A Derbyshire town that certainly has a claim to be one of the best in the county seems to be a place of pure happiness and a fairytale from the outside - but do residents agree?
It's no secret we at Derbyshire Live love Belper - particularly the Belper resident writing this story, who has been lucky enough to call it home for nearly two years now.
Its high street is certainly one of Derbyshire's best - if not the best - and The Sunday Times often puts it as one of the best in the entire country.
But with busy shopping streets comes busy car parks, busy buses and a whole host of potential issues, but does that tarnish Belper to a point of concern for its natives?
We paid a visit to the town on a bright autumnal morning to find out.
I must've asked a dozen-or-so people over the course of an hour, and I'd be lying if everyone I spoke to had a chip on their shoulder - in fact, most people seemed fine and dandy about life in the town on the whole.
Shoppers spawn in and out of the town via the bus station, travelling from up north in the Peak District, and from as far south as Shardlow, one visitor said.
As a resident often facing trips to and from the town centre, I very much expected the dreaded roadworks situation to arise very quickly - and that's what happened after a few minutes of nagging fellow townfolk.
Brian Elliott, 75, lives in Green Lane, a narrow old street that feeds onto the High Street.
He says roadworks can cripple the town on select days, not helped by the one-way systems near the top of the hill to the east.
When asked what change he'd like to see in 2026, he said: "Roadworks, roadworks, roadworks. It's all good having big changes to legislation and the way the country works, but our roads should be the bread and butter.
"I live on Green Lane and, at times, the state of the roadworks and the traffic is nothing short of a disgrace.
"They always seem to catch us off guard and, because of the one-way systems, there really is no escape.
"I've seen it when the whole of New Road and Cheapside are completely gridlocked, and cars at the top become stuck, and cars at the bottom become stuck as well.
"Buses can be really late because of this, and people also get stuck in the Co-op car park. I'm sure the one-way system does its job at times, but when roadworks are thrown in the mix, you ask yourself, who designed this?"
Local Michael Johnson, who lives on the steep Mill Street, also mentioned roadworks, painting a picture of gridlocked frustration.
But the 62-year-old also mentioned parking during festivals and markets, adding: "90 percent of the time Belper is great, it's perfect, but on big days when we have our markets and festivals, or whenever there are roadworks, everything is just turned on its head.
"Where I live, when it's busy, people will just block the entire road, even when there aren't enough spaces - and they'll also use it as a rat run, so it's just insufferable.
"People coming to the town need to be more wary and plan ahead before travelling, it's great for the town to have people come and spend money in our shops, but us residents don't want to our days ruined because of it.
"It's the cause of so much frustration in the town, and, while I understand the roadworks are vital, there surely must be a better way of going about it."
A few people mentioned roadworks, so it's clear it's an issue affecting Belper residents regularly, but another topic of interest was the ongoing sale of the Ada Belfield care home in Derwent Street.
Earlier this year, Derbyshire County Council agreed to sell off the care home despite a large protest by campaigners.
Councillors agreed to put the care home on the open market as a going concern, so it can be converted to focus on rehabilitation beds.
Last week, local councillor Gez Kinsella said Reform were pressing ahead, taking the home out of public ownership, and that it would now be subject to an eight-week bidding process - meaning answers should arrive in a few months.
But local man, John Howse, says he's heard enough from the council, and that he wants an end to the "painful" wait for the saga to end.
The 64-year-old said: "I want an end to the Ada Belfield saga, it's gone on for far too long now and the wait is just painful.
"I'm sick of hearing all the back and forth between officials - it seems the people will lose, and the council will get their money.
"It's disheartening for the people in the town to see plans to take it out of public ownership, the council should feel guilty about it, but now they've come so far they'd look weak if they went back on their word, so we're just going to have to bite the bullet.
"Whatever happens, I hope the council understand the gravity of the decision, and that there will be uproar if the town doesn't reap any benefits of the sale in the coming months and years."
For now, the town will continue to be the bustling hotspot we know it to be, especially as Christmas shoppers continue to flood in over the coming weeks.
The countdown to Christmas has begun and in the lead-up to the big day we are visiting as many towns in our patch as possible.
Each week we will publish a series of articles centred around a town in our area, featuring the views of those who know it the best, and this week it is Belper.