30 EVENING POST www.lep.co.uk Saturday, December 19, 2015

Weekend walks

Remote Control BY PHILIP CUNNINGTON [email protected] @rilthy

A winter’s trail right to reach the entrance to Idris Elba stars as DCI John Luther BY BOB CLARE the maze - a lime tree marks www.lancashirewalks.com its centre. If you want to ex- tend the walk by 5 miles, en- ter the maze! If not turn right erry Christ- and walk along the outside of AN INVENTIVE mas to all our the maze to reach the formal readers! Here gardens. From here there is at www.lan- easy access into the courtyard WAY OF KILLING cashirewalks. and the Arts and Crafts cen- Mcom we have been giving some tre and the coffee shop. Follow thought to the thorny prob- signs to return to the car park eing a writer moody DCI John Luther lem of the Christmas family but if you wish to extend your on a TV cop (Idris Elba) has been outing. Because of the season walk cross the playing fields show must be brooding atop the white and the endless round of eat- to reach a wooded footpath a difficult job cliffs,pi ning for Alice, the ing and drinking Christmas beyond the children’s play- these days. love of his life, who just can be such a confiningtime ground. Turn right to reach BThere are more than 50 happens to be a serial killer. that sooner or later someone Worden Lane. years of police dramas in This two-parter, which pipes up, “Let’s go for a walk!” Points of Interest: The viewers’ memory banks, concludes on Tuesday, is which leads onto the inevita- Walled Garden. In recent from Z Cars and Dixon likely to be end of Luther, ble question, “Where?” and years the garden has been un- of Dock Green, through which is a shame, as Elba pretty soon you are well on the dergoing a programme of res- The Sweeney and on to has a great presence on way to the Annual Christmas toration and improvement in a Bergerac, Morse, Lewis screen and actually makes a Row as the merits of each fam- partnership project which has and lots of other TV ’tecs lot of overblown plot make ily member’s suggestion are This list is by no means ex- every year since that scheme included Bor- known only by their sense by downplaying debated. hausted - I know readers will started. ough Council, the Brothers of surnames. everything. When he Fortunately for our read- have their own favourite open Directions: The firstpa rt Charity Services and numer- So what’s a writer to do? walks into another bizarre ers the solution is remarka- spaces to add to it. The point is of the walk is not in the park ous other charities and com- Every conceivable police murder scene, you get the bly near at hand. Go to one of that parks are too easily over- at all but requires you to re- munity groups. A significant storyline has been written, sense he’s seen it all before. the many municipal parks lo- looked as places suitable for a turn to Worden Lane and aspect of the project is to assist probably many times The series has also cated in our towns and cities family walk. Suitable because turn right walking alongside people with learning disabili- over, from bent coppers provided some genuinely throughout the north west of they are near at hand and gen- the old stone walls of the es- ties to develop life skills in an to maverick coppers creepy moments, with one England. In this regard pride erally accessible for wheel- tate. Pass a second entrance integrated community envi- to alcoholic coppers to in particular from the last of place has to go to Pres- chairs, mobility scooters and and turn right onto a footpath ronment which will enhance female coppers to coppers series still lingering. Put ton with seven major public prams. close by Swiss Lodge. You are their independence. Support- who are coppers to the it this way, I never get into open spaces within the city’s Pushed to nominate a fa- now on the Shaw Brook Italian ed by helpers and volunteers other coppers. bed now without checking boundaries- there is even a vourite park high on the list Walk created for the Faring- the service users have contrib- It seems the only way to underneath it first. continuous walk linking them would be Worden Park in ton family that once lived in uted substantially to the resto- go is to be more inventive However, it’s not altogether though we do not Leyland. Once the home of the Hall. In about 300yds you ration of the garden. in the ways your killer kills really a detective series. recommend that as a family the family, Worden will reach the folly which was people, and Neil Cross, It’s definitely straying outing since it is 14 miles long! Park was taken over by the lo- built in the late 18th century the creator and writer of down the horror road, In case we’re accused of pa- cal authority in 1951. to adorn the small waterfall. Luther (BBC1, Tuesdays, such is the gore present rochialism I would point out Since local government It takes the form of an arched Factfile 9pm), is very inventive in these murders, and the that there are splendid parks reorganisation in 1974 it has ruin. Keep to the main path indeed. overbearing murk of the in Blackpool, (Stanley Park), been managed by South Rib- as it enters a more densely START: Main car park, Worden In the first20 minutes photography. Lancaster, (Williamson Park), ble Borough Council. Cover- wooded area and then crosses Lane alone, a woman is You can certainly trace Blackburn (Witton Country ing over 60 hectares it caters a wooden bridge. After a sec- DISTANCE: 1½ miles, 2k butchered in her home it’s lineage back to Brad Park and Corporation Park), for a wide range of community ond footbridge there is a stone TIME: One hour to do the walk, and her heart is eaten, Pitt’s Se7en, and it would , (, activities - superb children’s shelter on a brow - at one time two to three hours to make use a man is leftro ttingin a be no surprise if one of the , play areas, extensive playing a summer house. The third of the attractions and several dentist’s chair, a second main character’s heads and Queens Park), Accrington fields for sport, historic build- footbridge will pass a pond more hours if you go into the man has been dissolved in turned up in a cardboard (Oakhill Park and Peel Park), ings used by small businesses and onto a tarmac drive. Turn maze. a bath and an inquisitive box. (Astley Park, Duxbury and local groups and nature right. A short distance ahead SUMMARY: An easy walk on copper has been blown up Heaven knows what Park and Yarrow Valley Coun- trails. It is the only park out- turn right again onto a stoned surfaced paths. by an exploding fridge. George Dixon would have try Park) and Wigan (Mesnes side of London to be awarded path. MAP: OS Explorer 285 All the while, mean, made of it. Park and Haigh Country Park). the prestigious Green Flag When the path forks bear Southport & Chorley