Lancashire woodland walk - Lancashire Life woodland, Brockholes Nature Reserve

A walk through the Lancashire Life woodland at the Brockholes Nature Reserve in Preston

Right beside the M6 at Preston lies the Brockholes Nature Reserve. It was created after the closure of the huge sand and gravel quarry left a series of lakes. The land and lakes were bought in 2007 by the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside. The reserve was opened to the public in 2011.

It is a very popular place for families to visit and has over 250 acres of trails and hides designed to observe the many species of birds and animals in the woods and around the lakes. There is also the magnificent floating visitor centre, the first of its kind ever built in the UK which houses a café, conference centre, and an activity room for children. It is also possible to be married there.

Earlier this year Lancashire Life adopted a section of Boilton Wood so I have created a walk that visited this beautiful spot and went around the perimeter of the nature reserve and along the bank of the River Ribble.

Great British Life: The Ribble at Brockholes The Ribble at Brockholes (Image: John Lenehan)

1 Leave the car park and walk towards the children’s play area and then turn left and follow the path to reach the wide track that forms part of the Guild Wheel cycle and walking trail. Turn right and follow the track.

Note: The Preston Guild Wheel is a 21 mile long cycle and walking route that encircles the city of Preston and is a project born out of the 2012 Preston Guild. It is very popular and well used.

2 The track of the Guild Wheel goes right and up hill, at this point keep straight on and follow the other track into the Lancashire Life wood. Follow the track all the way through the wood.

Leave the wood and keep on the track that passes to the right of three lakes. The first being known as Nook Pool, the second is Ribbleton Pool, and the third and largest is Number One Pit. I suspect the latter was the name of the main quarry. Keep on the track and reach a path junction and turn left.

Note: The woods in this area have a significant interest to my family as it was here my great grandfather died in tragic circumstances. In the years immediately after World War One, Joshua Kelsall collected herbs and flowers to make posies and buttonholes to sell around town. He was searching in the undergrowth and it seems he was mistaken for a rabbit and shot dead. He had served in the war and according to family records, he was of no fixed abode and led a rather turbulent life at the time of his death. I suspect he may have been suffering from shell shock – now known as PTSD – as many thousands of survivors of the war did. The verdict was death by misadventure.

Great British Life: Part of the floating visitor centre at Brockholes Part of the floating visitor centre at Brockholes (Image: John Lenehan)

3 Reach a blue sign on the left that says ‘622’ and opposite this on the right is a track leading right. Follow the track and cross the main road to the visitor centre and then keep on the track and turn right then after a few metres turn left and follow the track down to the river bank then turn left and with the river on the right follow the track.

Eventually the track turns left but a footpath carries on following the river, take the footpath. Keep on the footpath all the way until it reaches a wood that extends down to the river. Turn left and follow the path uphill until it reaches the Guild Wheel track, then turn left and follow this back to the start of the walk.

Note: I am no botanist but I was given a tour of the reserve by Alan Wright, from Lancashire Wildlife Trust and he really does know his botany. He pointed many of the fascinating plants that can be found in the woodlands, including Bedstraw which has very sticky leaves and was once used to make beds. He also pointed out areas of Himalayan Balsam – the beautiful but highly invasive plant that was brought over from Tibet as a garden flower and is taking over from natural fauna – and told me of the hard work underway to eradicate it.

Great British Life: Marshland and woods at Brockholes Nature Reserve Marshland and woods at Brockholes Nature Reserve (Image: John Lenehan)

Walk with us

We’re going for a walk and we’d love it if you could join us. We’ll be taking a guided walk through the Lancashire Life woodland on October 6 with staff from the Lancashire Wildlife Trust before returning to the visitor centre. Places are strictly limited, so register your interest now by emailing lancashirelifeevents@archant.co.uk and letting us know how many places you would like.

Great British Life: The route around the reserve The route around the reserve (Image: OS)