Ramble from Longton Brickcroft Nature Reserve
The other half was driving from Southport towards Preston one day. As I sat in the passenger seat looking out at the scenery, I noticed a sign for the Longton Brickcroft Nature Reserve. I've been down this road numerous times in the past and never once noticed this sign. Searching Google for information on the reserve, I found a walk with simple directions supplied by South Ribble Borough Council.
This is a 5 mile walk starting and finishing at the nature reserve. There are a number of stiles to cross, some in bad states of repair, so please be careful. I would not recommend taking your dog on this walk due to the stiles. Some parts are muddy, if it's raining or has been raining, the grass will be wet. If possible, wear comfortable and waterproof shoes with a good grip. Other than climbing the stiles and the mud, the walk is reasonably flat-ish and not too strenuous.
The postcode for Longton Brickcroft Nature Reserve is PR4 5YY. It is on Liverpool Road in Longton, about 5 miles away from Preston. It's not very well sign posted. If you are approaching from Southport, keep an eye out for a sign saying '30, Longton, Please Drive Carefully'. Just before the 30 signs, there is a sign for the reserve and the entrance is on the right hand side.
Free parking available. There are picnic tables, benches dotted around and also a visitor centre with toilets. The centre is open afternoons from Wednesday to Sunday from May to September and from Thursday to Sunday from October to April. If you want to contact them to check opening times, call 01772 611497. The reserve itself is always open.
Taken from the site visitor leaflet.
The Nature Reserve lies on the site of the former Bentley Brickworks. Clay was excavated to make bricks but when good quality clay ran out in the early 1960's brick making ceased and the site was left derelict and nature took over.
Since then rainwater has filled the former clay pits and natural succession has taken place.
In 1982 a plan was produced in conjunction with South Ribble Borough Council proposing housing development on part of the site leaving the remaining 11 hectares for public open space and nature conservation.
Now a programme of active reserve management ensures that the character and diversity of the Brickcroft are maintained and where possible increased.
In 1995 the Nature Reserve received the National ILAM (Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management) Open Space Management Award in recognition for the most imaginative improvements to a park or open space in the country.Our walk began in the reserve. Despite it being a dull and rainy day, nothing could detract from the beauty of this place. Crowds of ducks watched us hopefully as we passed. We had noticed signs asking visitors not to feed bread to the ducks. We later saw bird feed for sale in little bags in the visitor centre. The walk lead us out of the reserve and I remember thinking how lucky the houses nearby were to be so close to such an amazing spot.
The directions from South Ribble Borough Council, were easy to follow and almost idiot proof which is exactly what the pair of us need. Around step 3, we must have been near a swallows nest as it swooped and flew around us for a good distance. We walked past sheep in the fields to our right and through a cow field which was extremely muddy by the stile.
At step 4, we walked past the old stone railway bridge supports. Longton Bridge Railway Station opened on the 18th May 1882 and was on the Southport to Preston line. The station closed under Beeching's cuts on 7th September 1964.
Unfortunately, as I often do, I read the instructions wrong at this point. Instead of turning left onto a public footpath at the end of a short row of houses, I read it as, walk past all the houses on the left hand side. Below there is a map of the route we took, but bear in mind, we did go wrong at this point.
View this Course on MapMyRun
It was easy enough for us to navigate our way back to the reserve though at which point we visited the centre and read some of the information about the history of the site.
I really wanted to see what we had missed but we were quickly distracted by a bakery opposite the entrance to the reserve. Croft Bakery has a delicious array of sandwiches, pies, drinks and ice-creams plus cakes. Lots and lots of delectable cakes and biscuits, my favourite. It would have been rude not to sample some of the baked goods. We sat outside on their tables, it was now warm and sunny, and devoured our cakes. It took a while, I have never had such an enormous slice of cake.
We set off again starting at the end of the walk following the directions in reverse. All was well till we came to the two stiles with concrete posts. That's not strictly true. The good, fresh country air had been getting more pungent the closer we got to the stiles. As we crossed the muddy area between the stiles, the smell got so bad you could taste it. There was a farmer in the field to our right in a tractor. I could not see from that distance but in my mind I can clearly see him laughing at us from behind his gas mask. He must have been spreading muck on the field.
The other half said he could not stand the smell and we were forced to beat a retreat back to the sanctuary of the nature reserve. Unfortunately, not before I had lost my carrot cake. Don't let this put you off. It's not always going to smell that awful and I have to admit, we both have delicate noses. All in all, it's a beautiful walk and one we very much enjoyed.
