Britain may once have been considered a nation of shopkeepers, but big brands and high rents have since turned us into a land of ailing, identikit high streets. So it's all the more delightful to stroll through somewhere like Hebden Bridge, the Yorkshire town that's having a bit of a moment. 

It's the BBC's hit crime drama Happy Valley that has put Hebden Bridge in the spotlight (the third and final series recently coming to a close). But the series has merely shone a light on a town that’s been thriving long before its TV fame.

With its period buildings, strong sense of community and one-of-a-kind shops and cafés, even the briefest of strolls is sufficient to see that it's chock-full of character. And for that, Hebden Bridge owes particular thanks to its unconventional residents.

To understand the town’s full story is to dig back to the 19th century and the days of the Industrial Revolution, when Hebden Bridge grew up the sides of the Calder Valley. The river created an obvious trading route through the Pennines, and water-powered textile mills meant towns and villages along along the waterway flourished (Hebden Bridge was nicknamed “Trouser Town”, no less).

But in the post-war period, textile weaving collapsed. Manufacturing closed down, mills were demolished and the town – like so many others in the region – fell on hard times. 

It's at this point that the town's evolution took an unconventional twist. Drawn in by its handsome buildings and proximity to the countryside, hippies began moving to Hebden Bridge in the 1970s, taking over the town's dilapidated mills and cottages, preserving them from further decay.

Their numbers presented a critical mass that began to change the town's culture from working class to a little bit weird. Hebden Bridge became synonymous with alternative lifestyles, drawing creative types and, intriguingly, lesbians, whose population here is proportionally higher than anywhere else in Britain. 

The hippie era may have given way to a little gentrification, but leftfield influences still define this countercultural town. "People still credit the hippies for breathing new life into Hebden Bridge," said Andrew Smith. He owns The Smithery B&B in which I'm staying (doubles from £80): a former weaver's cottage overlooking the Rochdale Canal.

"We're only a small town, but it feels metropolitan. Our local gig venue, the Trades Club, has hosted acts as impressive as Chrissie Hynde; and our coffee shops, bars and restaurants are of a far higher calibre than you'd expect."

Coffee shops, indeed, are two a penny in Hebden Bridge. I got my caffeine fix from Excited Goat, where I asked owners Georgia and Jemma what keeps their town quirky. "It's the sense of community," they agreed.

"We only opened six weeks ago and some locals were like, 'Not another coffee shop!' But people quickly appreciated that we source from nearby businesses such as the cheese shop and butcher's, both around the corner. Supporting each other like that is the essence of Hebden Bridge."

Also keeping it interesting is the fact that most businesses are independent, with barely a chain store in sight. Though shops selling crystals and incense hark back to the town’s hippie roots, for the most part the retail scene is more contemporary.

"Not everyone in Hebden Bridge is a hippie," laughed the owner of Broug's, a funky gift and design shop on Market Street. "But we all bring something special to the mix. It's so unique here: the perfect balance of shops and cafés, visitors and locals." 

It's a sentiment echoed by Joanne Gas, whose Dragonfly boutique sells fashions from British, French and Danish brands. "It's the shops, bars and pubs that keep that quirky legacy alive," she said. "You'll find stuff in Hebden Bridge that you won't see everywhere else. And there's so much to do in town and around."

She's not wrong. After exploring the centre, I took a stroll along the canal before following a cobbled lane to the hilltop village of Heptonstall. Other trails lead through riverside woodlands or up to the heather-clad tops of the Pennines.

And should the rain stop play, I could have happily spent an afternoon in the White Lion, a renovated coaching inn (doubles from £120, B&B) or caught a movie at the Picture House – independent and not-for-profit, of course.

As I prepared to set off, I paused at the station café before catching my train. With its great selection of local crafts and irreverent greetings cards for sale –  and set within a Victorian building packed with yesteryear charm – it’s like a microcosm of Hebden Bridge itself. "There's an insult for every occasion," said the owner, Lisa.

I told her that it feels very much in step with the town's unorthodox past. "We certainly owe a lot to the people who've moved here over the years. And anyway," she added, "being different is better than being ordinary."

How to get there

Avanti West Coast operates the London-Manchester railway, with onward connections to Hebden Bridge taking around 30 minutes. If coming by car, the town sits on the A646 between Halifax and Burnley. 

More information: visitcalderdale.com

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