Between Ilkley and Skipton lies a quaint little village that people never want to leave.
Addingham once had a thriving texture mill industry dating back to the 16th century, and though mills have closed and shops been lost, it's still a thriving community where residents have few complaints.
Today the village is home to retirees and commuters - Leeds city centre is just 20 miles away - with less than 4,000 people and a handful of businesses including a Co-op, pubs, a post office and a hairdressers.
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The people who call Addingham home love the village for its picturesque views and close-knit community. And after spending the afternoon walking around, I can see why people fall in love with the village.
It has a number of walking routes and is also a short distance away from popular sites such as Bolton Abbey. Other places people raved about were the Hamilton cafe and bistro by the River Wharfe, and the Devonshire Arms Hotel.
It lures in tourists too - walkers Rob and Anne Gilks, from Devon, had stumbled upon the village when I visited on Friday, to grab a hot drink before continuing on their Dales High Way route. They had never been to or heard of Addingham before but vowed they would come back to the “beautiful area”.
They said: “The whole area is nice and looks well-to-do. We’d never heard of it before, we were just hiking.
“We were looking for a coffee shop, it's very nice, particularly on a day like this. We will definitely come back here, it's a beautiful area."
Angela Tiffany moved from Pudsey to Addingham four years ago with her husband who sadly died last year.
They had been trying to move into the area for over a decade and finally got to fulfil their dream when they found a property they could afford.
According to Rightmove, the average price for a home in the village is £475,139 - a price that has shot up by 31 per cent since 2019.
Angela now helps run her daughter's store Pura Eco Store in Main Street which sells eco-friendly products including Goat Milk soap, candles and more.
Speaking to LeedsLive, Angela said: We’d been trying to move here for 12 years, we lived in Pudsey and we would always come here when we were going out for the day. My brother moved here and he loved it. We kept trying to get over but we couldn’t find a property we could afford so we kept looking.
“There used to be butchers and fish shops but there’s nothing like that anymore.
“It’s a lovely place and it’s so friendly as well. I have no regrets moving out of Pudsey, we brought up our children there and we had lots of friends, I was homesick for them but I love it here.”
Angela praised the community for the support she received when her husband died and she had nothing negative to say about Addingham.
One resident who had a lot of knowledge about the village was James Adams, who runs H & J Adams in Main Street.
James was born and raised in the village and added “I will see my days out in Addingham.”
His father ran the shop until he died in 1959, at the age of 19 years old, James took on the family business which he now runs with his wife Anne. James admitted things have changed in the village since then.
There used to be more businesses in Addingham including three butchers and three mills where local people used to work but they have since shut down.
“I’ve never considered living anywhere else and I will see my days out in Addingham,” he said. “When I was young there were a terrific number of shops, we had three butchers. People used to work in the village, we had three working mills. Those days people didn’t commute like they do now. Everybody knew everybody, it was lovely, we also had the railway station.”
Despite the changes in the village James and Anne have no qualms. James added: “I don’t have any complaints, I’m just happy to be here.”
David Pauling, 79, was enjoying a meal at The Fleece in Main Street when we chatted. He moved to the village in 1970 after he got married and has never left Addingham which he described as a “bubble”.
He said: “It’s wonderful, I’ve lived here since 1970 and never considered living anywhere else. It’s just a nice and friendly village. Unfortunately with Covid some of the pubs have been affected, I like to support local businesses.
“It’s such a beautiful place to live, we’re between Ilkley and Skipton and there are good traffic links into Ilkley, Skipton and Keighley.”
