DURING the summer and autumn one of my favourite walks is along the disused railway track which linked Lancaster with the Lune Valley.

The painter Turner loved this area of the river and painted several views of it. The river here is otter and kingfisher country.

There is parking at the Crook of Lune which is close to the pretty villages of Caton and Halton. They are easily reached from the M6 near Lancaster and from Kirkby Lonsdale.

The stretch of river below the old railway bridge is a naturalists paradise and a footpath runs along the river and through an area of woodland where I often see a fox (especially early in the morning) and I always watch grey squirrels.

In the heat of a summer afternoon I watched a family of grey wagtails feeding on invertebrates by the shallows of the river and a dipper was diving for its meal in the deeper areas.

There are a few picnic benches on the grass verges and here lots of people were sunning themselves and sharing their food with greedy mallards and gulls.

These artful dodgers added atmosphere to the beautiful Crook o' Lune.