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THE RIBBLE WAY

The idea for a long-distance footpath along the course of the River Ribble originated in the 1960s with the members of the Preston and Fylde group of the Ramblers’ Association. The original survey suggested a mainly riverbank route from the mouth of the Ribble, where it flows into the Irish Sea, to its source far above Gearstones, a former drovers’ inn beside the moorland between Ribblehead and Widdale. This plan immediately ran into difficulty, however, as more than half the proposed way relied on the use of private fishermen’s paths. Further progress was thwarted by a storm of local objection, and it was not until the 1980s that an alternative route adopting existing rights of way attracted official support. The first leg of the path, covering just over 40 miles (almost 65km) between Longton and Gisburn Bridge, was opened by Mike Harding, president of the Ramblers’ Association, and Derek Barber, chairman of the Countryside Commission, on 1 June 1985.

Because the Ribble Way follows the south bank of the river, a coastal start to the walk was, and still is, frustrated by the lack of a convenient crossing over the River Douglas, which joins the Ribble on the same bank around 3 miles (4.8km) from the sea. The lowest bridging point across the Douglas is that spanned by the A59 some 5 miles (8km) above the confluence of the Douglas and the Ribble, so if the walk started from the coast, this would involve a good 10 mile (16km) detour up to the bridge and back to the confluence again.