River Ribble Life Force of Lancashire

 

 The Ribble is one of the longest rivers in North West England. From its source in the Yorkshire Dales, it flows south-west through Lancashire. Between Blackpool and Southport the river reaches the sea, and the spectacular Ribble Estuary is one of Europe’s most special places for wildlife. An incredible 250,000 birds make the estuary their winter home every year and there are many other amazing wildlife spectacles to discover here.

 

The River Ribble rises in the Pennines in the Yorkshire Dales at the confluence of Gayle Beck and Cam Beck.

Ribble is joined south of Clitheroe by two major tributaries: the Hodder and the Calder. The River Hodder rises in the Forest of Bowland where it is dammed near to its source to form Stocks Reservoir.

 

The River Darwen joins the Ribble on Preston’s urban fringe. The upper Darwen starts as a moorland stream before it and its tributaries are culverted as they flow through the towns of Darwen and Blackburn. The Darwen provided power to the cotton and woollen mills of Blackburn and Darwen in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

From Preston, the Ribble was diverted from its natural course to allow the development of Preston Dock, with the straight channel carrying the river out to the estuary. In 1840, the river was trained by the construction of a low rubble wall, straightening and deepening the river allowing navigation to Preston Docks. The surrounding marshes and salt marsh areas have been extensively drained and fertilised, and by mid 16th Century much of the marshland had been converted to agricultural land.

 

The Estuary is internationally recognised for its biodiversity. The wildlife habitat of the Ribble Estuary is protected by a series of Nature Reserves, sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) and international conservation designations; half of the Estuary is designated as a Ramsar site, a designation for internationally important wetlands. Low tides in the estuary reveal extensive mud and sand flats, supporting tens of thousands of migratory birds for which the Ramsar designation has been awarded. The Ribble Estuary supports the highest UK populations of Wigeon, Sanderling and Ringed Plover.