Rob Hoult –
Hoults Wine Merchants
Keep it to yourself but I’m not actually from Huddersfield, heck I’m not even from Yorkshire but I’ve been in this glorious county since I was six and I’ve lived in Huddersfield since I was 11 so I think I can safely put myself in the ‘adopted’ category.
Having grown up in Huddersfield I will always think of it as home and I love the place. That’s right, I love Huddersfield. This wonderful town of ours gets a bit of a bashing sometimes as it sits between the hotspots of Leeds and Manchester but it has so much to give and so much to love, you just need to open your eyes and your mind and find it. A richly multicultural town which still retains its industrial heritage and where you are never more than a nice walk from rolling fields and beautiful countryside, Huddersfield has a little of everything for everyone. It would be easy to just write out a long list of the great places but that isn’t the purpose here so I’ve trimmed it down to four different spots that are well worth a visit.
A literal stone’s throw from Greenhead Park and as such only a five minute walk from the town centre is this true hidden gem. It always amazes me how few people have heard of this wildlife gem, but that does add to its current peace and quiet I guess. As you walk round the small fishing lake and wander amongst the trees you could easily forget where you are. The occasional deer may run across your path and if you emerge from the top of the woods you are in open grassland with a wonderful view down the Colne Valley towards Slawit’. I used to come here when I was much, much younger with a little fishing net in the vain hope of catching a whopper, but a couple of sticklebacks would have to make do for the one that got away.
I’m a shopkeeper so I have to have my favourite shop in here. C. Booth and Son is the oldest shop in Huddersfield and has been around so long that there is a good chance it predates Huddersfield itself. Tradition is everything here and this feels like the hardware shop from the Two Ronnies ‘Fork Handles’ sketch. It has everything you want and that includes the friendliest welcome and good chat. An institution and definitely an essential business.
Emley Moor Mast is really just an incredible tower of concrete but it sits so proud that it is noticeable from everywhere and all Huddersfield folk know that when they see it as they drive back up the M1 it signifies that home isn’t far away. If you really want to see just how amazing it is then it is well worth driving up and standing in its shadow to get a real sense of just how tall it is. I have had the amazing opportunity to stand at the top of it and I can confirm that it sways in the wind, a very unnerving feeling.
Being surrounded by countryside Huddersfield has plenty of farms and as such it has plenty of farm shops, and they are bloody good but my favourite has got to be Brosters just up by the Ainley Top M62 junction. As with all farm shops it’s the quality of the butchers counter which marks them out and this one is excellent. It’s got a great café and a good range of the usual groceries but the superstars are the growlers, (pork pies for the uninitiated). A perfect pork pie is a true thing of beauty and the folk at Brosters have theirs spot on.
This is just a little snapshot of what is out there, everyone will have their own favourites but it proves that all you need to do is go for a stroll to find much, much more.
