Out and about in Lancaster Morecambe Lakes
Don't forget. There's a whole world beyond university or college. Lancaster itself is historic with the mighty Castle the jewel in the crown.
The city lies just a short bus or train ride from Morecambe, a seaside town in the throes of regeneration. Morecambe Bay offers some of the most stunning sunsets in Britain.
Locally-born comedian Eric Morecambe is commemorated in a by now world-famous statue. And moving inland the Lune Valley is a largely undiscovered gem.
Millions of motorists thunder up and down the M6 by-passing junction 34 which leads off to magnificent countryside that charmed the likes of Turner and Ruskin. To the north lies the unrivalled Lake District, home to picturesque waterscapes, lofty mountains and gentle, rich valleys - and all well-served by buses from Lancaster. There's the Wordsworth connection, Herdwick sheep, Grasmere gingerbread
To the east we find the tumbling streams and sturdy hills of the Yorkshire Dales - Wensleydale cheese, glorious pork pies, little villages like Dent which still has a pub with its own brewery. Happy days to be had there !
Kirkby Lonsdale is a pleasant old market town.
Ingleton district offers some of the best caving and potholing in the country, along with magnificent waterfalls.
The Trough of Bowland provides more majestic scenery, again accessible by bus.
Try a trip to Sunderland Point at the mouth of the Lune - a very special old village (with no pub).
But check the tide times before you go or you might end up spending longer than planned out there.
You don't need to leave city or resort for a pleasant afternoon or day out however.
What about a jaunt to Williamson Park in Lancaster, home to the 150 feet high Ashton Memorial and an intriguing Butterfly House. Or the Maritime Museum - the former Customs House on the Quay.
We have a Quay ? Yes and a lengthy if now passed maritime history. Take a walk down by the river and imagine life 200 years ago. Lancaster enjoyed a golden age as a port in the late 18th century. In 1799 goods then worth £2.5 million left the Quay mainly for the West Indies, along with a considerable import trade arriving in the other direction. The river silted up however and it is a good couple of decades since a seagoing ship used the city centre berths.
How about a walk along the Lancaster Canal with its dozens of resident ducks and swans ?
One of England's few aqueducts carries it across the River Lune near Caton Road on the eastern edge of the city. Unfortunately the £50,000 cost of the structure bankrupted the firm that built it in the early 19th century. Still worth a visit though.
And in the city centre little treasures are hiding around many corners.
The Music Room in Sun Street dates from about 1735 and is famous for its baroque plasterwork.
The Priory Church - next to the Castle - traces roots back to medieval times.
To the north of the city is Carnforth, a gritty old railway town. Its station has been restored and is proving a major tourist attraction because of connections with the WW2 classic film "Brief Encounter".
Just slightly further away from the varsity are Silverdale and Arnside, both set in beautiful countryside.
Leighton Moss nature reserve, near Silverdale, is one of the most important run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
The Lancaster Guardian regularly features walks in Lancaster district and elsewhere, prepared by outdoor expert Graham Dugdale.
