Holmfirth city center

The market square in Holmfirth pulls you in straight away. It's a proper working town, not some heritage museum pretending to be lived-in - you'll find locals grabbing coffee, shops doing actual business, and a real pulse that a lot of Yorkshire towns have lost. The stone buildings crowd around the square with that industrial-era solidity you get throughout this part of the Pennines, and if you're here on market day, there's a decent buzz.

What makes Holmfirth worth a morning or afternoon is its film heritage. It's the real-life setting for Summer Wine, that long-running sitcom, so if you grew up with it or just enjoy that sort of thing, you'll spot the actual locations dotted around - the bridge, the cafe, the cobbled bits. Even if telly nostalgia leaves you cold, the town itself has character. The River Holme runs through it, there are decent pubs and cafes tucked into corners, and the surrounding moors kick up immediately to the north and east.

It's free to wander about, obviously. An hour covers the centre properly. Families with older kids will manage fine, though it's not a theme park - it's a real town where you can actually see how people live. For walkers basing themselves at Whitegate Leisure or any of the other nearby campsites, it's an easy low-level outing that breaks up a week of proper hiking. The Pennine Way passes within a few miles, so it works well as a rest day destination.