Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy

OVER the last few years walking in the countryside has been much better organised.

Nowhere has this been more obvious than in the development of long-distance footpaths.

In our area the Ribble Way and, of course, the long-established Pennine Way have been the most famous. I would love to see more of these well-marked routes and British Waterways are playing a lead role in the setting-up of canal corridors where walkers are welcomed as well as anglers and boaters. In the next few weeks I will be strolling along stretches of the Leeds to Liverpool as well as the Rochdale and Lancaster Canals.

All our East Lancashire rivers are now clean enough to support fish so what about marked trails following the Lancashire Calder which runs from Todmorden to Whalley? What about the Hodder, running from from Stocks Reservoir to the vicinity of Whalley? And then there is the River Darwen, which has lots of very pretty stretches.

All these walks should be planned in close association with landowners and farmers.

This week I enjoyed exploring the River Lune. I began at the estuary at Glasson Dock and then walked alongside a disused railway line to the historic city of Lancaster.

The following day I walked from Lancaster,, still following the line of an old railway, to the area around Hornby via the village of Halton, with its ancient castle mound and preaching cross in the churchyard.

There is plenty of parking in both these places, as well as public conveniences and variety of refreshments.

My trio of winter strolls was completed in the Kirkby Lonsdale area, at the so-called Devil's Bridge close to the A65. A chill wind blew under the arches of the bridge but this did not seem to bother the bird life. Within 10 minutes I had identified heron, kingfisher, dipper and grey wagtail, all of which are resident in this stretch of the River Lune. What I did not expect to see was a splendid male Carolina Woodduck which, as its name implies, is obviously not a native British bird. These days, however, several species have escaped from collections, perhaps years ago, and are now surviving in the wild.

Kirkby Lonsdale is one of these places which is perfect for a winter stroll.

In good weather you can enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful countryside around the town while, if the weather turns ugly, Kirkby Lonsdale has one of the most attractive churches in the North West. It has obvious Scandinavian origins, as the name Kirk-by-Lonsdale proves.

There is plenty of parking around Devil's Bridge and in the town itself. It has another advantage. I know of many people who do not like walking using a map and compass. They prefer well-marked and well-trodden areas full of rich history and natural history.

Some long-distance footpaths like the Pennine Way are only really suitable for the highly-skilled hiker but the river valley and canal corridor walks are for all of us.