We’re often in Kirkby Lonsdale. It’s the perfect dog-walk for Tess, our collie, who loves to chase the ball in its riverside park, then sniff her way along the riverbank as we enter the town by the steep steps that lead to one of the best views in the county – Ruskin’s View.

This part of the Lune Valley was a favourite haunt of the artist Turner who famously painted this view.

The town is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and used to be the only river crossing of the River Lune for miles around, making it an important meeting point and marketplace. The market charter was granted in the 13th century.

The history of the town is written in its buildings, which date back to medieval…