Lancashire's Unknown River

Fleetwood, with its in-shore and deep water fishing fleets, is world renowed. Few people however, know of the River Wyre, only twenty eight miles long, upon whose estuary this famous fishng port is established.

It is a river with two sources, the Tarnbrook Wyre which rises on Tarnbrook Fell and the Marshaw Wyre on Marshaw Fell: a river across which pass many roads, including the A6 and M6 Motorway, as well as the Preston-Lancaster Canal: a river that meets the sea in the channel of the River Lune which gave us Lunecaster and now Lancaster. It flows through Garstang, a town whcih some thirty years ago claimed to be the world's greatest egg market, and on to Fleetwood.

This introduction comes from the only known book about the River Wyre, which is George Mould's "Lancashire's Unknown River" and was published in 1970 by Terence Dalton Ltd. If you search the internet you can still find second hand copies at quite reasonable prices. This easy to read narrative follows the route of the river and gives a good insight to the river's history. Although much has changed since this book was written, roads have been widen and a new Shard Bridge has been built, the course of the river flows as described in the book.

A more recent development is The Wyre Way, which is a 41 mile recreational route. This follows the course of the River Wyre from its source in the Forest of Bowland to the sea at Fleetwood and Knott End, using existing footpaths and concessionary routes. It is promoted by Wyre Borough Council who have produced two informative leaflets about the route.

Each year there is a walking festival held in Garstang, this is hailed as a 'real celebration of the outdoors'. This fabulous festival attracts hundreds of local people and visitors who participate to make the most of the lovely countryside in the hills, fields, woodlands and canal side in springtime. One of the options during the week is a four day guided walk along the Wyre Way.