DURING part of my life which involved shuttling regularly back and forwards by train across the Pennines, I was struck by the number of huge Victorian mills poking their lofty chimneys out of every other valley.

Many of the towns and villages along the way, particularly those in West Yorkshire, looked different from the ones back home, partly due to the underlying geology.

A large chunk of West Yorkshire is on millstone grit, a tough, impermeable stone which lends itself to the formation of steep valleys and fast-flowing water, ideal for the construction of water-powered cotton and worsted (woollen) mills.

Quarried, it makes a very strong building material which gives this area’s buildings a distinctive dark brown look, tinged with industrial soot.

Beginning in the late 18th century these mills began to spring up across West Yorkshire and East Lancashire, producing great wealth for the owners and drawing in thousands of former farm labourers to work the shuttles and looms.

It was in one of the first of these water-powered mills to open in the Howarth area of West Yorkshire that my wife and I spent a lovely week’s holiday recently.

Barely two hours drive from the North-East, Bent Mill is an imposing three-storey stone building tucked away in a lovely, leafy valley, part of an 11-acre private estate. The mill, part of a larger group of holiday flats, cottages and houses on the estate, all owned by the same family, is accessible from the main road between Bradford and Howarth.

The first view of the mill is breathtaking because of its idyllic sylvan setting. What is even more exciting is that the extensive woods, punctuated by strategically placed garden furniture, are exclusively available to visitors.

We found our one-bedroomed flat on the third floor spacious and very comfortable. Two big comfy sofas in the living room ensured that visitors can put their feet up at the end of a long day’s sightseeing.

With modern, spacious kitchens and lovely bathrooms, the Bent Mill apartments certainly qualify for five-star ratings. The only slight drawback for anyone who might not be very mobile is that access to the second and third floor flats is via a relatively narrow stone spiral staircase – the very same staircase used by millworkers in their clogs.

One interesting original feature retained by the mill is the al fresco ‘privies’ which were installed on each floor, allowing easy access to the river below.

Once we were unpacked we drew up a schedule to ensure we would get the most of our visit to what is widely known as Bronte Country.

On our first expedition we travelled the short distance to the western fringes of Bradford to visit the World Heritage site of Saltaire.

Created by industrialist and philanthropist, Titus Salt, in 1851, Saltaire was a purposebuilt model village of 800 stone houses created for the army of workers who toiled inside Salt’s Mill, the biggest of its kind in Yorkshire.

It included a public dining rooms, a school and an impressive Grade I-listed church but not a single pub (because of Salt’s teetotal views). Salt made his money from alpaca wool but today Salt’s Mill is better known for its collection of art by Bradford- born artist David Hockney, including his iconic 25 Trees.

A continuously changing slide show of his iPod designs is a particular delight along with a touching portrait of his aged parents. The mill also has a superb collection of art books and merchandise.

Not to be missed is Salt’s Diner, an informal but stylish restaurant within Salt’s Mill which was doing a roaring trade with Sunday lunchtime customers.

We had what was probably the best sirloin steak we have ever eaten. On Monday we made the short journey to intriguing Hebden Bridge, a former textile town in a steep valley which was famously colonised and then revived by an influx of arty, creative, bohemian types, starting in the mid-1970s, attracted by the then low house prices and lovely scenery.

Built around an old stone bridge, the town is attractive and very welcoming , offering a wide range of specialist shops as well as abundant cafes and pubs.

As we walked through the traffic-free centre we were greeted by the soothing sounds of buskers playing baroque classical music on a flute and guitar, although it was a while before I spotted my first fully fledged Hebden hippy.

A short and steep uphill drive to the soot-blackened hill village of Heptonstall was next, to visit the grave of iconic American poet Sylvia Plath, wife of the poet laureate Ted Hughes.

The last resting place of Plath, who tragically took her own life in her early 30s, is quite difficult to find and is in the new part of Heptonstall graveyard. We were both a little surprised at how overgrown and untended it looked.

On Tuesday we went back to Haworth, home of the famous Bronte sisters and completed an exhilarating four-mile walk on Haworth Moor to some of the places which inspired Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. Interestingly, some of the public footpath signs had directions in Japanese.

  • We stayed at Apartment No 5, Bent Mills, in Cullingworth, between Hawarth and Bradford. For more about Bent Mills visit cottagesdirect.co.uk and look for ref 228290 in the online brochure