"Artists, artisans, artistes, tourists and visitors" Hebden Bridge by leics

When the mills closed in the late 60s/early 70s the bottom dropped out of the housing market in Hebden Bridge.

Houses could be bought for very little.

So it attracted all sorts of hippies, artists, artistes and so on......and gradually became what it is now.

Housing is very expensive nowadays, especially as it is within commuting distance of some prety big conurbations.

There are artists of all types living here: 'media' types, writers, painters, sculptors, New Agers......some in the stone 'back-to-back' terraces, some in the 'one-on-top-of-the-other houses which are set on the steep sides of the valley (at least one person has bought both houses, creating a 6-storey dwelling!).

'Hebden Water' flows through the town, passing under the old packhorse bridge in the photo above.

There are independent shops, and little cafes (organic and not)...all very pretty and very pleasing to the eye.

And wonderful walks along the wooded valleys (it's a very green place) and up onto the Pennine moorlands.

It's jewellery!!!

My visits were brief: fish, chips & mushy peas with the VT crowd at the Halifax meet, and a swift return visit on the Sunday morning to see what could be seen.

What could be seen on the Sunday was a tiny market, with home-made cakes/bread/preserves (the lemon curd was very good indeed) and a fascinating stallsign (see photo).

It's a place which warrants a longer visit at some point, I think. Very relaxed, very pretty. I suspect it gets pretty busy in the summer though, so maybe best to visit in autumn or spring.

• Pros:Architecture, surrounding landscape
• Cons:Can be very busy
• In a nutshell:Artists, artisans, artistes, tourists and visitors