The small Pennine village of Denby Dale is set on the banks of the River Dearne, and has many stone-built weavers’ cottages, typical in this part of Yorkshire. This lovely village has real character, particularly with its landmark railway viaduct and also Victorian mills, one of which produced the silk for the Queen Mother’s wedding dress. The village is also famous for producing giant pies, the first of which was baked in 1788 and the most recent to celebrate the Millennium, which weighed in at 12 tons! Denby Dale is close to the edge of the Peak District National Park with its moors, dales, forests, lakes and reservoirs, not to mention stately homes such as Chatsworth, Wentworth Castle and Cannon Hall. The small town of Holmfirth, made famous in The Last of The Summer Wine TV series is also nearby. There are plenty of footpaths and cycle tracks to explore locally and the Trans-Pennine Trail and West Yorkshire Cycle Route both pass near the village. If you want some retail therapy, you can catch the train from the local station, which goes over the famous Denby Dale viaduct, through the picturesque Pennine Hills, directly to Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield with its 230 shops and 50 places to eat and drink. Staying with railways, why not hop on the Kirklees Light Railway and experience a steam train journey from yesteryear? Other local attractions worth a visit are The Yorkshire Sculpture Park, The National Coal Mining Museum and The Hepworth Gallery. Manchester, York, Leeds and Harrogate are also all easily accessible. Denby Dale is an ideal location to explore the Pennines and the Peak District at any time of the year.
