WAFTS of freshly baked bread stop me in my tracks, rekindling a jumble of feelings all associated with home comforts.

Only I haven't just arrived on my mother's or grandmother's doorstep, but that of Janet Simpson, a woman who prides herself on giving guests an experience akin to 'being utterly spoilt in your own home'.

The smell, drifting around the courtyard, is coming from Janet's own bakery, an integral part of her independent and much-loved business, the Gibbon Bridge Hotel.

"It is quite simply what myself and my 'team' aspire to when you stay with us: for you to feel 'at home'," says Janet.

Located on 23 acres of land in the Forest of Bowland, at the heart of the Ribble Valley, Lancashire — a designated area of Outstanding Natural Beauty — The Gibbon Bridge Hotel is the result of Janet's long-standing, familial dream.

And as one of the select Fine Individual Hotels (www.fihotels.com), the hotel is a must-do if you're exploring or passing through this part of the country.

It is a fine example of what local, home-grown knowledge and a passion for an area can do for a business — and guests.

Growing up on a 300-acre beef and sheep farm, Janet learnt to drive a tractor at the age of 10 while always gaining practical experiences from her mother on the skills of cooking and baking.

She eventually took these culinary teachings to The Dog and Partridge Inn (www.dogandpartridge chipping.co.uk), in nearby Chipping where she worked her way up from general assistant to chef.

The seeds of a new venture were sewn when the Simpsons took over the tenancy at Gibbon Bridge Farm, later purchasing the farmhouse, the barn and a tract of land.

And when her mother Maggie opened a stall on Blackburn market, selling homemade cakes, pies and pastries, it soon led to a shop being added to the family enterprise, expanding to include outside catering, with Janet at the helm.

During the 1970s the barn at Gibbon Bridge was often transformed into a disco, party or charity event and just over a decade later, with a leap of imagination, an approach from the North West Tourist Board, a large sum of money and a great amount of toil, sweat and tears and support from family and friends, Janet's dream was turned into a reality.

In 1982, the Gibbon Bridge Hotel was born: the barn transformed into a 50-cover a la carte restaurant which could also cater for wedding receptions up to 100; a bar and lounge area; a kitchen and to top it all, six bedrooms including four suites.

"When I stop and look back on my childhood and growing up, like all of us, I remember both happy and sad times," said Janet.

"I remember at the age of 14, leaving school and being told that 'I would never achieve anything in life' — from those harsh early words I resolved I would never be put down again and through sheer determination and hard work I find myself where I am today," she adds.

And that is a place at the heart of a haven of excellence where staff and guests, including the likes of Shirley Bassey, simply 'love' what Janet has done here.

Following the tempting wafts of baking breads, I'm beckoned out of the hotel's warm and welcoming reception to the courtyard where the Bakery has sat since 1987, consistently providing a daily selection of fresh breads, confectionery, jams, ice cream and desserts for the hotel and restaurant.

Many secret traditional recipes are used which have been in the Simpson family for generations and a firm favourite of guests is lemon cheese, served at breakfast and with afternoon tea (it's worth visiting just to sample this delight).

Today, the hotel has also expanded to include 30 individually designed and furnished rooms, including five VIP suites, six luxury suites, 11 suites, and a further eight bedrooms.

There are also two meeting rooms including the new orangery, tennis courts, private fishing, a helipad, nearby golf, shooting and pony trekking, cycling routes and walking in the surrounding area.

If you can drag yourself away from the home-from-home luxury of it all, this is an area which could never be tired of and this year makes it all the more exceptional to visit.

The Forest of Bowland was declared an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1964 and is a EUROPARC Charter, one of 450 'green jewels' in Europe (www.europarc.org).

The area is scattered with villages and hamlets, all of which are quiet, unspoilt and steeped in Lancashire history with much unchanged in the past 1,000 years, say locals.

The most famous of these are Whalley, with a history dating back 3,000 years, and home to a 14th century abbey built by Cisterian monks; Clitheroe, an ancient market town dating back 800 years; Dunsop Bridge, marking the official 'Centre of the UK'; and Chipping, with what is said to be the 'oldest trading shop in Britain'.

I decided to venture to the edge of the Forest of Bowland to Pendle Hill, where the wind whips up to such a speed on the 557-metre summit that it feels like it's cutting your face.

It's a breathtaking landscape of rolling hills, fells and forest glades, permeated with a history of witches.

That's right — witches. It's one of the things the area is most famous for — that, and food and drink and the JRR Tolkien Lord of the Rings Trail.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of The Pendle Witches, recalling the 'fateful' day when nine villagers were found guilty of witchcraft resulting in one of the most mysterious but equally well documented trials in the world.

There are a number of events and activities going on throughout the year and a 45-mile Pendle Witches Trail to follow which will take you through Pendle, the Ribble Valley and ending at Lancaster Castle.

If walking is on your agenda, there's a five-and-a-half-mile JRR Tolkien trail around Hurst Green, where Tolkien and his family regularly stayed at a guesthouse belonging to Stonyhurst College.

Tolkien spent much of his time writing here and in the college during the Second World War (www.ribblevalley.gov.uk, www.visitribblevalley.co.uk)

When all that walking has whipped up an insatiable appetite, there's the Ribble Valley Food Trail (www.ribblevalleyfoodtrail.co.uk) which would meet the needs of any king or queen — it's widely known and unabashedly talked about that the Queen would like to retire to the Forest of Bowland — the 'jewel' in the heart of the Ribble Valley.

I had never been to this part of England before but through Janet's passion for family, the home and for her homeland; for the richness in landscape, history, mystery and nature; and because it's home to some of the best chefs in England — I was bowled over.

All the more reason to return to my new home-from-home at the Gibbon Bridge Hotel and spend time exploring more of the area in 2012.

As the Ribble Valley tourism slogan goes 'once visited, never forgotten'.