Just a few yards from the A6, Beacon Park offers convenient travel to Preston in the south and Lancaster in the north. Buses between Morecambe, Preston and Lancaster pass through Catterall and Garstang, stopping around 400 yards from the development. Journey time, by bus, to Preston is around 25 minutes, with Lancaster less than 40 minutes away. The A6 also provides easy access to the M55 and the M6.
The Brockholes Arms pub and Italian restaurant is a pleasant 20 minute walk away, beside a local café, Auction Eats, that serves home-cooked food from breakfast onwards, with a take-away service in the evenings. Also nearby, the gym at Fenton Fitness has cardio machines, weights, resistance equipment and a fitness studio. On the northern edge of the village, Garstang Country Hotel and Golf Centre complements its parkland course, driving range and practice zone with excellent bar and dining facilities.
The market town of Garstang presents a wide range of shops and amenities. Sainsbury and Aldi supermarkets contrast with a traditional high street where local butchers, bakers, newsagents, stationers, and specialist shops, many of them in the delightful Market House, are interspersed with high street names, pubs, restaurants, take-aways and services ranging from hairdressers to banks. Garstang’s main shopping area is just two miles north of Beacon Park, while the large Barton Garden Centre, which incorporates restaurants and a farm shop, is a mile and a half to the south.
Garstang’s amenities include a small swimming pool, library, post office and two GP practices which share the Medical Centre with a convenient pharmacy. There are also three dental surgeries in the town. Catterall is served by St Helen’s C of E Primary School, which was assessed by Ofsted as good with some outstanding features. Pupils normally move on to Garstang Community Academy, set in beautiful grounds with open views. Both schools are around a mile from Beacon Park.
The short route between Catterall and Garstang crosses both the River Wyre and the Lancaster Canal, whose picturesque walkways, marinas and pleasure craft bring a special charm to the area. The surrounding countryside is peppered with character-filled villages, pubs and restaurants such as ’Owd Nell’s in Bilsborrow, while two miles to the east the Forest of Bowland, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty rich in wildlife, supplements endless opportunities for exploring woodlands and fells with a programme of events throughout the year.