Skipool Creek

Sketch map: Skipool

Skipool Creek is a stretch of the Wyre near Poulton-Le-Fylde. It's a pleasant hour or so's stroll that can be fitted in with a bit of seawatching at Blackpool, Fleetwood or Knott End.

• It's a twenty minute walk from Poulton-Le-Fylde Station. There are frequent trains between Preston and Blackpool North and Blackpool South. Turn right as you leave the station and walk on to the bypass and carry on a few yards up Skipool Road then turn right onto Wyre Road.
• The 2C bus between Blackpool and Knott End stops at the Wyre Hotel close to the junction with Skipool Road.
• The 74 and 75 buses between Fleetwood and Preston goes through Little Thornton and down Skipool Road. For a first visit it's probably easiest to get off at Thornton Lodge and walk up Wyre Road.

Skipool Creek 

Skipool Creek is a brackish stream running into the Wyre. The path runs parallel to the river, the bank on this side being an extended boatyard. 

River Wyre

The birdlife on the river is what you would expect on a small estuary in the Northwest of England: mallards, lapwings, redshanks and little egrets most of the year, oystercatchers and curlews, greenshanks and green sandpipers, wigeon and gulls.

The hedgerow by the path has a feeding station hidden deep near the car park. The hedgerow and car park can get quite busy with small birds.

The path can get a bit damp, the more so past the entrance to the sailing club. On a fine day it's a nice walk down and onto the Stanah Tramper Trail. This takes you into Stanah, if you carry on to the end and walk down Stanah Road you can get the 24 bus between Fleetwood and Poulton-le-Fylde. If it's a damp day you might want to either retrace your steps down Wyre Road or take the path through the car park to Skipool Road for the 74 or 75 bus.