Drive and Stroll, with Ron Freethy - Leeds and Liverpool Canal

WHEN people write about the glories of old England, poor old Lancashire hardly gets a look in.

Hundreds of pictures grace publications and show Morris Dancing usually in the Cotswolds or Kent. We in East Lancashire have two troupes which are as good as any in the world. These are the Britannia Coconutters and the Ossie Cloggers.

The Nutters are seen at their best at Easter when they dance through the streets of Bacup while the Cloggers perform regularly on Sunday afternoons at Oswaldtwistle Mills. Details of performances can be found by ringing the mill on 01254 871025.

It is always difficult to trace back the origins of these dances but most people think that because the Nutters black up their faces they may be copying the hard working miners. This may also account for the fact that they have coconut shells or pads on their knees. Many old time miners also wore this sort of protection when working in confined spaces.

It is said that Lancashire made its money from the three 'C's' - coal, canal and cotton.

The Leeds to Liverpool Canal is 1271/4 miles of wonderful waterway and I don't think we make as much of this as a tourist attraction as we ought to. The Ossie Cloggers are doing their best to redress the balance and their dancing is now famous throughout the world. They represent the third of the 'C's' - cotton!

The clog dancing is said to have derived from the weavers who often danced in the narrow aisles between the looms and this accounts for the flashing steps which echoed the rhythm of the machinery.

I would love to see a celebration event based around the canal and involving the two dance troops which I have just described. There are also some splendid walks along the Leeds to Liverpool Canal and here are just a few of my favourites.

Along the Cut from Foulridge where there is a little exhibition area and a neat cafe.

Along the towpath from Burnley's Straight Mile to the Weavers Triangle Visitors Centre. There is parking at Burnley's Centenary Way. Look down into Sainsbury's Car Park where the old lime kilns once provided the mortar used to build mills and houses as cotton money made Burnley rich.

Walk from Eanam Wharf at Blackburn (where there are refreshments and a museum area) to Blackburn locks which is the base for Blackburn's Groundwork Trust offices.

The Canal Walk around Wheelton Locks which are close to the Top Locks pub which provides excellent bar snacks.

The lesson from canal to dance is that Lancashire has much more tourist potential than we are using at the moment. We need to blow our trumpet much more than we do at the moment.

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