When Happy Valley ended, the members of our household looked at each other and said, “Now what?”
Like millions of others, we were captivated by the BBC’s brilliant, but terrifyingly violent, Yorkshire police drama where cops are beaten in cold blood, the most beautiful people are psychotic killers and almost everyone recovers. Alcoholic. Withdrawal symptoms followed.
So to find a solution I drive to the beautiful market town of Hebden Bridge, where much of the show was filmed. I’m happy to say that my visit has nothing to do with an episode of Happy Valley.
No one offers me drugs from an ice cream van. I wasn’t stabbed in the neck by an escaped convict. Looking from the bridge at the ships moored on the Rochdale Canal, which runs through the city, I don’t see anyone dousing themselves in petrol and threatening to set themselves on fire.
When I discuss this with local David Pearce, he laughs and says: ‘It’s a cop show isn’t it, so it’s got to be drama.’
Thomas W. Hodgkinson visits the beautiful market town of Hebden Bridge (above) where much of the BBC Yorkshire police drama Happy Valley was filmed
Above, actress Sarah Lancashire plays brave cop Catherine Cawood on the show
I see a few Happy Valley pilgrims like me outside the terraced house of Catherine Cawood, the brave cop played by Sarah Lancashire on the show.
There were reports of hordes descending on Hebden Bridge. When I speak to Councilor Sarah Courtney, she is concerned that local residents will lose their parking spaces. “We welcome all visitors, but please come by public transport.”
Wealthy visitors are said to have pushed up prices so that the beer is now £7 a pint. But my pint of Hindmarsh at the Old Gate pub is only £3.90. Mr Pearce, who runs a wonderful B&B with his partner Manya, takes me to the small town of Heptonstall overlooking Hebden Bridge.
In the cemetery of St Thomas, the Church of the Apostles, Catherine visits the grave of her daughter Becky in the series.
But instead of any Happy Valley supporters, we meet a fan of the poet Sylvia Plath, who is buried here. Her supporters are outraged that her husband Ted Hughes, who treated her cruelly, made sure her tombstone also bears his surname. It says “Sylvia Plath Hughes”. The word “Hughes” is darker than the others because Plathites keeps scratching it off, requiring it to be rewritten.
“My visit is not like an episode of Happy Valley, I’m happy to say,” says Thomas of his time at Hebden Bridge
At the cemetery of St Thomas the Apostle Church (pictured) – which is in the nearby village of Heptonstall – Catherine visits her daughter Becky’s grave on the show
Above, a scene from the BBC crime drama showing Catherine visiting her daughter’s grave
Heptonstall is a great place to see the majestic Hebden Bridge with its pretty terraced houses and former cotton mills all built of grey-brown millstone rubble. Like exclamation marks, the chimneys rise up along the river.
After the cotton industry collapsed in the 1970s, hippies moved into the factories and saved them from demolition. These same hippies and their children later opened small independent shops with names like The Book Case, Mooch Cafe Bar and Broug’s Homeware And Gifts.
In the summer, the Handmade Parade fills the streets with lanterns and floats made of bamboo and tissue paper.
Twenty minutes from Hebden Bridge is Haworth (photo) where the Bronte sisters lived
Happy Valley Pride Week is also a big deal. Hebden Bridge is such a popular destination for lesbians that a phrase has emerged. “Taking the bus to Hebden Bridge” means coming out as gay. But as comedian Mark Steel pointed out, what if all you want to do is catch the bus to Hebden Bridge?
Twenty minutes away you can visit Haworth where the Bronte sisters lived. It’s easy to see how inspiring the rugged landscape surrounding the village of Wuthering Heights is. A local resident tells me that after a few years in London, the ever-changing landscape drew him to the area. “It’s overwhelming one minute, so light and uplifting the next.”
It reminds me of the moment in Happy Valley when the murderous Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) escapes from custody and heads for the mountains. After driving for miles, he stops at a lookout point to survey the landscape. You feel the pure joy of his freedom.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
