Welcome to Brighouse

Brighouse sits on the River Colden in West Yorkshire, a proper mill town with genuine industrial heritage rather than the sanitised version you get in some places. The town itself tells the story of Yorkshire's textile boom - you'll see the remnants of it in the stone buildings and the canal that runs through, which is worth a wander if you've got an hour spare.

The real draw here is walking the towpath. It's flat, accessible, and takes you past old mills and warehouses that still feel lived-in rather than museum-fied. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park isn't far away if you want to combine art with your outing, and Elland, just down the road, has enough cafes and pubs to make a day of it.

If you're staying at Elland Hall Farm Caravan Park - which gets solid reviews and sits only 2.9 miles away - Brighouse makes an easy morning or afternoon trip. The town itself doesn't demand hours of your time, but it's the sort of place that grows on you. There's no grand visitor attraction here, no ticketed experience, just the bones of what made this region tick during the Industrial Revolution.

Historyminded types will find it genuinely interesting. Families with restless kids might find the towpath walk more appealing than the town centre itself. Go midweek if you want the place to yourself, and bring good shoes - the cobbles are unforgiving.