Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy

THE first weekend in September proved to be one of the hottest of the year but two walks around Garstang are a joy at any time of the year.

There is plenty of well-signed and inexpensive parking throughout the town.

I based two walks around the Discovery Centre and I followed maps provided by Wyre Borough Council.

The Garstang and Lancaster Canal walk covers about 3 miles and I usually allow 2 to three hours.

Garstang is a lovely old market town full of cafes and comfortable pubs so I was able to have a break before setting off on my second walk, which circles just over three miles around Garstang and Barnacre.

I usually allow just over two hours for this fascinating walk through history and natural history.

The Discovery Centre opened in 1990 and has very sensibly combined a tourist information centre and a natural history centre, which is open throughout the year.

The Lancaster Canal walk is of interest to those fascinated by industrial archaeology.

First I found a nursing home which was once a corn mill, dating back to the 18th century but with records of a building on the site from as early as the 13th century.

It is the canal, however, which is the main feature of this well-signed stroll.

Construction of the Lancaster Canal, which linked Preston with Kendal, began in 1792 and it was opened five years later. It carried coal toward Kendal to the north and limestone in the opposite direction.

One major problem had to be overcome and that was getting the canal over the River Wyre.

John Rennie solved the problem by building a single span aqueduct 110 feet long which soars 34 feet above the river. This area is a naturalist's paradise, with regular sightings of kingfisher, heron and moorhen.

On one occasion last December I saw a peregrine. The canal walk returns to Garstang via Greenhalgh Castle, which is also seen to advantage in the second of my strolls.

An impressive corner tower is all that now remains of a once-formidable castle constructed by Thomas Stanley, the first Earl of Derby, in 1490. Many of the castle's stones were used to build Castle Farm and other local buildings.

Looked at from the River Wyre below it is easy to see how dominant the castle once was.

In the Discovery Centre is a model showing how the castle looked before the Civil War in 1640.

The Stanleys were among the last of the Royalists to hold out against Cromwell.

In 1646 Cromwell ordered the castle to be demolished.

The walk passes the old trackway of the Pilling Pig Railway which once linked Garstang with Pilling but which closed in 1960.

What is now known as the Wildgoose Railway Cutting is now a splendid woodland.

The local landowner allows access to this area, which is a green lifeline into the area. The path back to Garstang passes Lady Hamilton's Well, which was once a spa used by the Hamilton family and which was said to have medicinal properties.

Although the stone steps and walls are now somewhat damaged, the water still runs pure and clear.

Just one word of warning is needed as Garstang is approached and the circle completed.

The route crosses a main railway line but there are plenty of warnings for those who use both their ears and their eyes.

Neither should you forget to revisit the Discovery Centre, which advertises other walks and events, many of which are guided by the efficient ranger service.

The centre is open daily from 11am to 3pm, except for Christmas Day, and the telephone number is 01995 602125.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.