River Yarrow

The River Yarrow rises on the West Pennine Moors at a place called Will Narr on Spitlers Edge, where the Chorley and Blackburn boundary meets. From its moorland source it feeds three reservoirs—Yarrow, Anglezarke and the Rivington group—before leaving them through a pumping station. The river then passes through land once known as Abyssinia, a name given by coal miners whose blackened faces made them look like people from Ethiopia. After crossing beneath the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Yarrow Bridge, it joins Black Brook and flows through ancient woodland in Duxbury. The river continues through Yarrow Valley Park, forming the boundary between Euxton and Croston, before joining the River Douglas near Sollom. The river’s clean-up has brought back wildlife once lost to pollution from local factories. Grey wagtails, kingfishers and dippers now nest along its banks, while trout, chub, dace and barbel swim in the clearer water. Salmon have returned to Duxbury for the first time in more than a century thanks to fish passes built at weirs. Efforts to remove invasive plants such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed have allowed native species to recover. Parts of the river are protected as a County Biological Heritage Site because of their rich plant and animal life. A flood-management dam east of Eccleston now guards more than three hundred homes from rising waters. Visitors follow the river through quiet moorland, reservoirs and woodland paths that change with the seasons. At Duxbury the ancient trees frame views across the valley, while the restored banks at Croston offer safe walking beside controlled water levels. The Meeting of the Waters marks where Limestone Brook joins the main stream beneath Anglezarke Moor. Nearby, Green Withins Brook begins at Standing Stones Hill, and Black Brook flows from White Coppice through Heapey. The river’s clean water and wildlife make it a place where walkers and birdwatchers can spend hours without meeting crowds.