By Siobhan Lismore

About three-quarters of the way to Holmfirth we all stopped talking.

We had gossiped, laughed, sung and we had even fought with each other up till then, but within about three minutes a calm descended on the car and stayed there. Only the radio crackled as we drank in the view rolling past. It was then that Becca turned to me and said ‘you ever seen anything like this?’ in her Northern lilt, her fringe, blowing into her eyes.

We had agreed to go away for 3 days to celebrate the end of our course. Holmfirth seemed like a good idea as it was far away enough from The Smog that we had lived and breathed for the last six months, but not so far we would have to dip into yet another credit card to fund an overseas trip. I knew nothing about the place, only that they filmed Last of the Summer Wine in the village and Becca said that the country air made everyone randy. That was enough to make me pack my new impractical kitten heels.

It is beautiful. And Green. So, so green. But also very hilly and the houses seem to be piled on top of each other higgledy piggledy. You can almost hear the Hovis tune as you manoeuvre your car round the bendy winding roads.

We went out for dinner our first night, to a tapas bar with about 3 tables and situated in a basement of another restaurant. The menu isn’t Spanish though, it is dishes from all over the world, just in smaller portions. We ordered 20 dishes between the six of us and didn’t come close to finishing. The wine flowed freely and it was so intimate it was hard not to get sentimental.

We did however make lots of friends as local people came and joined our table to find out who we were and buy as a prune juice or apple home-brewed whisky shot.

Four hours after we had first tiptoed into the restaurant and sat demurely at ouir table, elbows in and muttering apologies under our breath, we stumbled out the door and burst into the cold Holmfirth night, towards the nightclub, which is a cinema by day and a club at night.

I have never had the surreal experience of dancing in the aisle to Michael Jackson and hope that one day I will again. It is definitely one for the ladies though as there are legions of available, strong country boys for the picking!

Apart from the good food and unusual nightclubs Holmfirth has a lot to offer. It is the birthplace of the Seaside postcard, despite being miles from the sea, and has a museum to prove it.

There are lots of lovely old shops to browse through, including the Olde Book Shop. You could have a Last Of The Summer Wine tour, or settle for a brekkie at Sals Café, which is what we did after a night of apple shots.

There are lots of decent walks around the village itself, and if you drive it is only 20 minutes from Huddersfield and 40 from Manchester for shopping opportunities.

Where to stay:

Springfield Guest House is a sweet family owned Victorian guesthouse with a fishpond in the wall as you walk up the stairs. It is near the Postcard museum. Rooms are £45 for an ensuite for 2 people or £30 for a single. Contact ann_brook@hotmail.com or telephone 01484 683031