Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy - this week, MITTON

THERE'S nothing quite like a good pub and a good walk, unless perhaps it is two good pubs and two good walks.

The importance of Mitton in the days when it was an important village along the Ribble can be best appreciated by standing on the bridge overlooking the Aspinall Arms hotel.

In dry, hot weather the old shallow ford below can clearly be seen. This contrasts sharply at times of heavy rain when the old ford would have been useless. Mitton village was thus often split in two until it was bridged in the 18th century.

Even today Great and Little Mitton are quite separate entities. At one time the Aspinall Arms was a boathouse used by the ferrymen. Before 1974 Great Mitton was on the Yorkshire bank of the Ribble with Little Mitton on the Lancashire side.

Great Mitton Church has undergone renovation work as befits a wonderful medieval monument and nearby is Great Mitton Hall. The two buildings stand proudly on a knoll overlooking the Ribble.

The earliest portion of the church, the nave, dates from around 1270, with the chancel having been added 25 years later. The solid square tower was added in the early 15th century and a document referring to it is dated 1438. At the same time a side chapel was added but this was replaced by the magnificent Shireburn Chapel in 1594. Until the very recent renovations very few people realised that this is one of the best 16th century chapels in Britain.

Anyone wishing to trace the history of the Shireburn family, which built nearby Stonyhurst, has to spend time at Great Mitton.

Now privately owned, Great Mitton Hall was once the home of the priest in charge of the church. Great Mitton was at that time a training establishment for Catholic priests and so this area must have been a hive of ecclesiastical activity.

Even with foot and mouth still with us, there is plenty of countryside to enjoy by strolling along the roads. The main route through Mitton can be busy but the narrow roads around the church are quiet.

The hedgerows are now full of blossom, including elder, dog rose, hogweed, foxglove, meadow cranesbill and yellow poppy. From the bridge over the river I watched oyster catcher, dipper and common sandpiper but the sighting of the day was a female roe deer with her fawn at the heels going to the water for a drink.

This reminded me that I was thirsty and I sat in the sun around the Three Fishes Inn. The three fishes shows the coat of arms of Whalley Abbey, yet another reminder of the rich religious history which typifies this area.

The Ribble and its nearby tributary the Hodder have long been regarded as being among the best salmon and sea trout rivers in England.

I never fail to appreciate how lucky we are in East Lancashire to have such a rich history and natural history.

From East Lancashire the best way to reach Mitton is via Whalley. There is a bus service but if you come by car, the parking is limited. There are, however, two excellent pubs with good parking and wholesome food. These are the Aspinall Arms and the Three Fishes.