Getting around Burnley
Burnley is a compact Lancashire town, and much of what a visitor wants to see sits within a walkable centre. For anything beyond that, the town is served by a mix of local buses, a handful of railway stations and a canal towpath that doubles as a cycling route. There is no metro or tram system in Burnley, so getting around relies on buses, trains, taxis and your own two feet.
On foot
The town centre is small enough to explore on foot, and the main shopping and civic areas cluster together. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal courses through town, and its towpath is navigable from coast to coast and makes a good route for cycling as well as walking. Do bear in mind that some of the railway stations sit a little away from the centre: Burnley Central is on the retail park a short distance north of the town centre and is described as a draughty, lonely spot at night, so it is worth planning your walk back accordingly.
Rail
Burnley has three railway stations, each with a different role.
- Burnley Manchester Road is the main station, south of the river. It has a staffed ticket office and machines, toilets, and ramp access to the platforms.
- Burnley Barracks is a platform halt on the south-western edge of town near the Travelodge. It has a ticket machine and ramp access to the single platform.
- Burnley Central is on the retail park a quarter of a mile north of the town centre. It has a staffed ticket office in the mornings and machines, plus ramp access to the single platform.
Services are straightforward to use. Trains run hourly from Manchester Victoria, taking about 45 minutes via Rochdale and Todmorden to Burnley Manchester Road, and continuing to Accrington and Blackburn; the last departs Victoria at 11PM. These trains start from Liverpool Central but are shown on timetables and displays as from Kirkby. Another hourly service runs from Blackpool via Preston, Blackburn and Accrington to Burnley Manchester Road, and continues over the Pennines to Hebden Bridge, Halifax, Bradford, Leeds and York. Change at Blackburn for Clitheroe. A slower train trundles hourly from Preston via Blackburn and Accrington to Burnley Barracks, Burnley Central, Nelson and Colne.
For tickets, use the staffed offices at Manchester Road and Central (mornings) or the machines available at all three stations.
Buses
Burnley Bus Station is centrally located in town, which makes it a convenient base for local journeys. At night, when the bus station is locked, the Witchway stops on Red Lion Street just south of it.
Local bus routes fan out to the surrounding areas, including the Stoops Estate, Higherford, Pikehill, Worsthorne, Harle Syke and Rose Grove, Towneley and Bacup, Whittlefield, and Rose Hill. These are useful for reaching parts of town beyond the centre.
Longer-distance buses connect Burnley with neighbouring towns and cities. The Transdev Witchway Bus X43 runs from Manchester Chorlton Street (outside the coach station), taking about 90 minutes via Prestwich and Rawtenstall; it runs every 20 minutes during the day and hourly from 9PM to 3AM. Bus 152 runs from Preston every 30 minutes via Blackburn, Rishton, Clayton-le-Moors and Padiham. Bus M1 runs from Accrington every 30 minutes, and Bus M2 from Clitheroe every 30 minutes via Padiham. Bus M3 runs from Trawden and Bus M4 from Keighley, both every 30 minutes via Colne and Nelson. Ribble Bus 64 also runs from Clitheroe and Bus 65 from Nelson. Bus 483 runs hourly from Bury, taking about 80 minutes via Rawtenstall. The Pendle Wizz Bus runs from Skipton hourly via Barnoldswick and Colne, and Bus 592 runs from Halifax hourly via Hebden Bridge and Todmorden.
Note that National Express and Megabus do not run to Burnley; if you are arriving by coach, take their bus to Manchester and change there.
Taxis and ride-hailing
Taxi firms operating in Burnley include Maxi Taxi, Delta, Apollo and Kings. These are the practical option for late-night journeys or for reaching places not well served by buses, such as the stations on the edge of town.
Getting there from the airport
Manchester Airport has global flight connections. Frequent trains run from the airport, but none go direct to Burnley: you will need to change at Salford, Blackburn or Preston, for a journey time of around 1 hour 45 minutes.
By road
If you are driving, from Manchester follow the M66 onto the A56 and then the M65. From the south you can go that way too, but it is congested in rush hour, so it is often better to stay on the M6 to the M65 junction near Preston.