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  • Ribble Discovery Centre

Ribble Discovery Centre

We’re having a makeover! Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we’re delighted that the Ribble Discovery Centre is being completely refurbished, along with other facilities and activities at Fairhaven Lake, as part of an exciting Fylde Council project. This means we are closed until March 2021. School and youth group bookings are being taken for April 2021 onwards. In the meantime, all our great products can be purchased from our online shop rspb.org.uk/shop. Visit our blog below for updates. Thank you for your support and we’ll see you when our transformation is complete.
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Address
RSPB Ribble Discovery Centre, Inner Promenade, Lytham Saint Annes FY8 1BD
Grid ref
SD340273

 

See our reserves Covid-19 updates page for which sites are open and other important details.

Situated on the edge of popular Fairhaven Lake, the Ribble Discovery Centre is run in partnership with Fylde Borough Council and is the gateway to exploring the Ribble Estuary - one of the most important wetlands in the country and home to more than 250,000 birds.

Plan your visit

Opening times

We’re having a makeover so both our visitor centre and shop are closed until March 2021.

School and youth group bookings also closed at the moment, but are being taken for April 2021 onwards.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
Free, but donations are very welcome
Children
Free, but donations are very welcome

Facilities

  • Visitor centre is closed
  • Car park
  • Toilets
  • Accessible toilets
  • Baby changing
  • Pushchair friendly
  • Refreshments facilities are closed
  • Picnic area
  • Binocular hire is closed
  • Guided walks is closed
  • Viewing point
  • Nature trails
  • Shop is closed
  • Educational facilities are closed
  • Play area

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

Trains run from Ansdell and Fairhaven station on the half-hour to and from Preston and Blackpool South.  Turn right outside the station onto Woodlands Road. Continue to the bottom of the hill. At the mini roundabout turn left onto Clifton Drive and them immediately right onto Marine Drive. After 50metres you reach and the Inner Promenade. Crosse the road into the Car Park and take the lake-side path to the right to reach the Centre after 50 metres. The walk takes about 10 minutes.

By bus

Buses run all year round every 20 minutes on Line 7 from Blackpool, St Annes and Lytham. The nearest stop is at Lake Road. Walk down Lake Road, cross the Inner Promenade and the Centre is next to Fairhaven Lake.

By road

From the south end of Blackpool, take the A584 Clifton Drive southbound towards Lytham. Continue straight on through St Annes. Turn right onto Lake Road; at the bottom, turn left onto the Inner Promenade. Parking is available on the roadside alongside the Lake or at the car parks at the opposite ends of the Lake opposite the Marine Drive and St. Paul’s Avenue turnings.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Get directions from Google Maps
RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Group booking information

We welcome groups, but please phone us to book prior to your visit.

Schools booking information

We offer a unique, hands-on and fun learning experience by the seaside, with opportunities for all key stages and abilities, including mud dipping which is exclusive to the Ribble Discovery Centre. With a suite of curriculum-linked sessions on offer, our qualified, enthusiastic learning team will help you uncover the secrets of the Ribble Estuary and the creatures that call it home.

We have a large learning space which provides the perfect base for your visit. Within easy reach of the centre is a variety of interesting habitats, making a trip to the Ribble Discovery Centre a safe and exciting coastal visit.

For full details of our programmes and offer for schools, visit our school trip ideas page. To book, contact schoolbookings@rspb.org.uk or call 01603 697 504.

What will the weather be like?

14 degrees, Sunny day

Contact Ribble Discovery Centre

  • RSPB Ribble Discovery Centre, Inner Promenade, Lytham Saint Annes FY8 1BD
  • ribble.reserves@rspb.org.uk
  • 01253 796292
  • @RSPB_Ribble
  • Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

    Wading curlew illustration

    Curlew

    In spring, you can hear their gorgeous, 'bubbling' song.

    Mallard male

    Mallard

    Mallards are the commonest duck on Fairhaven Lake. From winter into spring, watch out for the males chasing females around, then later in the year, it's duckling time!

    Redshank, summer plumage

    Redshank

    Redshanks can be seen all year round and gather in tight-knit groups to roost at high tide.

    Shelduck illustration

    Shelduck

    You can see shelducks - big, black and white ducks - dabbling for food on the mudflats at any time of year.

    Male Tufted Duck

    Tufted duck

    This diving duck is a breeding bird here. Look out for broods of brown ducklings in late spring and summer.

Nature spectacles

Take a stroll around Fairhaven Lake and spot a variety of familiar ducks and geese such as mallards, Canada geese, moorhens, coots and greylags. In winter you may also notice the arrival of pochards and tufted ducks. Cormorants can be spotted stretching out their wings, whilst a little grebe may plop below the surface in search of food. In spring, birdsong fills the air as robins, blackbirds, tits and finches tune up to impress a mate. In summer, minibeasts crawl and flit among the flowerbeds whilst an evening stroll brings the chance of spotting pipistrelle bats feeding overhead.

On the far side of the lake, peer over the sea wall and look out over the panorama of the Ribble Estuary. With its vast mudflats, saltmarsh and sand dune network, it is one of the most important areas in the country for birds. Some stay all year round, whilst others stop off to refuel on migration in spring and autumn. Swirling flocks of knot, great numbers of redshanks, curlews, dunlins and black-tailed godwits are among the distinctive birds you can see here. In winter, watch for the pink-footed geese flying in V-formation.

