Wyre is an administrative borough in Lancashire in the North West of the UK. You’ll find it at the top end of the Fylde Coast, above Blackpool and Fylde. It covers an area of 109 sq mi (282 km2) with a population of 114,809. Fleetwood, Cleveleys, Thornton and Poulton to the south west of the Wyre are quite urban but the villages to the north east of the river are very rural.
It’s a second tier of local government within the Lancashire County Council area.
Wyre Council
Wyre Council is the borough council and their office headquarters are at the Civic Centre at Breck Road in Poulton. The impressive building was originally ‘Woodlands’, a large house, later used as a convalescent hospital and teacher training college. It became the council’s headquarters in 1988.
A number of Wyre’s towns and villages also have a Town or Parish Council, which is a third tier of local government. They’re funded by a precept – a small extra amount on top of standard Council Tax – paid by residents of a particular area.
Named after the Wyre River
Wyre Borough takes its name from the River Wyre which runs through many of the rural towns and villages. It comes out at the sea at Fleetwood.
Against the banks of the River Wyre you can also visit the Wyre Estuary Country Park. The address for this public open space is Thornton – it follows the banks of the tidal Wyre Estuary with footpaths and delightful countryside walks. Wyre Council Rangers have their base there, where there’s also free parking, a cafe and public toilets.
Towns, Villages, Hills and Waterways in Wyre
Towns: Fleetwood, Garstang, Poulton-le-Fylde, Preesall, Thornton, Cleveleys
Villages: Bilsborrow, Bleasdale, Bonds, Bowgreave, Cabus, Calder Vale, Carleton, Catterall, Claughton, Churchtown, Dolphinholme, Eagland Hill, Forton, Great Eccleston, Hambleton, Hollins Lane, Inskip, Knott End-on-Sea, Myerscough, Nateby, Oakenclough, Out Rawcliffe, Pilling, Rossall, St Michael’s on Wyre, Scorton, Scronkey, Shireshead, Stake Pool, Stalmine, Winmarleigh
Hills and landmarks: Forest of Bowland, Pilling Sands, Wyre Estuary Country Park, Fair Snape Fell, Parlick
Waterways: Hillylaid Pool, Lancaster Canal, River Brock, River Calder, River Wyre
Coastal
The two coastal towns of the borough are Cleveleys and Fleetwood. Neighbouring each other and with Blackpool to the south, all three towns offer something completely different to each other! Blackpool is a different, unitary authority – and speaks for itself!
Cleveleys is a family friendly place which is busy all year round. It has a small but well stocked and vibrant town centre where there’s plenty to see and do. Visit a pavement cafe or restaurant and then take a walk along the attractive seafront, visiting the Mythic Coast art trail.
Meanwhile the more northerly Fleetwood is a larger and more spread-out town, quieter than Cleveleys but full of character and history. Visit the Heritage Quarter around the North Euston Hotel and admire the splendid views across Morecambe Bay. Affinity Lancashire shopping outlet is brilliant for a bargain. Explore the towns heritage at Fleetwood Museum.
Urban
Close by these coastal towns are the urban towns of Thornton and Poulton. Thornton is a popular residential place to live with good access to the main roads in and out of Wyre. There are convenient local village stores in several places and easy access to the larger nearby towns including Cleveleys.
Poulton is the administrative centre of the borough of Wyre and also a popular place to live. It’s easy to see why – with a good little town centre and excellent public transport links including its own mainline railway station. There are a number of large industrial estates in the area – providing excellent employment opportunities for local people.
Rural
Towns and villages to the north and east of the River Wyre are described as being ‘Over Wyre’ – as in over the other side! It’s much less densely populated, accessible via country roads or the Fleetwood to Knott End Ferry. This is where you’ll find pretty countryside villages and lots of farm land. Myerscough College is renowned for its land and agricultural courses.
Residents of Wyre are lucky in that the majority of the borough offers a good standard of living. Levels of crime are generally low – among the lowest in the North West. While most measures of good health are above the England average. It’s a great place to live!
Fylde Coast and Fylde Borough
Hopefully that makes sense 🙂 but you might still be wondering where ‘Fylde’ and ‘Fylde Coast’ comes into it!
There are three local authorities operating here in the Fylde Coast – Wyre Council in the north, Fylde Council in the south and Blackpool in the middle. It’s all explained here!
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