Drive & Stroll, with Ron Freethy - this week, around Hoghton Tower and Walton le Dale

LAST week I explored the Darwen from its source down as far as Witton Park. This week I discovered the stretch from Pleasington through Hoghton Bottoms and around the splendid old tower. On I went to Walton le Dale, where the Darwen feeds into the much larger Ribble and therefore loses its identity.

I enjoyed four separate strolls hereabouts, all of which can be reached by public transport. My favourite route is the one which loops around Hoghton Tower, which in my opinion is one of the most attractive old houses to be found in Britain.

I ONCE saw an aerial photograph of the Hoghton area and I could see the 650ft hill on which the tower stands and is surrounded by the meandering River Darwen.

The footpath follows this watercourse and on the day of my stroll the sun was shining and reflecting the yellow blooms of lesser celandine and coltsfoot. This added even more colour to this delightful scene.

Above me the tower looked a treat and it deserves all the plaudits which have been applied to the buildings over the years. It is still the ancestral home of the de Hoghton family since they came to England as part of Willam the Conqueror's army in 1066.

The tower is thought to be the place where a loin of beef was knighted by James I in 1617. This gives us the name sirloin and which is celebrated in the name of the local pub. It makes my mouth water just to think of it.

Hoghton Tower also has a proven literary heritage as in the 1580s William Shakespeare (then called Shakeshaft) was a young actor in the employ of the de Hoghtons and other prominent catholic families in Lancashire.

I took advantage of the increasing hours of daylight by strolling around two substantial old churches which were once closely linked. These are St Leonard's at Walton le Dale and St Leonard the Less at Samlesbury.

The latter was once only a chapel organised as an offshoot of St Leonard's at Walton le Dale. Hence the name "the less" at Samlesbury. I love strolling around Walton, which does not deserve to be relegated to a suburn of the new city of Preston.

The parish church dating to Norman times overlooks the River Darwen which then flows on to its confluence, with the Ribble. This is close to the site of a small Roman settlement.

This has now vanished but should not be regarded as of no importance. It was built to protect the river shipping route connecting the port near Fleetwood with the military base at Ribchester.

I stood close to Walton Bridge and as I watched I saw a graceful heron fly over.

As I watched the water I thought of small Roman boats, Cromwell's troops crossing the bridge on their way to the Battle of Preston in 1648, and also Bonnie Prince Charlie's ill fated army tramping over the river on its way to defeat at Derby in 1746.

As I completed my walks through history, I realised yet again that there is so much more to the history of East Lancashire than is realised.

We have every right to consider ourselves to be living in a tourist area.

HOW to reach the tower and Walton le Dale: Follow first the A675 from the Blackburn area and follow the signs to Hoghton Tower, Walton le Dale and Samlesbury.

DETAILS of Hoghton Tower and opening times: Telephone 01254 852986. Opening times -- all bank holidays except Good Friday, Christmas and New Year, 11am-4pm, otherwise July, August and September on Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs from 11am-4pm and on Sun 1-5pm.