Hebden Bridge

A morning in Hebden Bridge. We don't live here, but not too far from it, and weekday mornings are especially pleasant, when the town is fairly empty (I don't like running over heels with the pushchair) and the sun is shining. Hebden is a Fair Trade town and has loads of character and charm, both old and new. It is filled with a good selection of independent shops like Spirals Fair Trade shop, The Organic House cafe, Innovation shop and cafe (with working watermill), The Old Treehouse toy shop, and William Holt's green grocers. There's also canal boat cruises, a movie theatre (picture house), parks, bed & breakfasts and nature spots like Hardcastle Craggs.

The 'wavy' steps in town are a new installation and source of controversy since the entire town centre has recently undergone a refurbishment and been pedestrianised (is that a word?!)

Hebden Bridge has been voted the 4th funkiest town in the world..at least by British Airways in-flight magazine, and its also been dubbed the UK town with the most local identity. The village of Heptonstall which sits on the hill overlooking Hebden Bridge is the burial place of American writer Sylvia Plath. The Bronte sisters have also made this area popular for tourists as they lived in nearby Haworth and wrote about this area.

The fashionable and controversial wavy steps leading down to the riverside.