Winter 2006-7: The Ribble Wild

The River Ribble is an internationally important intertidal river, home to something like 1/2 a million birds every year, all year round - including over 1/4 million overwintering species from all over the world, from the Arctic circle and Africa, North, South, East, and West Europe...

It is also an endlessly changing, endlessly fascinating and beautiful river - even literally AWE-SOME, as it is when in spate during heavy storms, a powerful force to be treated with respect...


January 2007: The Ribble's magnificant waves are a force to be reckoned with as the spate waters surge between Penwortham in South Ribble and Preston, Lancashire...


carrying huge trees as though they are matchsticks...


St. Walburgs in Preston has witnessed this numerous times, but weathers the storm...


Even the massive Liverpool Road Bridge between Penwortham and Preston is dwarfed...


Broadgate in Preston looks on as the Ribble's spate surges past...


Muddy wonders where the path has gone...



Even two hours later, the floodplain in the Middleforth area of Penwortham happily takes the strain... but I decide not to try to sit on the benches on this walk!


The footpath and river banks are several metres in front of the bench, which is well under water. Broadgate seems alot further away than usual...


Long Live the Ribble Wild!

You can contact me at savetheribble@tiscali.co.uk