The pretty little UK town that's a paradise for book lovers

This quaint little market town is situated in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, within the historic boundaries of West Riding of Yorkshire, and inside the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It lies about 10 miles east of Kendal and 28 miles north of Lancaster. The town is known for its beautiful setting beneath the Howgill Fells and for being England's first Book Town.

Welcome to Sedburgh! Book Towns were the brainchild of book dealer and self-styled "King" of HayonWye, Richard Booth. In 1961, Hay became the first ever book town, and there are now well over twenty of them around the world.

Compared to HayonWye (which is really in Wales by the way), most of the Book Towns that are to be found in Europe, Southeast Asia, North America and Australia. They tend to be small towns or villages located mostly in rural areas, and Sedbergh is no exception.

Sedburgh is truly a bookworm's paradise, offering a huge variety of books from cheap reads to collectables available from a wide range of book sellers in shops & cafes. You can even sit and read a book in the Book Shelter.

The town will host the Death in the Dales Crime Fiction Festival again later in 2025 from October 17 to 19. The festival, now in its second year, will feature appearances from acclaimed authors, panel discussions, and a "Film Noir at the Bar" event.

There are actually only a couple of shops in Sedbergh which sell only books but there are book outlets everywhere. Many shops such as Farfield Clothing and Sleepy Elephant,also sell books while Howgills Bookshop at Sedbergh Information Centre has a huge & eclectic range of books from 18 dealers. You can find books at Farfield Mill Arts and Heritage Centre, a mile away up the road to Hawes. There are also a number of Book Cafes where you can buy books as well as great meals, teas and cakes.

The biggest book shop is Westwood Books, at the eastern end of Main Street. A familyrun enterprise, the business moved to Sedbergh from HayonWye in 2005. The former cinema is home to about 70,000 titles at any one time and it's website describes is as "the largest bookshop in the Yorkshire Dales."

It says: "Westwood Books has a stock of over 70,000 titles - antiquarian, secondhand, and newly published books. Also stocked are maps, guide books, gifts, stationery, jigsaws, and cards. There is a small car park to the rear of the shop, or two public car parks a short walk away."

Clutterbooks is a community charity book shop in Sedburgh. Profits from the charity shop go into the Community Fund which then gives grants to local groups, recycling money within the community.

Finally there is the Book Shelter, a redundant bus shelter where you can take a book for free, as long as you replace it with another one.

Author, bookseller and trustee of Sedbergh Book Town Literary Trust, Gerry Cotter said: "Local people take great pride in their town, creating an active, enthusiastic community It has, though, suffered from being on the margins of the Lakes and the Dales, with nothing like the pulling power of the better-known towns.

"One thing that Sedbergh was known for was its bookshops. The suggestion was made that Sedbergh should set itself up as England's Book Town. Wales had one in Hay-on-Wye, Scotland had one in Wigtown. It was about time England had one too.

"For a small rural town or village it is an admirable way of creating regeneration. Under-used buildings can be turned into bookshops, which helps to conserve the architectural heritage."

2025 is the 20th anniversary of Sedbergh becoming England's Book Town and organisers are keen to grow the town's book status.

The Lake District is of course famous for its writers from William Wordsworth to Beatrix Potter, John Ruskin, Arthur Ransome and John Cunliffe so it is not surprising its other little towns and villages are littered with independent bookshops, perfect for all the rainy weather the region endures.

A couple of gems includeFred's Ambleside Bookshop, opened in 1956 by the eponymous Fred (Fred Holdsworth). This this small and quaint bookshop carries all sorts of fascinating books, prioritising stocking a diverse range over a shelf full of the latest best-sellers. Find local maps, a great adult fiction section, and a well-stocked kids and teens/YA section, too. Another goodie isBookends in Keswick,a well-established independent, family-owned bookshop.