Drive & Stroll, with RON FREETHY

ON a cool autumn morning I approached St Peter's delightful little church in the parish of Martons.

Both are part of the district of Craven. East Marton and West Marton are connected by being close to the canal.

The church was founded between 1147 and 1186, probably during the reign of Henry II. Originally the church was under the authority of the Cistercian Monks of Kirkstall Abbey, but by 1186 it was being administered by the Augustinian Canons of Bolton Priory.

The oldest part of the church is the massive Norman tower. I found the church open and inside there is a Norman font, which stands on an old grinding wheel, supported by three round stones. There is also a remnant of an old Saxon cross which has been carved from Knaresborough stone. The carvings on this stone show Thor (the god of thunder) using a huge hammer to repel a mighty serpent. Here is an example of early Christians hedging their bets by sharing one of the old gods, which may still have had some influence.

Close to the church and reached via an attractive field path is the Leeds and Liverpool canal. This was started in 1771 and the full length completed in 1816. In 1793 during the construction of the local section a number of the navvies died of smallpox and are buried in the churchyard.

Although the day was dull it was also warm and because there was no wind there were beautiful reflections on the canal. This stretch is very much underrated by canal historians. Close to the bridge is a restored milestone indicating the distance between Leeds and Liverpool. The bridge itself is actually a double structure, one below the other. When the new Turnpike road was built it was discovered that the old canal bridge would not be able to stand the weight of traffic. A new and stronger bridge was therefore built over the old one.

It was a Sunday morning and the lunchtime diners were beginning to arrive at the delightful Cross Keys Inn. Someone had switched on their radio and a hymn was being sung. This brought me back to St Peter's Church, which had connections with the Heber family. Reginald Heber became Bishop of Calcutta and wrote lots of hymns including "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty" and "From Greenland's Icy Mountains."

The natural history added to the magic of my stroll. Dragonflies were everywhere dacing in the sun and the last of the autumn swallows were preparing to spend our winter by flying off to Africa.

Directions: From East Lancashire follow the A59 road through Skipton. At East Marton turn right down Church Lane to a parking area at St Peter's Church. If you reach the Cross Keys Inn and beyond the the canal you have gone too far.

Route of the walk: Explore the church and from the churchyard a gate leads over fields to the canal.

Follow the towpath with the canal on the right. Climb the steps to the A59, which crosses the canal. Turn right over the bridge and descend to the canal on the opposite bank.

Pass under the double bridge and enjoy the boats moored alongside the marina. Retrace your steps to the A59 bridge.

Turn left and pass the Cross Keys pub on the right. On the left look out for Church Lane. Pass through the pleasant hamlet of East Marton and return to the starting point at the church.