Kirklees

Kirklees mixes a university town with some of West Yorkshire's best countryside. Huddersfield holds a strong independent music and arts scene, built up around its university and long-standing venues.

Standedge Tunnel, at over three miles long, is Britain's longest, highest and deepest canal tunnel, running underneath the Pennines between Marsden and Diggle, with boat trips running through it.

Holmfirth, tucked into the Holme Valley, draws visitors for its independent shops and surrounding hills. The Colne Valley towns, Marsden, Slaithwaite and Linthwaite, string out along the canal, each with its own character.

Tolson Museum and Bagshaw Museum cover the district's local history, and Oakwell Hall gives you an Elizabethan manor house set in its own grounds.

A district that rewards a deep look, rather than a quick pass through.