Drive & Stroll, with Ron Freethy

ALTHOUGH the national media tells us that foot and mouth disease is now history, try telling that to those of us who live in East Lancashire and the Ribble Valley.

I therefore headed off along the M6 before turning off near Lancaster and following the signs to Hornby.

Hornby is a walker's paradise and from the village car park there are well-marked strolls along the River Wenning, which is a tributary of one of my favourite rivers -- the Lune.

From East Lancashire there is a bus service and a train service to Lancaster via Preston. Hornby is then served by a bus. There are toilets and two excellent pubs in the village -- The Castle and the Royal Oak. On the roadside on the approach to Hornby is excellent parking and a bacon butty shop.

The last time I visited Hornby it was on a freezing cold January morning with icicles hanging everywhere and the Wenning looked a treat. On this June morning I was hoping for warm sunshine and for 10 minutes I had my wish -- then came the rain, which fell in torrents.

Hornby itself, apart from the footpaths which surround it, is not only beautiful but very historic. Some years ago I presented a TV film which followed the old turnpike road and I travelled by coach and four.

We stopped at the Castle Inn, which dates back to the 16th century. During the 18th and early 19th centuries it was an important coaching inn. It was situated about half way between Kirkby Lonsdale and Lancaster.

The old inn has just been renovated but its coaching history has been retained. One aspect which fascinates me is the presence of a door which has been bricked up but is situated half way up the wall.

When the coach was brought to a halt, the visitors' luggage, which was often strapped to the roof, could be lifted through the door directly into the bedrooms. From the bridge overlooking the weir there is a splendid view of the castle, which many guide books describe as "a 19th century construction." This is quite wrong and visitors should look long and hard at this ancient pile and soak up its glorious atmosphere.

Hornby Castle may well date back to the 13th century and is still in private hands, with a succession of owners respecting its history. There were substantial renovations carried out in the 16th and 19th centuries to repair the damage caused by time and by Cromwellian troops during the 17th century civil wars.

Hornby Church also has more than its share of history. St Margaret's Church has an "almost unique" octagonal tower. This was built by Edward Stanley, who was created Lord Monteagle for the part he played in a victory over the Scots at Flodden Field in 1513.

Stanley made a vow to build a church in his native village should he survive the battle. Whether Hornby was a town or a village at this time is debatable. It had a market charter as early as 1292 and it was still "partially operational" in 1850.

The Wenning is indeed a wonderful river and as the rain poured down I could see its level rising and the sound of the water roaring over the weir assumed deafening proportions.

A very wet-looking tufted duck sailed down the Wenning and then sought shelter amid a growth of Himalayan balsam, which was just beginning to make an appearance. By July the balsam will be the dominant plant along some areas of the river bank.

My most exciting observation of the day came just as the rain soaked into my underclothes and I made a dash for my car. Even though it was mid June, I really did need to have the heater on and looked forward to a hot coffee and a bacon butty.