Mention the word Holmfirth to anyone in England and most people will think of the long running BBC comedy series Last of the Summer Wine that ran from 1973 to 2010. Holmfirth is a small West Yorkshire town that like many similar towns and villages once made its way through textiles. Now it is a popular tourist destination.
The steps here are just round the corner from Sid's Café to the right and out of shot. Millstone grit dominates this picture making up all the elements within. The versatility of the material is apparent as it forms the steps, walls, door frames and stone flagged floor. A small shower a few moments before gave the time trodden steps a wonderful shine. Monochrome suited the image best and went well with the dark colour of the stones. Holmfirth is a great place for landscape photography both for scenes like this or more rural settings just outside the town.
There are many areas that have connections with Last of the Summer Wine both in and around the town but Holmfirth shouldn't just be appreciated by an association with something else, it stands out very much in its own right. It could be argued that Last of the Summer Wine has done more good than bad as the town has kept much of its historical character that may well have disappeared and has many fine old buildings to look at as you weave your way around. Holmfirth is a town proud of its history but it doesn't live in the past, it very much looks forward and has many shops and restaurants. A walk along Hollowgate, a road that runs parallel to the river gives an example of this as there are numerous restaurants and shops selling everything from household gifts to fine chocolates. On the other side of the river on the busy Huddersfield Road there is more. An antiques shop delighted us with all its curious goods and we couldn't help noticing the variety of different restaurants such as Spanish, Italian, Thai and Indian.
We were here just for an afternoon but on another occasion it would have been nice to check out the restaurants. For a bite to eat we decided on Beatties, the deli next door to Sid's Café and we weren't disappointed as the paninis were excellent as was the tea. Beatties sells quite a few varieties of fruit and herbal teas which I highly recommend. It also sells a good range of food in general. See all the links below for further information on Holmfirth.
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Links
Explore Holmfirth and the Holme Valley a PDF guide to the village and how to get there
Holmfirth Tourism Kirklees Council tourism website
Beatties delicatessen and coffee shop
Sid's Café famous café featured in Last of the Summer Wine
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