Keighley

Industrial heritage runs through every millstone grit street in this former textile powerhouse, where Victorian terraces climb steep hillsides like steps up to the moors. Keighley sits at the foot of the Pennines, a proper Yorkshire town that's kept its working-class character while the surrounding countryside offers some of the county's most dramatic walking.

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is the big draw here. Steam trains chuff between Keighley and Oxenhope through countryside that feels wonderfully unchanged since the 1950s. Railway buffs come from across Europe for this line, and rightly so - it's one of Britain's finest preserved railways.

Beyond the town centre, the landscape opens up dramatically. Penistone Hill and the surrounding peaks offer cracking views across the Worth Valley, while Brontë Falls provides a gentle introduction to the moorland walking that defines this part of West Yorkshire. The reconstructed Bronte Bridge connects you to paths that wind past Leadbeater Dam and Leeshaw Reservoir - both lovely spots for a picnic on a clear day.

For something different, Stod Fold Brewery keeps the local drinking tradition alive with proper Yorkshire ales. The town's archaeological camp adds an unexpected historical dimension, though it's the Victorian industrial architecture that really tells Keighley's story.

Getting here is straightforward - regular trains from Leeds take about 45 minutes, and the M65 brings you within a few miles if you're driving. Bradford's only 20 minutes south, making this an excellent base for exploring both the industrial heritage of West Yorkshire and the wilder Pennine landscapes to the north. The nearby holiday parks put you right at the doorstep of Brontë country without the tourist crowds that swamp Haworth.