Sunday 8th March, 2009
The River's Course
The River Douglas rises near Rivington. It flows through peaceful countryside before approaching Wigan from the north.
At Worthington it is channelled under the reservoirs before passing through a wooded valley between Standish on the west and Haigh to the east.
In the past, the nature of the river changed dramatically as it entered the heavily industrialised area of central Wigan, but now the industry and the pollution have largely gone.
Wigan Warriors rugby league team is nick-named the “Riversiders” because the Douglas ran past Central Park, the team's former home. The stadium has been demolished and a Tesco supermarket now stands on the site.
The River is culverted on two occasions as it passes near Wigan town centre. It re-emerges at Pool Stock where it turns west and then north-west.
This shift in direction as the River loops around Wigan gave the town a strong defensive position and led to early settlement in the area.
Soon the Douglas passes the impressive JJB stadium, the new home of Wigan Warriors and Wigan Athletic football club.
From Poolstock, the Douglas is accompanied by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal as it passes by Crooke, Shevington and Appley Bridge.
At Parbold the two waterways squeeze through a gap between Parbold Hill and Ashurst Beacon before the river turns more to the north while the canal continues to the west. However, after just a few miles, the Rufford branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Douglas come together and keep each other company across low lying, marshy ground until they reach Tarleton.
Finally, the Douglas flows into the River Ribble about two miles to the North of Tarleton. The last stretch of the river, between Tarleton and the Ribble, is known as the River Asland.