Settle

A naked man, dozens of flowerpots, ancient buildings, dramatic natural beauty, a folly (that isn't really), an enormous 'oven' and the best cheese - where can you find them all? Visit Settle and you'll quickly realise this is no ordinary small town.

Settle's setting is beautiful - it's very close to the Three Peaks and some of Ribblesdale's finest landscapes. You can enjoy a great view from Castleberg. Within the town, narrow ginnels (or gennels or whatever you call them in your area...) thread their way in and out of the square. There's a lot of history, with 76 listed buildings, The Folly Museum and Coffee House, Settle are open to visitors. The Folly name may be a misnomer, as it wasn't built as a folly but was so-named after being empty with no obvious purpose for a while. Now it's a very welcoming attractive building. Settle Victoria Hall- The World's Oldest Music Hall is just round the corner and has an excellent programme of events.

There are two other outstanding 'landmarks' - the railway station where you can board the Settle Carlisle Railway CRP and the incredible Hoffman Kiln - you'll have to visit to understand its scale and industrial beauty.

Settle has masses of great independently-owned shops, galleries, cafes and pubs, and a great community spirit. This led to the creation of the Settle Hydro and later to the Settle Flowerpot Festival which delights visitors with a trail of dozens of amazing flowerpot creations every Summer.

A short drive away is The Courtyard Dairy which attracts cheese pilgrims in search of cheese wisdom, cheesey pizzas and some of the best farmhouse cheese imaginable.

Thanks to Julia Chapman and The Dales Detective (9th book in the series just out and I've finished it already - it's excellent and I'm in awe of Julia's 'scheming mind'!), visitors are also coming to see what life is really like in "Bruncliffe" which is based on Settle.

You're probably wondering about the naked man? There are a couple of interesting explanations for Ye Olde Naked Man Café & Bakery's name - look for the small black figure date stone, as you munch their delicious cakes.

What other aspects of Settle do you love?

Image thanks to Stephen Garnett Photography