Within 1 hour of Preston - on a reasonable day by road. Give me time all these will soon have links.
RSPB Martin Mere
Morecambe and Morecambe Bay including:
Grange-over-sands
Arnside
RSPB Leighton Moss
Leighton Hall
Levens Hall
Holker Hall
Sizergh Castle (NT)
Kendal
Speke Hall (NT)
Chester
Oulton Park
Tatton Park (NT)
Lyme Park
Dunham Massey
Jodrell Bank
Haydock Park
Wigan
Manchester Museum of Transport
Manchester Museum of Science and Industry
Imperial War Museum (North)
Lowry Gallery
Manchester Airport
Quarry Bank Mill, Styal (NT)
East Lancashire Railway
Blackburn
Forest of Bowland
Skipton
Haworth
Helmshore Mills Textile Museum
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Leeds
Harrogate / Ripon
Queen Street Mill Textile Museum, Burnley
Settle
Shipley
Bolton Abbey
Embsey & Bolton Abbey Railway
Yorkshire Dales
York is over an hour.