Skipool Creek

 Skippool Creek is a little gem of a find hidden away in the Wyre Estuary. It was first settled by the Saxons and during the 1700′s it was the main port on the River Wyre before the development of Fleetwood. Ships would unload cargoes from around the world with flax and cotton for the mills of Lancashire. The creek went into demise after the opening of the railway to Fleetwood in 1840.

On the day I visited, in April 2013, the wind was quite blustery, and the only people we saw were dog walkers. A line of wooden jetties extend into the water with wooden gangplanks leading to them. Many had planks missing, and others wobbled precariously as you stepped on them. It was eerily quiet, save for the clanging of the metal masts. It was as if the boats had all been abandoned. Indeed, some were in a bad state of repair, while others had Keep out signs or health and safety notices warning trespassers away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a good walk all the way down the path, past many boats.

 

 

 

 

There was one particularly impressive boat (in terms of decay) which I focused my attention on.