Hebden Bridge
6:11 pm
Every summer, I travel up to Halifax in West Yorkshire with my mum and brother to
visit my gran. Halifax is a lovely little town where my mum grew up, and I love taking a yearly week-long break from reality to hike on the moors, visit the church where my
parents got married and get my chip butty from the fish and chip shop
on the moor behind my mum’s old school.
A trip to Halifax also usually entails a day trip to Hebden Bridge, which is just a half hour journey down the train line. It's a cute little market town, situated alongside the Rochdale Canal which runs from Sowerby Bridge (my late grandpa’s hometown) all the way through to Manchester.
A trip to Halifax also usually entails a day trip to Hebden Bridge, which is just a half hour journey down the train line. It's a cute little market town, situated alongside the Rochdale Canal which runs from Sowerby Bridge (my late grandpa’s hometown) all the way through to Manchester.
One of my favourite parts of a visit to Hebden Bridge is taking a stroll along the towpath down the side of the canal, watching the locks change and admiring the barges that have stopped by that day and picking out our favourites. I loved the above one from Devon as that's where I currently live, so it felt like a little sign of home away from home!
I've always been fascinated by barges, ever since I had my very own little Sylvanian barge as a child, and still feel amazed that an entire family can live inside a little boat for weeks on end, travelling from place to place. Some of the boats even have their own cats! One of my favourites from a few years ago was a fudge barge - the couple who lived aboard made all of these different flavours of fudge on their boat and then sold it to passers-by. I'll tell you now, it was pretty great.
The town meanwhile, while small, is full of quirky little shops, welcoming cafes and little markets overflowing with fresh fruit, veg and knick knacks, all overlooking the surrounding rivers and streams from old stone bridges. One particular shop that has always enchanted me is The Yorkshire Soap Company, where all of the soaps have been fashioned into little 'cupcakes' or 'slices of cake'. It's the kind of soap that you'll buy and never use because it's way too pretty - I've had a little cream soap duck sitting in my bathroom at home for about three years now because I love it too much to use!
All in all, Hebden Bridge makes for a lovely day - or even just an afternoon - out. If you live in Yorkshire or ever happen to be up that end of England and passing through, it's well worth stopping by to visit this charming little town.
I've always been fascinated by barges, ever since I had my very own little Sylvanian barge as a child, and still feel amazed that an entire family can live inside a little boat for weeks on end, travelling from place to place. Some of the boats even have their own cats! One of my favourites from a few years ago was a fudge barge - the couple who lived aboard made all of these different flavours of fudge on their boat and then sold it to passers-by. I'll tell you now, it was pretty great.
The town meanwhile, while small, is full of quirky little shops, welcoming cafes and little markets overflowing with fresh fruit, veg and knick knacks, all overlooking the surrounding rivers and streams from old stone bridges. One particular shop that has always enchanted me is The Yorkshire Soap Company, where all of the soaps have been fashioned into little 'cupcakes' or 'slices of cake'. It's the kind of soap that you'll buy and never use because it's way too pretty - I've had a little cream soap duck sitting in my bathroom at home for about three years now because I love it too much to use!
All in all, Hebden Bridge makes for a lovely day - or even just an afternoon - out. If you live in Yorkshire or ever happen to be up that end of England and passing through, it's well worth stopping by to visit this charming little town.
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