River Ribble

Neolithic to Saxon finds from along the River Ribble during the creation of the Preston Docks and others revealed man has been in the area for a long time. The River Ribble looked completely different then and the coastline is likely to have been much further inland than it is at present where land has been reclaimed and the marsh extended out into the River Ribble due to sedimentation. The Ribble would appear to have been known in Roman times as the Belisama, possibly giving its name to Samlesbury. Ptolemy's "Belisama aest." seems to represent the estuary of the Ribble. Bremetennacum was a Roman fort that guarded a crossing-point of the river at Ribchester. Remains of another Roman site…

The Millennium Ribble Link provides a navigable corridor between the Leeds and Liverpool Canal (via the River Douglas) and the Lancaster Canal (via Savick Brook). Navigation of the tidal crossing is guided by the Asland Lamp (the 5-mile perch), which is used as a navigational reference in passage instructions for the Ribble Link.