When it comes to the green countryside of Yorkshire, many naturally turn to the Yorkshire Dales, but the county has plenty to offer here in Leeds as well.
Growing up there meant there was also plenty of access to nature, from green farmer's fields literally less than a minute away from my house to green forests full of squirrels and birds. There was also always the river, filled with ducks and geese in the summer.
Otley seems to encapsulate a lot of what makes the countryside so pleasant in this part of the world. It was recently named by The Sunday Times as one of the best places to buy a home in Yorkshire and it's easy to see why.
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As a child I remember lots of walks with the family in the country, taking trips to nearby Golden Acre Park or visiting the ruins of Fountain's Abbey, there was always plenty of things to see. These beautiful views and places are some of the things I remember the most.
This extends to the town itself, the beautiful old buildings in the town centre and landmarks like the Jubilee Clock alongside the cobbled streets make it a perfect place to go for a walk. Unfortunately, around rush hour, the old streets of Otley fill with cars and HGVs, meaning its best to avoid these times if you don't want to breathe in too many fumes.
If you can't, a walk around the park next to the beautiful River Wharfe is always a good choice and I always used to spend a lot of time walking along the banks on an evening.
Nearby, there's also The Chevin, which has plenty of nature walks and provides a stunning view of the town from above.
Otley can be a strange town, there are lots of small passageways spread across the town. As someone who knows the town, I know to cut through Bay Horse Court on my way towards the river from the centre, it saves you breathing in car fumes and a couple of minutes of walking.
I can imagine a lot of small towns in Yorkshire are like that, with snickets that only locals really know. This isn't to say they're hidden, but many may not know the best way to travel through town is straight through them.
Things are never perfect though, and I remember how difficult it could be to get around when I was younger. There's no train station here in town and so I had to rely on buses, with all the problems they can cause here in Leeds.
Visiting friends in the next town over could take a bit of planning ahead, especially if the buses decided not to run on time.
But when it came to the people themselves, most were friendly and welcoming and always willing to help out. Many love the town and there are lots of community groups and organisations trying to help make it an even better place to live.
Otley's not that old fashioned though, it is still part of Leeds and has a diverse range of shops. From a Greggs to a Costa, the town does have a lot of modern stores.
There are also Chinese takeaways and Indian restaurants, so the town has a diverse side to it. It also maintains some of its more traditional stores, Weegmanns, who specialise in Pork Pies, have been open since 1869!
Alongside some of these traditional stores, Otley also has its old festivals in which, back when I was at school, I had lots of fun taking part in. The Victorian Fayre at Christmas sees kids dress up in Victorian clothing and the Otley Carnival takes place in summer with a march through the town.
The Otley Show, an agricultural show based in the town, has also been operating since 1796 and has loads of animals to see.
I moved to a city when I got older and that was also a fantastic experience, with all the busyness and fun of city life. But Otley was always a good place to grow up with plenty to see and do.
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