Otley is a picturesque town that lies in a valley in Lower Wharfedale on the banks of the river Wharfe. The Wharfe runs through the middle of the town giving it some nice riverbank scenery and walks. The town of Otley is part of the metropolitan borough of Leeds and has a population of approximately 14,500. The town is roughly it the centre and equal distance give or take a few miles from Leeds, Bradford, Keighley and the spa town of Harrogate.

The town is steeped in history and can trace its history back to before Roman times, with the first church being built there in the early 7th century, when as now it formed an important crossing point of the river Wharfe. There are remains of two Early Anglo-Saxon crosses in All Saints Parish Church. Thomas Fairfax who commanded Parliament's forces at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644 is also buried at the church.

In 1222 when King Henry III granted a Royal Charter for Otley to hold a market which is still held today in the town centre on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Market day gives Otley a nice feel with stalls spreading out up Kirkgate which is one of the main roads though the town. Though this may be nice it can cause a little bit of a problem for traffic trying to pass through the area but at least there is something to watch while sat in the traffic jam. There is also a cattle market which is held at the Wharfedale Farmers' Auction Mart on East Chevin Road.

The Chevin is a large gritstone escarpment which towers over the town and makes a very nice backdrop to the town. Chevin Forest Park has an area of 700 acres (2.8 km) providing some nice area for a walk, picnic or have a pleasant stroll with the dog. There are car parks provided so there is no need to walk up the steep hill to the Chevin, the walk up East Chevin Road is a task in its self. There is also a parking area on York Gate which is at the top of East Chevin Road and turn to the right. To the east and west of Otley there are flooded gravel pits, where sand and gravel have been extracted in the 20th century. The gravel pits to the east are known as Knotford Nook, and are a noted birdwatching site. Those to the west are devoted to angling and sailing.

Otley has and does have its moments of fame, starring as Hotton in the ITV television soap opera Emmerdale, and is a regular filming spot for ITV's Heartbeat crew. In fact the old Police Station shown in Heartbeat is actually the Otley Courthouse - now an arts centre.

There are some nice places to eat, there is a nice caf by the bridge across the river, and they serve a good breakfast. If its a night out you are after then Otley is the place, along with a select handful of towns in England it has a large number of pubs per head of population. There are currently 22 pubs, although the Spite (properly known as The Roebuck) and The Royalty are both on the outskirts of the town, with the Spite actually located in North Yorkshire. The Black Horse Hotel situated in the centre of town is both the biggest pub and biggest hotel in the town. Another pub of note is the award winning Junction Inn which serves a large selection of quality real ales and has a live band playing every Tuesday.

Otley hosts the annual Otley Folk Festival in September as well as the popular Victorian Fayre in December, Carnival in June and what is reputed to be the oldest one day agricultural show in the country, in May.