THE first time I visited Wetherby it was not by choice. My daughter had a music exam in the market town, and I was obliged to take her there.

While waiting, I went to have a look around, and was pleasantly surprised. I don't know why, but I'd expected a nondescript sort of place with a smattering of high street stores, the odd supermarket and not much else. When I thought of Wetherby, I could picture only the race course.

Driving into the town, that image was immediately erased. We strolled along smart streets, lined with creamy stone buildings into an attractive town centre alive with shoppers -and from the look of the shops and the well-dressed people browsing among them, Wetherby was clearly a more prosperous town than I'd thought.

With bunting strewn across the foot streets, little lanes leading off and the town hall at its centre, it reminded me of France.

Interesting and quirky independent stores selling clothing, gifts and food, drew me in and I spotted a good selection of inviting-looking cafes.

The exam over, we had to get home, but that brief glimpse of the town was sufficient to bring me back another day for a proper look around.

This time, a collection of shops under a series of stone arches drew my attention. Built by the Duke of Devonshire in 1811, The Shambles was originally a collection of slaughter houses and butchers' shops. They were later made into an indoor market area, before turning into the shops of today.

The town hall sits well in the wide square. Completed in 1847, it was completed at a cost of £1300, raised by public subscription.

On my earlier trip, in summer, I'd noticed many beautiful flowers in tubs, baskets and planters and was not surprised to learn of the town's many successes in national and international floral display contests.

In season, the Bridgefoot Gardens & Pergola are home to many fine of these colourful displays. The pretty gardens were established on the site of former slum tenements which were condemned and demolished in 1937 to widen the entrance to the market place.

Historically, Wetherby made its living from the Great North Road. It is equidistant between London and Edinburgh - 198 miles in each direction.

Although there may have been a Roman settlement here, the first real evidence of a community is in the Domesday book called 'Wedrebi', which means settlement on the bend of a river.

One of the key features of the town, the River Wharfe - the name derives from the Old English 'weorf' or Old Norse 'hverfr' and means 'winding river' - curls itself around the homes and businesses, flowing under the interesting Wetherby Bridge, an amalgamation of three bridges, all of which can be seen from the Riverside Walkway which passes underneath.

The first bridge, of 1235 - only 11 feet wide - can be clearly identified in the centre, with the first widening on the upstream side in 1773 and the second on the downside from 1826, when the whole roadway was raised and flattened, removing the hump back of the first two bridges.

After buying sandwiches from one of the many food shops, we found another vantage point from which to view the river. The view of the Wharfe fromJubilee Gardens is lovely, with deeper water slowing flowing around the bend in the river. As we watched we were excited to see a kingfisher flash by along the far bank.

Within the small park, on the river bank, sits a Georgian Bath House. More than 200 years old, it is 1.5 metres deep and measures 2.4 by 3.7 metres (five feet by 12 feet by eight feet). The ground floor room is like a cottage with a room dominated by a fire. This was the warming room, from which bathers would retire after they had immersed themselves in the plunge pool on a lower level.

After a series of plunges, each followed by a circuit of the bath, bathers would wrap themselves in thick flannel and climb to the warming room, where they would socialise with friends in front of a roaring fire, eat food, drink wine and play cards.

Wetherby Civic Society now has responsibility for the bath house, which is only occasionally open to the public, although you can see the upper level through the windows.

Beside the river, Weir Garth originally had a water mill in the 13th Century where corn and rape were ground. Then it became a saw mill in the 20th Century but only to be destroyed by fire. Opposite is the Salmon Steps which were built in 1871 at a cost of £30. A large cogwheel dominates the scene and was reclaimed following the demolition of the last mill in the 1940s.

A popular attraction in the town, Wetherby Bandstand was built by volunteers and public subscription in 2000 by the river at the Wilderness Car Park.

The first three years of brass and silver band concerts were very successful and they have become a regular part of many people's Sunday afternoon enjoyment from April to September.

For those wanting a ramble, there are many riverside walks and - if you choose to wait until spring for a visit - picnic areas.

Visitors wanting to find out more about the town, should head for theTourist Information Centre in Westgate, which shares a building with the library. We found the staff very helpful.

Leaflets are available for a historical trail that takes visitors around the town centre and gives a fascinating insight into Wetherby's past. Historic buildings are marked by blue plaques along the Trail.

Car parking in the town is plentiful and mostly free - which made a refreshing change.

INFORMATION

Wetherby is situated close to the A1, 17 miles from Bradford. First runs a bus service from Bradford to Wetherby.

For more about Wetherby visit wetherby.co.uk/tourism.