Bay Horse Inn to Lancaster - Distance 5.83 miles - LRO ref DDX 194/21

The mileage readings were consecutive to those outlined on the previous sheet Route No 3 and LRO ref DDX 194/22 at 16 : 6 : 28. The old road did not follow the line of present A6, which had not been built at the time, but the minor road parallel to the current railway line. Six furlongs beyond what is now the Bay Horse Inn, was an inn called “Sign of Oak” referred to on Route No 22 as “ye Salt Oak”. The old Inn sign is built into a house wall located behind the site of the original Inn and now facing A6. A short distance beyond is the note “at 18 miles in view of Lancaster Castle tower the Road Inclinning a lt [little] to ye left about 10f off wide; top to Ellel Moor”.

There were only five houses at Ellel Cliff (now Galgate) cross roads. The right turning led to the moor and on to Bondgate and so to “wiresdale”. Ahead led to Lancaster or “Hornbey” whilst to the left over the river Condor veering north again to Lancaster by the lane to Thornham. On the first lane lived Thomas Leach and on the second was “Brantbeck to go to Ashton” followed by two houses at each side of the road by the branches to Scotforth common and “Burrough.”

After the lane to “Bale Rigg” [Bailrigg] and over Burrough Beck came Scotforth well populated with several houses at the crossroads. The left turn led to “Stoddah” [Stodday] and “uxcliff” [Oxcliffe] and the opposite way to the moor.

At this stage the surveyors were within 1.5 miles of Lancaster. At one mile they came to open ground called Graves for quarter of a mile and after crossing Borum Brook and Borum common road they reached the first houses of the town. The first on the right was 660 yards from the market cross whilst that on the left was 539 yards. Next came the Back Lane just 517 yards from the cross. Because the River Lune was on the north side of, and close to, the town, the open fields were on the south side. The back lane lay between the open fields and the town. The team prepared itself for the next part of the work involving the hazardous passage over the sands of Morecambe Bay.