Total Distance: 14 Km or 9miles
Time: 4 hours.
Terrain: Very easy riverside walk for the most part.

Start: It is suggested if using private transport that you park close to The Golden Ball, Liverpool Old Road, Longton and take the Number 2 bus to Preston, alighting at the railway station.

Map

1. Preston Centre – riverside (1.2 Km or ¾ mile : 20 minutes)
Walk up Fishergate towards the city centre, crossing at a safe and convenient point. When you reach Barclays Bank turn right into Winckley Street. At end cross into Winckley Square.



Pass through gate opposite and follow path across the gardens. On far side turn right as you emerge from the square, cross road and turn left into Avenham Lane. A short distance along the road bends sharply to the left. Here exercising much caution cross the road to enter Avenham Park by a steep, sloping carriageway.



Avenham Park and the adjoining Miller Park are worth exploration in their own right – both contain many interesting features and both are beautifully maintained by Preston Borough’s Parks Department.
It hardly matters which way you reach the river, but it is recommended you follow the main path past the war memorial (commemorating the Boer War), under the old railway bridge into Miller Park.



Just before the next railway bridge take the path on the left, leading down to the river through an ornamental rockery. You are now on the Ribble Way. Look out for the distinctive logo which will help you for the remainder of the walk.

2. Miller Park Entrance – Penwortham Bridge (800 metres or ½ Mile : 15 minutes )
Turn right under very imposing railway bridge. (It carries the main West Coast line).



Cross road past the Continental public house. Beyond the road peters out to become a pedestrian/cycle way with the river on your left. Walk through, past new development on right reaching Riverside. Near Penwortham Old Bridge, this leads into Broadgate.



Keep to the left along a tree lined avenue reaching the set of traffic lights on the A59.
Cross the road and turn left over Penwortham Bridge.


3. Penwortham Bridge – The Dolphin, Longton. (8.8 Km or 5½ miles : 2¼ hours )
On reaching the far side of the bridge, turn right into a small car park giving way to allotments on your left.


Through a kissing gate a tarmac pedestrian way takes you forward with the river now on your right. Across the river the tall spire of St. Walburge’s church will attract your attention.



Continue forward beneath the new road bridge into a wide area of parkland. Footpaths left lead to Penwortham, but your way is forward. By an electricity sub station tarmac gives way to gravel and with shrubs growing densely on both sides, a much rougher track. After two hundred yards, pass through a gate, close to a pylon. You are now entering a land of pylons – those seen some way ahead give you a point of reference.



You now have a choice – take the narrow path on the embankment or the lower track closer to the river. On your left you will pass a green and fairway of Penwortham Golf Club. Across the river you will notice much modern development around Preston Dock. As you come abreast of the entrance to the dock, the path, now merged, takes on a different character as it weaves its way through rougher, scrub-land to reach a gate by a barbed wire fence. A short way ahead two pairs of massive pylons bestride the river.



Here the path gives way to springy turf on a wide embankment. On your right you may be struck by the marked straightness (if there is such a word) of the river, indicating it had to be channelled when Preston Dock was built in the late 19th century. Past the second pylon a track leads down left to Howick, but keep straight with gorse, sheep and rabbits in abundance. Out on the river you may espy shelduck, swans, geese and heron. 500 yards after the last pylon cross Mill Brook by a culvert. Continue along the embankment.



After 30 minutes the route turns away from the river, distinctly turning left, still on an embankment with a complex of farm buildings to the left and Hutton Marsh out to the right. Immediately to your right is what appears to be a disused sewage works.



At a stile cross into a dairy pasture and continue to the next ladder stile and cross to arrive at a farm lane. Cross the lane and enter the large arable field opposite, again by a ladder stile. Walk along the edge of the field with the fence on your left. At the end of the field cross a stile and turn right. 30 m on cross a wooden style, after a further 10m turn left over the brook. Continue straight ahead for 20m then cross yet another style. Follow the embankment for 200 m with the brook on the right then continue on the enbankment as it sweeps left..
After 800 metres cross a stile then turn left down to reach a lane and wooden gate with a stile on right.



Go over and a short way down on the left you will arrive at the famous Flying Fish – the Dolphin. (See below)

4. The Dolphin – Liverpool Road, Longton. (2.4Km or 1½  miles : 30 minutes )
From the Dolphin continue up Hall Pool Lane. When it reaches Marsh Lane carry straight on. In fifteen minutes you will reach the edge of the village. A further ten minutes will put you on Liverpool road, next to the Golden Ball. Number 2 Bus Stagecoach operate the Southport – Preston – Longridge service weekdays and weekends. During week and on Saturday reckon on an hourly service 5 minutes past the hour from nearest stop to Golden Ball. Sunday buses are less frequent. (Check www.transportforlancashire.com for details)

The Flying Fish

The Dolphin is a free house known to locals as 'The Fish' or 'The Flying Fish' but rarely by it's proper name 'The Dolphin'.
The Fish carries 5 hand-pumped drinks - usually 3 bitters which constantly change, 1 cider and a mild, namely Moorhouse's Black Cat. (3.4%)
On this occasion the cider was Weston's (5%), and the bitters were Oakham Ales Jeffrey Hudson Bitter (JHD) (3.8%), Allgates' Brightblade (4%) and Cottage Brewing's Rocket Ale (4.2%).
We settled for the JHD. Despite an uninspiring name this is a delightful gold coloured bitter that leaves a dry after taste on the tongue.
The bar at the Fish is a delightful room with old floor boards and a wood fired range.





There is also a lounge, a conservatory and a childrens' play area.
A range of food is available, the home cooked fish and chips comes highly recommended, but we enjoyed a very nice and great value for money Lancashire Hotpot!
The Fish has won awards from the Lancashire branch of Camra and not without good reason.
A delightful way to end the main part of this walk, just leaving you enough distance to 'walk off' your lunch!