidburn, in the heart of the Forest of Bowland is a picturesque Bowland village with attractive greystone Lancashire cottages.

A little to the south and dominating the area lies the mythological Pendle Hill. This majestic and brooding whale-back shaped hill is situated between the Ribble Valley, Forest of Bowland and Bronte Country. Rising to almost 2000 feet, to scale the fell can be a challenging walk (although there is also a relatively easy route from a road which passes over the shoulder of the hill). The top offers breathtaking views across the Forest of Bowland, the Yorkshire Dales and on clear days, the Lake District. However, it is the sensational events that took place during the 17th-century for which it is best known. Discover the Pendle Witches Trail, a fascinating walking tour which takes you around some of the places that are synonymous with the infamous Pendle Witches who were hanged. It starts in the quaint hamlet of Barley and takes in the villages of Newchurch and Roughlee, with their picturesque Lancashire cottages, both recent winners of Lancashire Village of the Year awards. The story is perpetuated by a hilltop gathering each Halloween.