Drive in from Wigan, a roughly 1h 40m (76 km) run east across the Pennines with weekend traffic, or hop the train via Manchester Victoria straight into Hebden Bridge station. Drop bags at The Smithery Bed & Breakfast on New Road, then warm up with strong coffee and a proper breakfast at Kitchen 91 on Market Street (confirm hours before visiting). If Kitchen 91 is fully booked or closed, there are several other cafés along Market Street nearby.

Brave the weather with a woodland walk into National Trust - Hardcastle Crags, a steep, mossy valley of beech and hemlock a short bus or taxi ride up Midgehole Road. The tree canopy takes the edge off the drizzle, and the trails are dramatic in the wet. Rainy day alternative: shelter in the café at Gibson Mill or browse the indoor shops back in town.

Reward soggy boots at Gibson Mill deep in the Crags, the off-grid Victorian mill with a café where you can dry off by the water (confirm hours before visiting). Time it for the Gibson Mill Waterfall just below, thundering after rain.

Back in town, dinner at Fratelli Of Hebden on Bridge Gate for candlelit Italian, then a nightcap at Nelsons Wine Bar on Crown Street, snug, low-lit and made for two. If Fratelli Of Hebden is fully booked or closed, try Nelsons Wine Bar nearby for a bite and a glass.

Climb the steep cobbled lane to the ancient hilltop village of Heptonstall, all gritstone cottages and a ruined church. Warming brew and breakfast at The Cross Inn on Town Gate before you explore (confirm hours before visiting).

Wander the twin churchyards and narrow ginnels of Heptonstall (Sylvia Plath's grave lies here), then take the moor-edge path past The Cludders for windswept valley views. Rainy day alternative: retreat to the shelter of the village and its historic church if the rain (16°C high) turns heavy.

Back down in town, browse the independent shops and stalls along Hebden Bridge Market Street, then slip into Drink for craft beer or a warming cocktail as the light fades (confirm hours before visiting).

Dinner along the town centre for bright, spiced small plates, then a pint back at Fratelli Of Hebden is not far if you fancy a second look, but for a change of scene head to Nelsons Wine Bar on Crown Street for a relaxed evening glass. If it is fully booked or closed, the pubs around Bridge Gate are a short walk away.

A slow final breakfast at The Smithery Bed & Breakfast, then a riverside stroll to the packhorse bridge that gave the town its name. Coffee and something sweet back along Hebden Bridge Market Street, where several independent cafés cluster.

Late, unhurried lunch at Kitchen 91 on Market Street, a five-star local favourite, then one last amble along the canal towpath watching the narrowboats before you head off. If it is closed, there are several other cafés and pubs nearby along Market Street. Rainy day alternative: linger over coffee indoors rather than the towpath walk.

Aim to leave by around 3pm. Retrace the route west on the A646 through the Calder Valley toward the M62, then home to Wigan in roughly 1h 40m with weekend traffic. For a scenic detour, loop back via Heptonstall for one last look over the valley before you go.