I STROLL this route very often because I love the Old Tythe Barn. at Garstang, which is a cross between a pub and a museum.

One memorable day was in December on a day when the town holds its Christmas Festival.

This has a very Dickensian feel to it with shopkeepers dressed in old costumes.

Garstang is also fascinating on Thursdays when the market day is in full swing. The charter dates back to 1310 when King Edward II initiated the event. There seems to have been a lapse but in 1679 the market was re-established and has continued ever since.

The views from this stretch of the canal are spectacular. To the right are open fields and to the left are colourful boats in the marina overlooked by the Tythe Barn.

The Lancaster Canal was opened in 1797 and because of this Garstang increased in prosperity. The town was also situated on a busy coaching route. There was, however, a down-turn during the 1840s when the Lancaster and Preston railway was built. Garstang was literally by-passed and when the present A6 opened the town became cocooned in a time warp.

This stretch of the canal is a real blast from the past, underlined by John Rennie's splendid aqueduct over the River Wyre. This carries the appropriate plaque. I descended to the River Wyre and alongside the riverside path I found some swampy areas -- ideal habitat for the common moorhen and the reed bunting which is sadly declining thanks to loss of suitable habitat.

My next pause was at the old corn mill, now happily being used as a residential home. A look to the left reveals the old millrace. It is good that these old buildings are used rather than left to fall into ruin.

The next viewpoint is very much a ruin -- one of the most historic to be found anywhere in Britain. Greenhalgh Castle was built on the orders of the Earl of Derby in 1490 to control the crossing of the River Wyre. Only a couple of stout walls now remain because in 1649 the Royalist Garrison stoutly resisted Cromwell's Army.

The Roundheads were determined not to allow the Cavaliers to return and almost completely demolished the Castle. Over the years the stones from the ruins were used by local people as an unofficial quarry. The stones which do remain are set on a substantial grassy mound. From the riverside footpath it is easy to appreciate how Greenhalgh was strategically important around the 15th and 16th centuries.

This gentle stroll through magnificent countryside is a brim-full of history and natural history. During my Christmas-time walk I saw more than 100 pink-footed geese flying over the castle and last summer I listened to a skylark in full song and I also found signs of the Pilling Pig.

The pig is not an animal but a railway now long disused. Local folk named the engine because of the sound of its whistle. Between its opening in 1908 and its closure in 1950 the Pig ran from Garstang to Knott End at the head of the Wyre Estuary. I love this stretch of the walk at dawn or especially at dusk when the gloom can conjure up pictures of the days when the Pig whistled away and carried produce between local farms and the town. It was never, however, on the main line route. These days the embankment is a botanist's delight from April until well into October with plants such as cowslip, primrose, stitchwort, meadow cranesbill and the occasional teasel in evidence.

The area around the Discovery Centre is just that -- a historian's delight. There is, for example, the splendid little Arts Centre which was once the town Grammar School. This was built in 1792 and continued to function until 1928. It is fitting that a building with such a history should still have an educational role.

The last section of the walk should not be rushed because here is a coaching town with lots of old inns, alleys and shops. Obviously the Market Square was on the site of the first market. It is still dominated by a market cross. This consists of a pedestal surmounted by a stone ball dating from 1756 and which was restored in 1896.

The Town Hall dates to the 17th century but a fire in the mid 18th century meant a substantial rebuild. The clock tower is magnificent and it is easy to appreciate how coachmen intent upon keeping to their timetable would look up at it to check the performance of their team. I have some contemporary comments to show that coach travellers were just as critical of late arrivals as modern day rail commuters are.

Garstang, however, is not a place to travel quickly but one to explore at leisure and where better than to sit at ease in the bar of the Old Tythe Barn or in summer on the picnic benches. Attached to an outbuilding is a dovecote which is also a point of interest.

The Old Tythe Barn dates at least to the 16th century and its crook beams are as solid as the day the barn was built. Hung from the beams, set on alcoves and fastened to the walls are artefacts from farming history and a celebration of local crafts.

The route:

From Ye Old Tythe Barn, cross the road and turn left across the canal bridge. At the bridge turn left over the road and descend steps onto the canal towpath.

Turn right to the Aqueduct. Turn right and descend the steep steps to the River Wyre. Turn right and follow the riverside to the old corn mill which is now a residential home. Cross a road and the continue alongside Wyre Lane and the footpath.

Look up to the right to the ruins of Greenhalgh Castle. Cross two stiles and then a bridge over the river. Look at a discussed railway line and descend steps on the left to a sports field. Follow the edge of the sports field to the community car park and here also is the Garstang Discovery Centre and Information point.

Turn left through the town centre and along Church Street to the canal and back to the Tythe Barn. Distance: 2 miles. Time: 2 hours.