Grey clouds sunset view sand beach rising from North Training Wall River Ribble being flooded by rising tide, Fairhaven, Lytham
The low water channel of the River Ribble, from Preston Dock to the seaward limit of the estuary, a distance of some 15 miles, is long and fairly straight. This is because it has been trained in stages, from the 1840s onwards, by the building of low rubble walls along the sides of the low water channel. The South Training Wall (left background) is 15 miles long and the North Training Wall, disappearing under Salter's Spit at the seaward extremity of the estuary, is 14 miles long. Robert Stevenson and Son reported about training the river in 1837. Engineering works began in 1840. The seaward walls were built 1932-37, when the Ribble, relative to its size, had the most extensive system of training walls of any river in the UK. The low water trained channel is marked by perches and beacons, some lit at night, mounted on the training walls. which are submerged at high tide. Dredging and training kept the channel open for large ships reaching Preston Dock. The training walls ceased to be maintained in 1969. Dredging ceased in 1979. Preston Dock closed to commercial traffic in 1981. Yachts, motor-cruisers and fishing boats still navigate the river channel. The training walls have become a hard surface for huge numbers of wild mussels. The North Training Wall, as seen, is below the level of the adjoining beach. An evening view downstream towards a yellow sun sinking below grey clouds, with the rising tide flooding through a weak point in the North Training Wall. The low water channel of the River Ribble at this location, some distance out from the coastline at Fairhaven, Lytham St Annes, is some 400 metres wide.
Size: 4346px × 2815px
Location: North Training Wall, low water channel River Ribble, looking west, Fairhaven, Lytham St Annes, UK
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: annes, beach, beds, cahnnel, clouds, coast, coastal, estuary, fairhaven, fylde, grey, lancashire, lytham, musse, mussels, north, ribble, rising, river, rubble, sand, scene, sea, seawater, sky, st, sunset, tide, training, uk, view, wall, water, wild
