THIS walk links two historic Lancashire villages and also two of the county's most popular attractions.

Eccleston is a large residential village perched above its historic church by the River Yarrow and well known for its mammoth antiques centre, Bygone Times. The rural route heads west from here along lanes and tracks to skirt the edge of Camelot Theme Park below the M6 and emerge in the old farming community of Heskin Green. There is a fine old pub here and the walk returns to Eccleston across a patchwork of small hedged fields by old manor houses. This is a taste of rural West Lancashire and being on the plain means this is a nice flat walk with no great hills but plenty of views of rattling roller-coasters!

DISTANCE: Five miles (allow two to three hours)

START: Eccleston village (OS. Grid Ref 523 165). Roadside parking on the main street. The walk starts on the south side of the village, near the church, school and Bygone Times. This main road then continues south-east to Charnock Richard and Camelot Theme Park.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Bus links from Chorley to Eccleston.

Use these route directions in conjunction with the relevant OS map (Explorer 285 Southport and Chorley).

THE walk starts along Bradley Lane, a residential road running from the north side of the main village street on the opposite side to Bygone Times. Follow Bradley Lane for about half a mile. The houses are soon left behind and the lane leads through open country to a T-junction at the top of the road. Turn right here along Red Lane and continue along this for over half a mile. When the lane suddenly takes a sharp left turn leave it almost immediately on the right by joining the signed path beginning in a woodland copse on the right hand side of the road. Go through the trees to join an old bridleway track and follow this southwards. You may soon hear a curious noise of roars and rattles and all is explained as Camelot Theme Park soon comes into view across the fields to the south. The track bears right and enters woodland and eventually drops down then runs uphill to meet Park Hall Road.

Take care as the track brings you out by a road junction with no pavements. Turn right then left along the adjoining road to enter Heskin Green and the Farmers Arms bedecked with flowers is soon reached on the left-hand side. The walk continues by joining the signed footpath on the left hand side of the pub which drops downhill to a footbridge then climbs to meet a lane. Turn right along the lane and follow this past houses to a T-junction. Turn right at this junction along Withington Lane. This lane passes the entrance to a school and soon leads to another road T-junction opposite the village shop.

Turn left along the pavement here and after a short distance cross over the road to join a stile in the hedge on the opposite side of the road just beyond the houses. A public footpath sign indicates the way. Join this path which runs straight ahead along the edge of the large field. It crosses a drain and reaches another stile in the opposite field corner. Cross this and follow the field edge (now on your left) to reach a track.

Continue straight ahead along the track and go straight ahead across a stile when the track swings left. Keep going in the same direction through the next field with the hedge now on your right. On the far side of this field there are two access points. Follow the one on the left over a stream and continue in the same direction with the hedge to your right. Cross further stiles to join a narrow hedged lane.

Turn right along the lane and shortly after it swings right it meets a track signed as a footpath and bridleway. Turn left and follow this grassy track which swings left to a gate then turns right to reach derelict overgrown farm buildings (Howe Brook house). Walk through the site and bear left to reach a road. Turn right along here, just a few metres before almost immediately turning sharp right along the signed footpath by a farm gate. This tarmac farm road between fields is now followed towards the buildings of Heskin Hall Farm. Just before the farm is reached you will see waymarked paths and stiles leading through fields on either side of the farm road.

At this point leave the farm road on your left by joining the path leading across a field to another stile with a woodland on the right. The path now skirts around the edge of the woodland along field boundaries for the next half a mile before leading through trees to a track which crosses a stream via a footbridge on the right. Cross the bridge and an alleyway leads you uphill to emerge in Eccleston at the rear of Bygone Times. Continue up the lane to return to the main village street.