There are loads of spots around the North West where you can head out into the hills and enjoy the colourful late-summer landscapes.
From the Peak District on our doorstep to spots across the hills right here in Yorkshire, it's well worth sticking your hiking boots on and getting out for a walk.
And given that the hills and mountains around the UK and surrounding Leeds are currently in their prettiest phase, awash with bright purple heather, it would be rude not to check them out, reports The Manc.
The flowering shrub normally first shows its tiny purple blooms in late July but will keep flowering for a couple more weeks yet, usually displaying its bright colours until September.
From the Peak District on our doorstep to spots across the hills right here in Yorkshire, it's well worth sticking your hiking boots on and getting out for a walk.
Here are a few of our favourite places and walks to see heather around West Yorkshire and beyond...
Ilkley Moor
Just above the spa town of Ilkley is Ilkley Moor, where the heather grows around a rocky outcrop known as the Cow and Calf, which people say resembles a cow sheltering her calf.
It's a popular spot for all sorts of activities, including rock climbing, bird watching and hiking.
This National Trust site is slap bang between Leeds and Manchester and, blissfully, is on the train line - so you don't even need to be able to drive to visit.
There are plenty of well-planned routes to follow, but if you want an only-slightly challenging walk, head on the 4.5 mile circular around Deer Hill, which is lined with heather.
This large open space near Sowerby Bridge has so much heather at the right time of year, it's like someone's rolled out the purple carpet.
It's really at its best at this time of year and there are tonnes of pubs nearby to wind down in afterwards.
Hope Valley
Win Hill. Credit: Unsplash
The Hope Valley is a heather hotspot - walks at Bamford Edge, Win Hill, Higger Tor, Owler Tor and Stanage Edge are all stunning.
You really can't go wrong in this rugged, rocky corner of the Peak District, but it might be the staggering symmetry of the heather climbing beside the footpaths of Win Hill that gets out vote.
Walks along Blackden Brook aren't for the inexperienced - it's more of a rocky scramble, complete with streams and tough terrain, than a gentle Sunday hike.
But you'll be rewarded by splashes of purple heather sticking out from this incredible rocky landscape.
The steep climb up to Baslow Edge is well worth it for the sweeping countryside views that greet you at the top.
On a really clear day you can see all the way to Chatsworth House, and even on cloudier days you've got a good chance of spotting a Highland Cow wandering around the rugged landscape.
Featured image: Unsplash
The Sheff
Sheffield has been crowned one of the happiest cities to live in the UK
A new study has revealed the happiest cities to live in the UK, and Sheffield takes one of the top spots.
That's right, aren't we lucky?
The new study by property-selling company Housebuyers4u reveals where us Brits actually feel happy about their lives and neighbourhoods.
The research looked at over major UK cities to see where people are happiest, and our lovely city of Sheffield came up trumps.
It measured how satisfied residents feel with their lives on a scale of 0 to 10, how safe their neighbourhoods are, and what their surroundings are like in terms of parks, housing, and getting around.
Each city got a score out of 100, with higher numbers meaning happier residents.
Taking the number one spot is York, with people rating their lives an impressive 7.65 out of 10. Number two went to Ipswich, followed by Newcastle Upon Tyne and Oxford at number four.
Rounding up the top five happiest cities is our very own Sheffield, scoring a whopping 91 out of 100 for quality of life, meaning well-maintained parks, reliable transport, and shorter commutes.
We scored a life satisfaction score of 7.66, which means us Sheffield lot seem to be pretty chuffed with the way our lives are going in the Steel City.
Here's a look at the top 10 happiest cities to live in across the UK:
York
Ipswich
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Oxford
Sheffield
Brighton
Edinburgh
Crawley
Cambridge
Swindon
Paul Gibbens, Property Expert at Housebuyers4u, commented on the study: "It might sound funny, but British cities were never designed with happiness in mind. They grew around coal mines, shipping ports, and factories where the priority was getting workers close to their jobs.
"Now we're left with dense urban areas that don't have enough green space or affordable housing. When you're living paycheck to paycheck and can't afford a decent place, and there is nowhere to go to clear your head, either, all that stress just builds up. That's how big a role the city you live in actually plays in your well-being."
Jarvis Cocker and Kim Sion to curate special art exhibition titled ‘The Hodge Podge’ at The Hepworth Wakefield
Clementine Hall
The Hepworth Wakefield is joining forces with Jarvis Cocker and his wife Kim Sion to create a one-of-a-kind art exhibition.
And it's got the best name ever, titled 'The Hodge Podge'.
This exciting new exhibition (opening in May 2027) will include artists who have challenged mainstream ideas about what can be considered 'art'.
It will invite unlikely conversations between artists such as Jeremy Deller, Peter Doig, Barbara Hepworth, Klara Kristalova, Emma Kunz, Mark Leckey and Agnes Pelton, as well as unknown outsider and visionary artists never exhibited before in UK public museums.
Focusing on alternative means of expression, the structures of class and how communities are able to come together outside of religious or high-brow contexts, Cocker and Sion are keen to explore alternative spiritualities, psychedelia, fandom, dreams, poetry and music.
Laura Smith, Artistic Director of The Hepworth Wakefield comments: "Jarvis Cocker has a long-held interest in art, attending St Martin’s College of Art & Design in the early 1990s, and as a Yorkshireman, felt like the ideal person to work with to consider a fresh way of thinking about and experiencing art.
"The art that he and Kim have gathered together in The Hodge Podge will encourage the feelings of joy, marvel and curiosity that great works of art can inspire and offer our audiences an expanded idea of creativity and community. We are thrilled to be working with Jarvis and Kim on this incredibly exciting exhibition."
In Cocker and Sion’s The Hodge Podge Manifesto, the couple state that te exhibition provides ‘an opportunity to understand where that creative urge comes from and what it can do for you… You’d be a fool to miss it.’
Tickets for The Hodge Podge: Jarvis Cocker & Kim Sion curate The Hepworth Wakefield go on sale later this year and you can find them here.
The Hoot -
24th August 2023 
