Cool Places
Hardcastle Craggs
Midgehole Hebden Bridge West Yorkshire HX7 7AA
This wonderful woodland was once known as 'the Switzerland of Yorkshire'. In spring, carpets of bluebells; in summer a million trees and lots of shade. But autumn is my favourite time as the leaves start to turn, and hundreds of varieties of funghi can be found and you can spot dippers, woodpeckers, jays and herons. On a sharp, sunny day there's nowhere better. At the far end of the walk sits Gibson Mill, once a cotton mill and bizarrely, a popular Edwardian 'entertainment emporium' where a band played and you could dance. It's a visitor centre now, and you can get a cuppa at certain times. It's no surprise it's often used as a film location, most recently as the atmospheric Dotheboys Hall in the BBC's Nicholas Nickleby.
