Barnsley - The Entry Point to the West Riding

Located in South Yorkshire, surrounded by the rolling hills and greenery of the West Riding, Barnsley is a former Industrial town famous for its blown glass and coal mines -- although the second of these industries has now all but disappeared from local life and the Barnsley of the twenty first century is a place that has a great deal to offer to visitors thanks to its surroundings and the small number of local attractions that have been developed in recent years.

Yorkshire's West Riding is often described as being the garden of Britain; the area is marked with beautiful rolling countryside and is one of the main farming areas in the country. The areas was made famous in the books by the vet James Herriot, and many people travel to the region in order to walk in his foot steps and enjoy the landscape and local wildlife in the same way as he did in the 1950s.

The main shopping mall in Barnsley is known as the Alhambra Center. It is a popular place to enjoy a day hunting for bargains and offers a range of different shops that make it one of the best places in South Yorkshire to enjoy a spot of retail therapy.

Cannon Hall Museum in the heart of Barnsley is a fascinating place. It has a vast collection of exhibits related to the history of Barnsley itself, along with a special exhibition that shows visitors everything about the coal industry that was so important in the town. The display covers the whole history of the industry from the first mines in prehistoric times up until the effective end of the industry in the 1990s when it became uneconomic to continue mining in the country. The union leader Arthur Scargill came to power in the city in the 1960s, and was one of the most prominent figures in politics during the 1980s when he led a national strike.

Barnsley has one of the most successful football clubs in the country in the form of Barnsley FC. Although the team are currently some way below their peak, they still enjoy excellent support in the local community, and matches at their stadium at Oakwell are well attended -- especially when they are playing one of their big local rivals from Sheffield or Leeds, which attract huge capacity crowds, and provide an excellent atmosphere, giving visitors and fans a great experience.