SINCE the start of the foot and mouth outbreak in March, footpaths in Lancashire have been closed and walkers have been grounded.

But hikers took to the hills again at the weekend after many of the county's paths re-opened.

Our reporter Danny Brierley met up with Rossendale Ramblers for a 10-mile hike across the West Pennine moors to find what returning to the fells means to them. Like any keen Sunday sports enthusiast I knew that the right preparation was going to be essential.

Diet was going to be the key to surviving a major test of endurance. That's why I made sure that a few Saturday night pints were followed by beef madras, garlic naan and onion bhajis. What better way of stocking up on those essential carbohydrates?

I arranged to meet team leader and footpath secretary for the Rossendale area, Walter Waide and his rambling entourage in a car park in Rawtenstall at 10 am. My initial feelings of trepidation were compounded when I arrived. 'Will it be a hard walk?', I asked Walter tentatively. "Wet, sore feet are as sure as death and taxes," came the reply. Fantastic!

Apart from co-ordinating the walks and trips of his group, it is Walter's responsibility to liaise with the council and other authorities over footpaths and walkways.

I was eager to find out just what a hiker does when footpaths are closed and access to the countryside is restricted. "I mapped out ten mile walks through the local towns. There were always plenty of walks that we could go on. Scotland opened most of its paths in May, so we've been there a few times."

The first part of our journey was by car. I follows a convoy snaking its way through Rawtenstall, along the Grane Road before stopping at the Holden Wood car park, next to the Grane reservoirs in Helmshore.

Walter consulted his map and let the group of eight walkers know what they were in for.

Joan Stott, of Turnpike, Rossendale, is the group's newest recruit. It was only her fourth time out with them, but she knew only to well what to expect. "Walter is the only footpath secretary that doesn't use footpaths. His walks are always notoriously hard."

We set off from the car park and headed for Hog Lowe Pike, passing through Musbury Heights. We were only a couple of miles into the walk and I complained of a sore knee. "Don't complain too loudly" warned fellow walker Ian Tattersall. "There are a few nurses in the group and if they hear you, you will be trussed up like a turkey." I gritted my teeth and carried on Ian, a former farmer, has been hiking for the past 15 years and his love of the countryside is evident. "Its nice to be back out again. Roads and town walks are OK, but it is nice to be back on the moors."

Can hiking be dangerous?, I asked him. "It can be if you don't have the right equipment. We were once climbing in the Lake District and we came across a couple who looked like they were dressed for a night out. The man was waiting for some walkers to come along and rescue his wife who was stuck in mud up to her waist."

"Then there was the time that Gretchen got heat stroke halfway up a mountain. We called the mountain rescue and a helicopter came to take her to hospital. I set off in the car to Carlisle and they took her to Barrow."

Gretchen, I later found out, is Gretchen Pyves, of Holcombe Road, Helsmhore.

After a short break for coffee amongst the foxgloves and ferns on the Calf Hey trail, we continued with our quest for Hog Lowe Pike. The paths have overgrown, and farmers, still mindful of foot and mouth, are keeping sheep close to their farms. Rosemary Ryan, a nurse from Whinney Lane, Mellor, has hiked in the same jumper since 1985. Rosemary's wretched rag they call it. "I couldn't throw it away, it's got tremendous sentimental value attached to it."

We finally reached the summit of Hog Lowe Pike and stopped for a break. After a couple of sandwiches, I was glad to hear that we were on the last leg of the trek.

I'm told that love can blossom on the walks and that eight singles have become four couples. I can see why. But there are moments during the walk when I walked in splendid isolation, away from the other members, and the surroundings are inspiring. These moors are only 20 minutes away from my house, but to my shame, I am a stranger to them.

Ramblers have a great respect for the countryside. "Why would we spoil something that we love?" says Ian. He's right. During the walk the Rossendale Ramblers were careful not to drop litter, closed all gates and at one point were worried that they may have stepped on a skylark's nest.

I may never go hiking again, I'll wait and see how long the aches and pains take to disappear, but I'm glad that I tried it once and I'm glad I did it with Rossendale Ramblers. The countryside means so much to them.