It's not often I write about the town I now call home, but since Huddersfield has made me an honorary Huddersfield-ian (yep, I know that's probably not a thing!) I thought I'd give the place the shout-out or two it deserves.
I came to university here some 12 years ago now and I also decided that - because I love the place so much - that it wouldn't be a bad place to move back to and set up house in. So here I am over a decade after I first drove down the long and windy road from the motorway exit and into the town I now call my second home.
Without further ado, then, here's my top 5 haunts in and around the area, because...well...I think you'll love them too.
Castle Hill
Ah, Huddersfield's Castle Hill. I haven't actually been up there since my uni days. And I still remember the fateful night I did, when myself and a pal had a right old hoot when his old Nissan Micra struggled to clatter and bang its way up the steep incline. Them were t'days.
That said, a much newer pal (who has a much newer and more reliable car; I've nowt against Nissan Micras by the way - I used to have one) has promised to take me up there for a picnic. That said, I love spotting Castle Hill from various places around Huddersfield. I particularly enjoy the route from Huddersfield to Honley (the Fennay Bridge way), as Castle Hill can be seen in all its splendidly stratospheric glory and it warms my cockles, t does. That's nostalgia for you.
Turtle Bay
The town centre Caribbean restaurant is one of Huddersfield's most recent haunts - and it's also one of my favourite places to head for a bite to eat.
Huddersfield has a thriving Caribbean culture (if you haven't yet seen its annual homage to the Caribbean via its colourful carnival then you must add it to your diary this summer) and it's celebrated here at Turtle Bay (and nearby Discovery Bay) each and every day. Turtle Bay's a chain but it's now just as much a part of Huddersfield as the Wetherspoons across the road from it.
I headed here recently with a friend to enjoy a three-course meal, which consisted of deliciously moreish tiger prawns, a huge goat curry with dumplings, and some rather boozy but very, very tempting rum cake. An absolute taste sensation, let me tell you. Get yourself along, if only to enjoy the restaurant's two-for-one cocktail menu. You'll love it. Your forehead the next day maybe not so much.
Huddersfield's Train Station
Okay, so this probably shouldn't fall under a 'things to do in Huddersfield' list, but it's certainly something to see nonetheless.
I love Huddersfield's train station. It's so grand in appearance it could rival any other UK destination actual town hall. And it looks just lovely at Christmas. Get a load of this...
Neaverson's Cocktail Bar
For my pals and I, a night out isn't a night out if we don't step foot in here. Incidentally, it's near the train station too (see above) so you've no excuses if you're popping to Hudds for a drink or two. Try the palma violet cocktail. You'll definitely want another.
Vinyl Tap Record Shop
Was there ever a better name for a record shop? Nah, I don't think so. Get yourself along to this secret little Huddersfield haunt (I say secret because literally no one who was born here seems to know about it - pah!) and pick up a bargain or two. They also host live gigs.
Where's your favourite place in Huddersfield? Let me know if I should add somewhere to the list, because I could go on all day listing places in this town that I love.