I'm Paid To Walk All Over The UK And This Overlooked Market Town With 950-year-old Castle And...

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What makes a great English Market town? A 950-year-old castle, an original Georgian theatre and a Wetherspoons boozer?

Well, if that's the case, Richmond in North Yorkshire has made the cut - and thanks to its proximity to the Yorkshire Dales, it's a walker's paradise too.

John Millen, a man who has walked over 10,000 miles through National parks and walking routes in the UK, has described Richmond as ⁘really, really pretty⁘.

The 58-year-old from Kent is a guide for  Walkers' Britain  - a company that's been organising hiking expeditions in the UK and  Europe  since the 1970s.

John has walked the Coast to Coast Path - a 193-mile walking route from St Bees in the Lake District to  Robin Hood's Bay  in  North Yorkshire  - more than 20 times.

Speaking exclusively to Sun Travel about the best towns and villages he's seen on his hikes, John said: ⁘Towns and villages in the Yorkshire Dales are also really, really pretty like Richmond-on-Swale - not to be confused with Richmond-on-Thames.

⁘It's very interesting and really pretty, but also there's a lot of history in the town and I love that.⁘

John believes that the area is overlooked as a walking destination when compared to destinations down south that are closer to London.

He said: ⁘I think the South Downs way gets more tourists than any of the national parks, because of its close to London and Brighton.