It’s starting to look like each August bank holiday is now going to spent in North Yorkshire, last year it was Skipton, this it is the spa town of Harrogate.
Why I am interested in places like Harrogate, well it probably stems from my childhood, when for two weeks each summer my mother and father would pack up our Morris Minor with as much useless equipment as was humanly possible, once packed off we would go in a vain attempt to visit as many towns and cities within the British Isles in a fortnight.
Sometimes our quest for historical knowledge and its buildings of a bygone age would take us up to Scotland and places like the Isle of Skye, Fort William and Melrose, other times we would head south towards the West Country and places like Wells Cathedral, The Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole, no stone was left unturned as my father relentlessly drove that Morris Minor up hill and down dale to ensure that we saw as much as we could of this green and pleasant land.
If you think that the Crane boys had it rough travelling across America in that Winnebago with Martin then spare a thought for The Frozen Northerner and his sister cooped up in the back of that Morris Minor with no air conditioning. Although I may have hated it at the time, I did get to see places that the majority of my school pals could only dream of visiting.
However, as many places as we visited, we never visited Harrogate, which is rather strange because we spent a large amount of time in Yorkshire.
With its Georgian architecture and spa waters, Harrogate was once a haven for middle class people to spend their summer holidays, it is easy to see why, the place simply abounds with gardens and parks such as The Stray and Valley Gardens and has an endless list places to wander round. Although it may not be now awash with Edwardian middle class money it’s still an extremely nice place to visit.
Once again The Contessa pulled it out of the bag and we stayed at the very pleasant 4 star Cedar Court Hotel. Overlooking The Stray, we were about a 10 minute walk from the town centre, so not too far out.
So what has Harrogate got to offer, Well you might just be there for afternoon tea at the renowned Bettys Tea Rooms or you might be there to a pay a visit to the Royal Pump Room Museum then again you might to visit Gentleman’s outfitters such Rhodes Wood or Cordings to stock up on your winter tweeds.If these places don’t appeal then visit some of the very interesting independent shops such as the strangely named Duttons for Buttons and Mr Arkwright’s Ironmongery. I really don’t know what you like but whatever you fancy I am sure Harrogate has something to keep everyone happy.
Harrogate is divided up into quarters, Kings, Montpellier, Victoria and West Park each area has something that will appeal to you although I have to say that I have strong preference for the Montpellier district. It has a raft of good pubs, cafés and shops such as the splendidly named Farrah’s Old Sweet Shop and Palm Court Café. On a sunny day nothing beats sitting outside The Old Bell with a good pint just watching the world go by. I had a fabulous weekend in Harrogate so please visit you won’t be disappointed.
thefrozennortherner 