LAST autumn I visited Beacon Fell and I decided then that I would have to return in the spring, writes RON FREETHY.

Last Sunday I left the busy lines of traffic along the M6 and A6 between Preston and Lancaster and followed the signs to Beacon Fell.

I had to stop the car suddenly as other motorists were leaving their vehicles and picking up tiny lapwing chicks and pushing them back to the safety of a field where their parents were anxiously waiting. Four - which is the normal clutch - were ushered to safety.

After following the well-marked one-way system to the car park, I enjoyed a cup of tea and a sandwich from the visitors' centre cafe and then met the South Bowland Ranger, Tarja Greenwood. She told me how the staff are able to cope with the flood of visitors, all of whom have different needs. Some just wanted to walk, some to picnic, others to let their dogs enjoy a breath of fresh air, while cyclists and even horseriders were also allocated space. By the pond overlooking the information centre I sat in the warmth of the sun and enjoyed the delightful deep yellow flowers of the marsh marigolds. This is one of the most interesting plants to be found anywhere in Europe because it is so simple in structure and yet so tough.

The marsh marigold was the first flowering plant to bloom when the Ice Age began to end more than 10,000 years ago.

If you look at any flower you will see that it is made up of four parts. There is the female part, called the gynoecium, which is in the centre. Next comes the androecium, made up of stamens, which is the male part. Next come the petals and then finally the sepals. In very primitive flowers, such as the marsh marigold, there are no petals and the coloured bits are actually petals. Tarja Greenwood made the point that Beacon Fell is different on each day of the year and I could see just what she meant as I walked the ring of footpaths.

I watched orange tip butterflies, listened to willow warblers singing and red grouse calling from the heather. All this wonderful natural history I could hear and see within a few hundred yards of a busy car park and picnic site.

Beacon Fell has proved that we can live in peace and harmony with the countryside.

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