Nature watch: The Ribble

From bats to birds, moor to marsh, Lancashire’s River Ribble is a haven for natureloving walkers. Clitheroe Ramblers’ secretary Ben Brown tells us his highlights…

It’s been more than 30 years since Preston & Fylde Ramblers suggested a path along the River Ribble. Since then, walkers have found it’s not only the Ribble Way that makes this valley so special, but also its abundance of flora and fauna. From the river’s source in the Yorkshire Dales to its exit into the Irish Sea 120km/ 75 miles on, this wildlife-rich route through central Lancashire has something for everyone, says Ben Brown, secretary of Clitheroe Ramblers.

“The middle part of the valley is green and lush, with pretty villages and deciduous woodland,” he explains. “It’s totally different to the moors of nearby Bowland or the flat coastal belt.” There’s plenty to see at any time of year, but there are certain seasonal highlights, says Ben: “For the next few months, ducks and waders will be wintering in the Ribble estuary, including nationally important numbers of sanderling, wigeon and ringed plover. In spring, walk through Mitton Wood for glorious displays of cowslips and bluebells, followed by a first glimpse of returning sand martins near Hurst Green.”

Other must-sees include the majestic hen harriers that have become established in Bowland. Or, in summer, join a ranger-led walk at Cross Hill nature reserve to see Daubenton’s bats feeding on the wing. The valley is comparatively undeveloped, but even former industrial sites are now full of wildlife. “Salthill Quarry hasn’t been worked for decades,” explains Ben. “But now this re-colonised limestone grassland supports wild flowers, which, in turn, support butterflies. We had large numbers of painted ladies here last year, as well as orange-tip, ringlet and skippers.”

Further downstream, the mix of tidal and fresh water below Preston is rich in invertebrates. This helps the 16km/ 10-mile-wide estuary support over a quarter of a million waders and wildfowl each winter, making it one of our most important coastal National Nature Reserves. It seems that, from source to sea, the River Ribble is an ongoing natural history lesson.

For more info, see 25 Walks in the Ribble and Hodder Valleys by Clitheroe Ramblers (£5.99, www.clitheroeramblers.co.uk). Visit the local Wildlife Trust at www.lancswt.org.uk.

Image above: David Medcalf / www.geograph.org.uk

Click on the image below to view a copy of our Nature watch guide to wildlife on the Ribble from the Winter 2009 printed edition of walk magazine.