FROM the Padiham Bypass follow the route towards Nelson. Turn off right along Greenhead Lane, signed Burnley. Descend to Pendle Bridge and just before the bridge turn left and park on the side of track to the right of the river. The Route: FROM the car turn towards the Burnley road and turn left over the bridge. A footpath almost on the bridge leads to the left. This first follows the river and then ascends damp fields to the canal bank. Turn right and follow the canal towpath over Barden Lane. Cross the newly-constructed footbridge over the canal and road to Barden Mill. I always break my journey here and enjoy a meal at the cafe. The best route is to retrace the route to Barden Bridge.

My Walk: WALKING around stretches of water in December is always interesting.

As soon as I left my car at Barden I was able to watch a heron and a couple of goosander floating downstream on the current of Pendle Water.

This flows on to Padiham where it joins the River Calder.

The water quality around Pendle Bridge is now good, but there is still too much litter carried from Nelson and Brierfield.

Sometimes I think that we do not take enough pride in our countryside and it may well take an act of parliament to give us laws to prevent the spreading of litter.

On a happier note, I remember my first visits to Burnley during the 1950s.

This present walk was much more popular in those days, especially at Easter.

Over Easter the whole of Barden Lane and Greenhead Lane was lined with stalls selling all sorts of goods.

It was a large open-air market but there was one permanent feature.

Jack Moore ran a cafe and little shop and his trademark was his pet monkey, which he kept in a cage.

To the older residents of Burnley, Jack Moore's monkey brings back happy memories. As I ascended the fields up to the canal it was very obvious that the past year and a half had been the wettest on record.

The ground water squelched over my boots but a flock of lapwings made good use of the earthworms washed out of their burrows. The Leeds to Liverpool Canal is also an excellent birdwatching area in the winter and among the numerous mallards were tufted duck, moorhen and coot.

By the time I reached Barden Mill the sun was shining but a chill wind was blowing from Pendle Hill which dominates the valley of Pendle Water. Barden Mill is now an excellent place to do a spot of shopping and in summer a canal barge provides pleasure cruises from a small landing stage.

There is an extensive car park at the mill.

I often use the mill for a lunch break because the cafe specialises in home made fare.

The mill provides the opportunity to stroll this route from an alternative base.

Rather than returning to Pendle Bridge via the busy Barden Lane I always prefer to retrace my steps.

I was rewarded by a fascinating lesson in natural history.

I saw a stoat peeping out of a crack in a stone wall.

There were still some rosehips remaining on the bush and these were being fed upon by a flock of fieldfares but were soon disturbed by a very alert and hungry-looking sparrowhawk.

On the marshy areas near the river I disturbed a flock of eight snipe. This was interesting because snipe are now not so common as in former years.

Nobody is quite sure why but it is thought that loss of habitat could be the main reason. In the 1950s, with Jack Moore and his monkey still flourishing, the snipe was still common but the river was badly polluted.

Now the river is clean and the smell has gone but snipe, cuckoo and skylark are less common.

The walk remains a joy but those of us who love the countryside know that there are still many problems to solve,

Hopefully these will be addressed in the near future.