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The crucial moment of change occurred with the invention of the steam engine. This immediately demonstrated its superiority over the mill wheel and, even better, was not dependent upon the vagaries of the weather. Industry quickly regrouped around the coalfields, and along the canals and expanding railway network, where coal could be delivered relatively cheaply. Many of the early factory sites that were not so well placed gradually faded into obscurity, and consequently, unlike the neighbouring Colne and Calder valleys, that of the Ribble has remained largely rural – not a bad thing at all, and may it always remain so.

WILDLIFE

But although the Ribble valley has remained rural, this does not mean it is a botanical paradise, for intensive agriculture and grazing have marginalised many wildflower species and the insects and other types of life they support. However, numerous stretches in the middle sections of the river are rich in natural woodland, with a few areas demonstrating continuity with the original ‘wildwood’. Here, particularly in spring, a variety of native tree and shrub species, such as oak, ash, alder, beech and hawthorn, shelter an abundance of flowers, while hedgerows and the limestone uplands also support a range of flora. Bluebells, ransoms and primroses are common, while violets, orchids, speedwell, cowslips and campions are among the many others you will spot.