Drive & Stroll, with Ron Freethy - a leisurely walk back in time along the Lancaster Canal

WE do not usually associate Lancashire with thatched cottages as we are more used to stone and brick terraces.

There are, however, some wonderful old thatches around Churchtown near Southport and around Silverdale.

This week I set out in search of a relatively modern thatch. I turned off the A6 at Bilsborrow near Garstang and after crossing the bridge over the Lancaster Canal I parked my car in front of Owd Nell's.

There seemed to be thatch everywhere and the whole area was like a journey backwards in time. Here I found an old schoolhouse, a bargees shop, plus a modern gift shop and a saddler's, set among the entrances to Owd Nell's pub and Guys lodgings.

On the walls of the buildings was a collection of old advertising boards which was like a blast from the past. I wonder how many of my readers can remember Royal cigars, Birds custard powder in tin boxes and the days when a brightly painted delivery van cost less than £200?

In the summer this area is alive with music and picnic tables but it is still a colourful sight in the winter when children come to feed the ducks. Canal craft of all shapes and sizes are moored on the canal and when reflected in the still waters they are magnificent.

The life of a bargee in the days when essential goods were carried between Kendal and Preston was tough at the times of loading and unloading, but the journey itself was both lock free and through idyllic countryside.

They were proud of their floating homes and even their household utentils were colourfully decorated. Such items can now be bought from the bargees shop.

We too often assume that folk in the 19th century took little notice of wildlife. We are sure that they lived too close to the sounds, smells and colours of the countryside not to notice and enjoy them.

On this quiet day I did not see a kingfisher although on previous strolls along the canal near Garstang and on the branch to Glasson Dock,. I have seen them quite often.

As I approached a clump of reeds alongside the canal my attention was drawn first to a moorhen swimming across the water employing its typical jerky movements and its white outer tail feathers flashing like a flag. I walked on for about half an hour enjoying the reflections and pleased with the number of species of bird which I saw including tufted duck, cormorant, pied and grey wagtail, coot, heron and of course lots of mallards. The male mallards were all looking smart now their autumn moult is completed.

Indeed the male mallard in winter is one of the world's most beautiful birds. If the species was rare bird watchers would drive for miles to see one individual. I suspect that the same could be said for the starling and the magpie.

Flashes of pale winter sunlight danced on the water of the canal and this stroll proved to me that the Lancashire countryside has a touch of everything, including some fine examples of the art of the thatcher.