Seasonal highlights

  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter

On the lake, look out for the first ducklings of the season. Bird-song can be heard in the trees as robins, blackbirds and a variety of tits and finches are in full tune. On the estuary, you'll see huge flocks of wading birds on migration, including black-tailed godwits, knots, dunlins, sanderlings, ringed and grey plovers.

Ducklings and goslings are on the lake and newly-fledged blackbirds and tits are exploring the gardens. There may be fewer birds out on the estuary, plenty are passing through as well as those that nest here – look out for redshanks, oystercatchers,
shelducks and eiders.   

The estuary is alive with flocks of wading birds returning to spend the colder months here or passing through on their way to Africa. On the lake, wintering ducks arrive, with tufted ducks and pochards joining the more familiar mallards and coots. 

Noisy flocks of geese fly overhead and the calls of curlews and redshanks can be heard on the mudflats. Elegant pintails can often be seen up-close when tides are high. The lake hosts winter visitors like cormorants and great crested grebes. You may also spot peregrines and sparrowhawks hunting along the shoreline.

About Ribble Discovery Centre

Habitat

The Ribble Estuary is vast, stretching from Lytham St Annes’ on the north side, down to Southport on the south side. Between the two, the great expanse of marvellous mudflats are a vital home for nature.

Mud might not sound particularly appealing to us, but it is this which draws in more than a quarter of a million birds to the estuary at any one time. It's a restaurant for them - packed full of shellfish, worms and other tiny creatures that provide an endless supply of food. Wading birds like curlew, redshank, godwits, knot, dunlin and oystercatcher occur in abundance here, alongside colourful ducks like wigeon, shelduck and pintail. Thousands of pink-footed geese spend the long winter nights resting here too.

The nearby sand dunes and saltmarsh are also home to a variety of unusual plants and small creatures. They can be explored on a school trip or one of our family events.

Fairhaven Lake itself, is a popular destination for locals and tourists and is also a great place to spot a range of different ducks and geese. Tufted ducks dive under the water for their food while mallards, coots and mute swans glide serenely across the surface.

Conservation

Many of the birds here have flown thousands of miles from their breeding grounds in the Arctic and may continue their journeys as far as Africa. At high tide, wading birds need to rest in order to conserve energy while they are unable to feed on the mudflats. Winter is the most risky time for them, as some may have lost up to half their body weight during migration. They need to put on enough weight to survive winter and migrate in spring.

Unfortunately, the birds are often unintentionally disturbed by human activities such as dog walking, model airplanes and kites which the birds perceive to be predators. This does more than simply causing them to fly away. It uses up their energy reserves and reduces the time they have available to feed. Birds take a long time to settle and remain alert afterwards. This makes them less able to rest effectively or feed intensively after a disturbance event which can significantly decrease their chances of surviving the winter.

You can really help the birds in a few simple ways to avoid disturbing them:

  • Look out for any flocks of birds at high tide and keep a significant distance from them.
  • Keep your dog on a lead when you are near high tide bird ‘roosts’ so there is less danger of alarming the birds.
  • Keep well away from the water’s edge at any state of the tide because this is the area where the birds will do most of their feeding.
  • Don’t fly model aircraft or kites over the saltmarsh.

Partners

Thanks to our partner-sponsor Fylde Borough Council.

Fylde Borough Council
Natural England

Site information

The Ribble Estuary is one of the most important places for birds in Europe and so has been designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) under European legislation. It is also designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in UK law and much of the estuary is part of the Ribble Estuary National Nature Reserve (NNR). The NNR was extended in 2017 to incorporate the RSPB reserves at Marshside and Hesketh Out Marsh on the south side of the estuary.

We work in partnership with Natural England to ensure the best management for the wildlife of the estuary.

Latest blog posts

  • New Year (ish) 2021 on the Ribble Estuary

    New Year at Marshside and Hesketh Out Marsh As the year that was 2020 drew to a close, Marshside saw a few fleeting appearances of Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds. These rare wave like formations take their name from the physicists that first described the c...

    Posted 05/01/2021 by WesDavies
  • What's going on at Fairhaven haven?

    Lets look at Fairhaven Fairhaven Lake has a unique history and is the third largest marine lake in the country. The partnership with Fylde council and heritage lottery funding to restore and maintain the historical and natural heritage of the site is...

    Posted 17/12/2020 by Jo Taylor
  • Christmas crafting and family walk at Marshside

    RSPB Marshside Christmas Challenge  Can you help decorate Sandgrounders' hide Christmas Tree ? And what can you see on the way?  This is a two part Christmas challenge  Part One - At home   Using your Christmas crafting skills make a decoration for o...

    Posted 05/12/2020 by WesDavies
  • 'My Latest Marshside Highlights' by Martin Campbell

    What are my birding highlights over the last few weeks at RSPB Marshside ? Well, there have been spectacular displays of thousands of Black-tailed Godwits, Lapwings and Golden Plovers which make an incredible sight when flushed from the ground by a h...

    Posted 05/12/2020 by WesDavies
read our blog

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

We love to welcome families to the Ribble Discovery Centre! Pick up a trail sheet to explore our unique, Arts Council-funded trail. The trail will help you discover more about the wonderful wildlife of the Ribble Estuary. Themed activities, interactive displays and badge-making are available everyday and we offer a programme of fun, nature-themed, family events in the holidays.

Leisure activities

Come along to one of our seasonal events, where our friendly, knowledgeable team will help you learn more about the rich variety of wildlife on the estuary and around the lake.

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The Ribble is home to a fantastic range of wildlife with over a quarter of a million migrating water birds feeding here.

We spend 90% of net income on conservation, public education and advocacy

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