North Blackpool Pond Trail, Lancashire

The North Blackpool Pond Trail is a green corridor linking a historic but little known network of ponds and wetlands, a lake, ditches and a reedbed, which runs through Bispham on the outskirts of Blackpool in Lancashire.

The ponds were once part of an extensive wetland area and many still retain important features and species of significant conservation importance including European protected Great Crested Newts Triturus cristatus and the scarce pond plant Tubular Water-dropwort Oenanthe fistulosa. This rather delicate perennial wildflower with angular hollow stems, the specific epithet fistulosa meaning tube-like, has lovely white or pale pink flowers, borne in small umbels. It is mainly found in boggy areas such as marshes, pond edges and fens. It doesn’t spread particularly easily to new wetland habitats, tending to prefer permanently wet soil.

The conservation work on the North Blackpool Pond Trail has been achieved by the work of Blackpool Conservation Team (a partnership between Groundwork and Blackpool Council), which includes members of the North Blackpool Pond Trail Friends Group.