GAZING at rows of glass jars, filled with sweets of every colour of the rainbow, I feel like Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka’s factory.

There are bon-bons, sherbert pips, giant gobstoppers, sugared almonds, bonfire toffee lollipops and peanut brittle. From old-fashioned favourites like Yorkshire Mixtures, cinder toffee, Coltsfoot rock sticks and barley sugar to retro classics like black jacks, sugared mice, Lovehearts, American cream soda kali and liquorice pipes, there is something for every sweet tooth. It’s almost too much to take in.

We are in the Oldest Sweet Shop in the World, surrounded by shelves filled with confectionery of every variety – boiled, chewy, sugar-coated, minty, chocolatey, fruity, nutty and sour. Finally, after changing our minds several times, we select two or three jars and watch as the lids are unscrewed and the sticky contents are weighed onto scales then placed in paper bags.

I have barely stepped out of the door and my mouth is filled with treacle toffee.

The family-run business is in a lovely old building dating back to the 1600s. There are thick low beams, and nooks and crannies filled with jars, boxes and trays of sweets. Tins of toffees and slabs of nougat are dotted about, and an assortment of luxury chocolates is displayed behind glass in the long wooden counter where the original till stands. For my nephews it’s an Aladdin’s cave of confectionery, and for me it’s a charming slice of nostalgia.

The shop, which has been trading since 1827, is an official World Guinness record holder as the world’s oldest sweet shop and has appeared on TV, visited by the likes of Paul Hollywood, Robbie Coltrane and Ilkley’s Alan Titchmarsh. The confectionery, a mix of old-fashioned and retro sweets and luxury chocolates, is made to original recipes, some dating back to the 19th century. Originally, herbal and spiced sweets were made on the site and sold alongside chocolates, boiled sweets and toffees.

Former bank manager Keith Tordoff runs the shop with his wife, Gloria. To them, sweets are all about memories; re-discovering tastes of childhood and recalling the humbugs your grandma gave you, or the Refresher chews you shared with pals in the playground. Customers include elderly people who remember the shop from childhood, including those who were evacuated nearby during the war.

The sweet shop stands on a pretty shopping street in the heart of Pateley Bridge. The start and finishing point of the Nidderdale Way, the charming market town is surrounded by stunning views of the Nidd Valley, and hosts the last Dales agricultural show of the year, on the banks of the river. Old pubs and tea-rooms, vibrant international restaurants and pretty cottages jostle for space in the town’s hilly streets, alongside quaint shops including an old butcher’s which my dad reckons has the best meat paste in Yorkshire.

Pateley Bridge also has studios belonging to artists, jewellers, sculptors and glassblowers, and the town’s former workhouse is home to the Nidderdale Museum, where you’ll find an old cobbler’s shop, schoolroom and various relics from a bygone age.

We end our visit with lunch at the Bridge Inn, about a mile from the town. At the side of the pretty pub stands a splendid 35ft high waterwheel which once powered neighbouring Foster Beck mill.

The Bridge Inn, which was the home of the mill manager, has a welcoming open fire, friendly staff and a hilarious boxer dog which peeked around the door of a staircase behind the bar to look us up and down.

With beauty spots such as Brimham Rocks and Stump Cross Caverns close by, Pateley Bridge is perfectly placed for visits to the spectacular, stunning and more surreal Dales landscapes and attractions. For a bird’s eye view of the valley, check out the Coldstones Cut sculpture; an eerie assortment of stone platforms, 1,375 feet above sea level, overlooking the spectacular limestone quarry below.

Factfile

Pateley Bridge is in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire.

The Oldest Sweet Shop in the World is on High Street. Visit oldestsweetshop.co.uk or ring (01423) 712371.

The Bridge Inn is at Low Wath Road, Pateley Bridge. Ring (01423) 711484.