Local authority: Calderdale
Three hit TV series – Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax and, most recently, Gentleman Jack – all used this beautiful corner of Yorkshire as a backdrop. The next part in our new series of expert local advice reveals why
Insider information on an area of Yorkshire popular as a film location
Who are you?
I’m Peter Baber, reviews editor of Practical Caravan.
How do you know about Calderdale?
I wasn’t born here, but I have lived here all this century, first in Hebden Bridge and more recently in Todmorden.
What do you love about it?
The rugged beauty of the Pennines – and the industrial heritage. Calderdale is not like the Yorkshire Dales proper, with dry stone walls and sheep. The bustling towns around here include Hebden Bridge, and there are fascinating buildings, such as the newly restored Piece Hall in Halifax and Shibden Hall, where Gentleman Jack was filmed.
What’s your favourite place to visit in the area?
Hardcastle Crags (HX7 7AW), a steeply wooded valley north of Hebden that was saved from becoming a reservoir in the 1960s and is now a wonderful nature reserve owned by the National Trust.
At the heart of the area is Gibson Mill, a 200-year-old former mill which, after becoming a skating rink in the 1950s, is now the National Trust’s flagship sustainable building. You can find out more at www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
For something more strenuous, not to mention some glorious views, walk up from Todmorden to Stoodley Pike, a monument put up to celebrate Waterloo – which fell down and had to be rebuilt when the Crimean War broke out.
Which campsites would you recommend, and why?
From March to November, the Caravan and Motorhome Club site at Cragg Vale, Hebden Bridge (HX7 5RU), is easily accessible, despite being halfway up the longest continuous gradient in England.
Failing that, Elland Hall Farm (HX5 0SL) is a small site that is open all year, as is Cherry Tree Farm – aka the Walker Estate in Gentleman Jack (HX4 8NQ).
What food/drink is the area known for, and which is your favourite place to eat or drink?
There is a huge cluster of microbreweries in West Yorkshire. One of them, Vocation Brewery, runs a bar in Hebden Bridge, while the Little Valley Brewery (HX7 5TT) has a beer shop nearby in Cragg Vale.
Other good Hebden pubs include the White Lion and the Nightjar.
In Halifax, Ricci’s Place (HX1 1UG) counts Robert de Niro among its many customers. The main restaurant is in the town centre, but there is also a tapas bar within a former mill-turned-arts centre at Dean Clough, which is itself worth a visit.
In Ripponden, you’ll find The Old Bridge Inn (HX6 4DF) – I’ve not yet been there myself, but it has good reviews online.
For local food shopping, try Todmorden Market on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Where can you get spare kit?
You really can’t miss Richard Baldwin Motorhomes (HX3 0TP) as you drive through Copley. Parking at the dealership is easy, and it has a useful accessory shop.
Where can you find the cheapest petrol/diesel in the area?
Currently, it’s at Asda in Halifax (HX1 4PG). But this is a complicated drive through a less salubrious part of town. You have to drive across Gibbet Street – it’s a little-known fact that Halifax, and not France, actually invented the guillotine, which was initially known as the ‘Halifax Gibbet’.
If you would rather stay on the main valley road, the Jet station near Sowerby Bridge (HX2 7NB) is good value.
Where should you avoid when you’re in the area?
The Eureka! National Children’s
Museum in Halifax may have a decentsized car park, but the museum itself is best as a rainy-day option; in my opinion, it also looks and feels a little dated.
Fortunately, just across the busy road outside is the newly refurbished Piece Hall, for some excellent shopping, and the fascinating Calderdale Industrial Museum. Here you can learn about one of Halifax’s most famous exports – Quality Street.
Share a secret highlight that only a local would know…
Given this area’s location in the centre of England, you wouldn’t expect to find a beach here. But that is what you’ll see at Gaddings Dam, an abandoned reservoir above Todmorden. Within a short walk are two great pubs: the Top Brink Inn and The Shepherds Rest. I can never decide which one is best – why not try both?