A beautiful Victorian park around the corner from the party, it boasts a nature trail, small animal park (inc. a Victorian butterfly house), play areas and a cafe. From the Ashton Memorial of Lancaster, you can see the river, the castle and the priory; further afield, you can see to Morecambe Bay and the Lakeland hills.
Built on the foundations of an ancient Roman fort, this Norman castle has been the focal point of the city for a thousand years. The name Lancaster derives from Lune-Castrum, Latin for 'fort on the [river] Lune. A former prison, Lancaster specialised in the hanging of supposed witches in the middle ages. During the First World War, circus performer, Joseph Pilates was interned in the castle on account of his German nationality, it was in his small cell that he developed a series of stretches and exercises we now know as Pilates. Entry to the castle courtyard is free, there is a lovely cafe, selling bespoke coffee from local merchants, Atikinson's. There are also daily paid tours of the interior.