Drive & Stroll, with RON FREETHY

THERE was frost on the ground and a flurry of snow in the air as I set off from the car park and along the footpaths winding through woodlands and close to a meander of the River Calder.

I always look for a balance between history and natural history and in the case of Gawthorpe I did not have to look very hard.

Soon I saw a flock of nine long-tailed tits and disturbed a tawny owl from its roost in an ivy-covered tree. A song thrush was hammering away at the hard ground hoping to get hold of a worm. To my surprise it succeeded.

Gawthorpe Hall and it's grounds looked a delight. Until the 1960s the Shuttleworth's were Lords of Gawthorpe, as they had been from the 14th century when its pele tower provided a refuge from the rampant Scots.

The site was probably occupied from Saxon times because Gawth was probably a family name and thorpe means a settlement.

The present Gawthorpe Hall is splendidly proportioned, set on a low hill overlooking a sweeping bend over the River Calder. In 1559 extensive rebuilding took place around the pele tower, which obviously guarded a ford over the river.

The word Calder comes from the Old English and means "violent stream." During high rainfall you can see that it flows fast, but during the Industrial Revolution lots of water was extracted from the river, especially around Hurstwood.

This water supplied industry and houses and, as if this was not harmful enough, sewage and other pollutants were poured into the Calder. In the 1870s the smell of the river was so bad that the Shuttleworth's diverted the Calder a little way from the house.

The family also owned lucrative coal mines in the area and run-off from these added to the pollution. The sight of a fish in the Calder was regarded as a miracle.

Since the 1980s the Calder has become clean enough to support fish -- even the brown trout, which does not respond well even to low levels of pollution. A walk around the Calder at Gawthorpe will reveal the old channel and also the point at which Pendle Water (which I explored last week) joins the Calder.

The snow which threatened at the start of my walk did not materialise but the wind which my father once described as lazy was very apparent. A "lazy" wind is one that goes through you instead of round you.

At least I knew I could go home to a warm fire. But what about wildlife? The colder it gets, the more food our birds need. I therefore abandoned my picnic lunch and watched birds and squirrels feeding on a slab of Christmas cake and lots of sandwiches.

However, they did allow me to enjoy my own coffee!

Getting there: Situated off the A671, almost in the centre of Padiham, the National Trust-owned Gawthorpe Hall is one of the most splendid buildings in Lancashire. The true splendour of the house is best appreciated during the summer opening period, but it is one of my favourite winter walks.