Family Focus

Vintage Rail

MAKE a ‘Great Railway Journey of the World’ on the legendary Settle Carlisle Railway, direct from Keighley or Skipton. All aboard our famous little railways: Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in Bronte Country; Embsay & Yorkshire Dales Steam Railway near Skipton; Kirklees Light Railway at Clayton West and Victorian Shipley Glen Tramway near Saltaire. The East Lancashire Light Railway along the Irwell Valley now reaches Heywood in Rochdale.

Shop Local

Enjoy the north’s famous traditional markets. Bury, Dewsbury and Oldham Tommyfield Market rank with Britain’s largest. Go green at farmers markets and enjoy market events: Tourist Information Centres have listings of traditional, continental, craft and flea markets.

Visionary regeneration has transformed our Victorian towns and, often housed in splendid former mills, our millshops are famous. Bargain hunt for textiles, yarns, carpets, designerwear, footware, furnishings and MORE. Ask at Tourist Information for free millshop guides.

Rare books to black puddings, that ‘special souvenir’ calls for small town shopping: typically Pennine Rawtenstall and Uppermill; Skipton, the ‘gateway to the Dales’; elegant Ilkley; screen star Holmfirth and Hebden Bridge: “the town for great little shops”.

Browse in Burnley or Todmorden flea markets; Holmfirth Craft Market and specialist shops in Halifax Piece Hall and Saltaire World Heritage Site near Bradford. Traditional clogmakers Walkley Clogs have re-opened in Mytholmroyd near Hebden Bridge.

Source original gifts from local artists and take home an edible memento … local cheese, honey, award winning black pudding and fragrant spices from Asian shops. Not to be missed …the ultimate Asian shopping trip to Bradford’s Bombay Stores!

Action museums

Watch the sparks fly at Rourkes Forge, Burnley; smell the steam at Ellenroad Engine House Milnrow; walk down period streets in Oldham Museum; Bury Museum and Towneley Hall Burnley … and don’t miss Skipton Castle, one of the best preserved in Britain.

Interact at Halifax EUREKA! the Museum for Children. Find a family welcome at award winning Touchstones in Rochdale

Just Gardens

Period gardens grace Pendle Heritage Centre Barrowford. Parkland settings frame Rossendale Museum Rawtenstall, Towneley Hall, Burnley and Shibden Hall, Halifax.

Check dates for garden events at National Trust Gawthorpe Hall, Padiham and East Riddlesden Hall, Keighley plus seasonal plant sales at NT Marsden Moor.

Recent Heritage Lottery focus on Victorian civic parks has restored Oldham’s Alexandra Park, People’s Park Halifax and Lister Park Bradford, setting for Cartwright Hall Gallery. With its new Mughal water garden, Lister Park was recently voted one of Britain’s best!