I drove the scenic route to Barnoldswick on a blustery and bitterly cold day in January.

An old mill town, Barnoldswick has a population of approximately 15,000.

I invited Cllr Jenny Purcell to join me on my Walkabout, which turned into my own personal guided tour.

Barnoldswick, or Barlick as it is affectionately known, sits on the border of Lancashire and Yorkshire. From what I gathered during my conversations with people in the town, many people still refer to being in the 'West Riding of Yorkshire'.

What I didn't know, and what I hope will be a new and interesting fact for you lovely readers, is that another Barnoldswick does exists and is officially in Lancashire. It is only a very small hamlet, with about 5 or 6 houses and is about 10 miles from Kirkby Lonsdale.

Barnoldswick is unique for many reasons. The name of the town iteslf contains 12 letters, making it one of the English language's longest words, but what makes it special is that none of the letters are repeated.

There are no parking charges anywhere in the town, making it a desirable centre for shoppers.

There is an annual Town Crier competition which takes place in Barnoldswick every August and has even drawn in entrants from the Netherlands.

Maybe this year I will attend and make a video for your vieweing pleasure - what do you think?

One of my favourite things about Barlick is the shopping.

I was really impressed with the quality of the independent traders, which, in my opinion, most definitely negate the need for any supermarket bigger than the one they've got.

Although there is a national supermarket chain presence in the town, it is widely accepted that the Co-op has successfully balanced involvement in the community with business.

Cllr Purcell was quick to praise the efforts of the staff at the store, and told me of their willingness to help out with things such as providing raffle prizes, supplying refreshments for school events, and organising community events on the Co-op car park.

The walks around Barnoldswick draw people from all over; the countryside is fantastic and there are many organised walks which explore the agricultural as well as the industrial heritage of the area.

One such walk is the ancient tradition of Beating the Bounds, a practice which involves walking the historical Parish Boundary line, and then beating the boundary stones with stems of willow.

There is also Steam and Streams, which highlights and explains the industrial history of Barlick, from water-powered mills to modern aeronautical industry.

By doing my Walkabout, I get to meet, not just lots of people, but very different people.

It was expressed to me by so many of the residents I spoke to, just how friendly a place it is, something which I can verify.

Everyone I interviewed for the video mentioned how accepting Barlickers are of newcomers to the town and how strangers will always smile and say hello.

Perhaps one of the only major problems Barnoldswick has is that as a small town, there isn't a great deal of provision for young people.

I spoke to a couple of schoolgirls who said they went over to Leeds or Manchester to go shopping because there weren't any 'funky clothes or shoe shops'.

But of course this is expensive for them, and takes trade away from the town.

Maybe that is something for the residents to consider bringing to their town, borough or county councils.