Muddy can't wait to get in that water!
It is already on the turn, however, and goes out as quickly as it comes in across this hugely long but shallow beach. We make it onto the end of the Pier before the waters have receded fully though, and get a clear view right across the Ribble's waters to Blackpool...
Just below the Blackpool seafront, the waves at the edge of the Ribble's main channel can clearly be seen, and the water moving down the channel towards the open sea can be seen moving much more quickly than the receding tide.
There are also a number of ships sailing by...
...and an acrobatic stunt pilot looping the loop over our heads as we stand on Southport Pier...
By the time we get back onto the beach, the tide has almost fully receded, leaving wet sandflats and mudflats, pockets of saltmarsh, and pools everywhere on the flats - which can be treacherous, even walking close to the shore our feet get sucked into the wet sand...
Flocks of birds begin feeding as soon as the tide recedes, the Ribble having replenished the rich silts and nutrients upon which the river's wildlife depends...
...and already the stretch to Blackpool looks deceptively close, almost walkable, the Ribble having retreated to her main channel - which has begun to revert to its old meandering course since dredging the shipping channel to Preston Docks ceased a couple of decades ago.
Some brave souls are happy to follow the river back to her low water mark...
But others, walking the Ribble Way or Trans-Pennine Trail perhaps, stick somewhat closer to shore...
The Ribble is now home to a growing number of walking and cycling routes, many of which are either under construction or have been here for ages and are now being interlinked with one another, providing a fantastic network all along the Ribble from source to the sea, and on both sides:
-the Lancashire Coastal Way (some of which is already open), the North West Coastal Path and the Sefton Coastal Path (again, some already completed), the Regional Coastal Trail, a foot/cycle/bridle bridge over the River Douglas, the Burscough to Banks Wetland Walk, the RCW Regional Park Cycleway, the Fylde Coast Cycleway, Lancashire Cycleway, the Trans Pennine Trail, and the Preston Guild Wheel (which will also link in to several other walking and cycling routes), all linking in with the Ribble Way, the Douglas Way, existing footpath networks, and the Southport to Preston National cycling route. All of these will provide a fantastic contribution to the Ribble Coast & Wetlands Regional Park and will be the ONLY way you can see much of the fantastic scenery, habitats, and wildlife the Ribble supports...
The Trans-Pennine Way Marker at Southport is one of the many interesting sculptures and artworks that line Southport's Promenade...
This unusual species of Southport fish are particularly good...
We walk downriver a little further to one of Southport's many interesting Nature Reserves, part of Southport's contribution to the Regional Park , this one - the Jubilee Trail - is home to Natterjack Toads, though we don't expect to see or hear any as they are usually only active at night!
It is a beautiful Reserve though, ancient dunes which have been colonised by a huge number of native plant species - aswell as Natterjack Toads - and there are wooden walkways across the wetland areas...
...onto the dry...
... a huge variety of plants, wildflowers, and grasses thrive here...
...and the dunes provide a great place for a picninc as well as useful hibernation for the Natterjack Toads!
This was the closest look at an actual Toad that we got, although the dog found something fascinating in the undergrowth nearby so we quickly put her on her lead before she could cause any trouble while we walked along the many paths through this area...
...past Comfrey busily buzzing with bees...
Birds-Foot Trefoil all over the place, nestling amongst numerous plants and grasses...
A rare sight of White Campion, much less commonly seen than the equally beautiful Red...
..and on the way home, an unusual species of bird occupies the roundabout towards Marshside, and watch us as we leave...
Another fantastic day out by the Ribble...
savetheribble@tiscali.co.uk
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