River Ribble

The River Ribble is a seventy five mile long, tidal river which flows through the English counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. The river is unique for being the only river to rise in Yorkshire which flows in a westerly direction and for being one of only sixty rivers worldwide to have a tidal bore.

The river rises at the site of the confluence of the Gayle Brook and Cam Brook at a place called Selside on Ribblehead, a large area of grit stone fell which is part of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) known as the Forest of Bowland.

The site of the river's source is further noted by the Grade II Listed, Ribblehead Viaduct, a twenty four arched, four hundred meter long by thirty two meter high, stone built railway viaduct which carries part of the seventy two mile long, Settle / Carlisle railway line.

The river flows westwards for seventy five miles until it reaches it's ten mile wide estuary at Lytham St Anne on Lancashire's, Fylde Coast, situated on the Irish Sea.

The course of the river flows through the area known as the Ribble Valley, an area of two hundred and twenty five square miles which encompasses the Yorkshire market town of Settle, the Lancashire town of Clitheroe, famous for it's tiny, Norman castle, the former Roman town of Ribchester, famous for it's Roman baths and Roman museum, the Lancashire City of Preston, renowned for it's Grade I Listed, St Walburge Roman Catholic Church, with it's ninety four meter high spire, it's Grade II Listed, Covered Market, built in 1875 and it's distinctive, Brutalist bus station, which was opened in 1969, and finally the Lancashire seaside resort of Lytham St Anne, famous for it's eighteenth century, Lytham Hall, it's nineteenth century Lytham Windmill, pictured below, and the internationally renowned Royal Lytham and St Anne's Golf Club.

The river's course is accompanied by the seventy two mile long, Ribble Way, long distance walking path and the twenty mile long, Ribble Valley Railway, which runs between Manchester and Clitheroe and is famous for it's forty eight span, brick built, Whalley Viaduct, which was opened in 1850.

The river also flows through part of Pendle Forest, site of the five hundred and fifty seven meter high, Pendle Hill, made famous by the seventeenth century, Pendle Witch Trials.

The river has several tributaries, the longest of which are the River Darwen, the fifteen mile long, River Calder, the twenty three mile long, River Hodder and the thirty five mile long, River Douglas.

The river also links with the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at the site of it's estuary at Lytham St Anne's and with the Lancaster Canal at the site of the three rise staircase locks known as, the Ribble Link, situated at Savick Brook just north of the City of Preston.

The river is also a popular site for both course and fly fishermen owing to it's abundance of Atlantic Salmon, Brown Trout, Chubb, Eel, Grayling and Sea Trout.

Visit the Ribble Valley - www.visitribblevalley.co.uk

Join the Ribble Trust - www.ribbletrust.org.uk

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