Harrogate, Skipton and Knaresborough

We booked into the 3* White Hart Hotel and Conference Centre in Harrogate via the Late Rooms website. The good thing about Late Rooms is that you do not pay any extra booking fees and you actually pay at the Hotel. We paid £70 bed and breakfast for the room and would definitely recommend Late Rooms and the White Hart Hotel. It is in a great location and is only a few minutes walk from the town centre and the breakfast was buffet style and there was loads of choice. The White Hart Hotel has ample parking which is free for residents and the staff were friendly and helpful.

On the way to Harrogate, we stopped off at Skipton to have a look around and visit the market. Skipton is a market town which has a castle, Canal and the famous Market which takes place on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday on the High Street. It was very busy and car parks spaces are scarce but it is a nice place to have a wander round and is a good gateway for exploring the Yorkshire Dales.











After our lunch in Skipton, we continued onto Harrogate which took us about forty minutes or so to get there (once we figured out the one way system.). Harrogate is a lovely spa town and gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. I had been to Harrogate before, but only for the day so was looking forward to my weekend here. We were very lucky with the weather as it was lovely, sunny and very warm. The one way system in the town centre can be a bit of a nightmare to navigate but if you know exactly where you are going then it is fine. After checking into the Hotel, we went into the town centre do some shopping. There are plenty of High Street shops to browse around such as Debenhams, Monsoon, Kath Kidston to name a few.

There are also lots of other specialised shops such as The Cheeseboard, Hoopers Department Store, Montpellier Quarter, Whites of Harrogate (selling designer clothes such as Armani, Amanda Wakeley and La Perla among others) and The Urban Retreat plus many more. Once a month there is a local farmers market in the centre of Harrogate, usually the second Thursday of the month from 9am until 3pm selling local produce.




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There are also lots of cafes and tea rooms such as Betty's Tea Rooms, and Jenny's' tea rooms. Harrogate is a spa town and has a beautiful Spa and Turkish Baths which is well worth a visit and also feature in 'The Good Spa Guide'. Other attractions in Harrogate are a visit to the Mercer Art Gallery which has over 2000 works of art and hosts various exhibitions throughout the year and The Royal Pump Room Museum. (Currently hosting 'Only Human' until 3rd January 2010)

If museums are not your thing, but gardens are then Harrogate also has beautiful gardens such as Valley Gardens situated in Regal Low Harrogate and are said to be Alan Titchmarch's favourite public garden and RHS Garden Harlow Carr which is near to Harrogate.

There is plenty to if you have children also. For young children under the age of 10, there is Kidzplay which is a children's indoor play area, and there are outdoor games in the park such as bowls, crazy golf, and tennis and you can hire boats. There is also Pots 2 Go which is a ceramic cafe that lets you paint your own pots. There are other activities not far from Harrogate such as Hesketh Farm Park at Bolton Abbey and Monk Park Farm at Thirsk.















We bought an Eating Out guide from the Tourist Information as we wanted to find a child friendly restaurant and we found it very helpful. It tells you which make children welcome and have highchairs and baby changing facilities. We opted for Damn Yankee. It was very busy and the food was reasonable and there was lots of families in. They offer Steaks, Mexican, Vegetarian and burgers within the menu.

On the Sunday we decided to visit Knaresborough which not fare from Harrogate. Knaresborough is a market town famous for Mother Shiptons Cave and Historic Park. It also has lovely walks along the river with cafes and ice cream stalls. You can hire boats on the river and if feeling energetic there are cycleways and you can hire bikes. For children, there is Halycon Leisure club karts , Knaresborough Castle Museum as well as Skate parks and picnic areas. We were very lucky with the weather as it was a beautiful sunny day and very warm.

We took a lovely leisurely walk along the river and made the mistake of going to Marigolds Cafe for some lunch. The views from the cafe across the river were stunning however we felt it was overpriced, rushed and the staff didn't seem to bother and the service was bad. You queue up like at Mcdonalds and they bring the food to your table. I think what really did it for me was when the waitress brought my glass with her fingers inside of it and maybe its just me but I found it very unhygienic. We noticed the business was for sale so maybe that's why the service was bad because they just weren't bothered.

The further we walked we found lots more riverside cafes but at least we know for next time. The railway bridges are very picturesque and the views stunning. We walked right along the river and up to the city centre which has a lovely cobbled square and had lots of nice little shops. I would liked to have had more time to explore Knaresborough as what we did see of it was lovely so will have to go back soon and do a little bit more sightseeing. They have a bed race in June each year which runs through the town and there will be a christmas Edwardian market on 5th and 6th December 2009. If you are in the area then I would recommend a visit as there are lots to see and do and I will definitely be going back soon.

Durham 2009

We travelled by car to Durham and was a little worried about the roads as the weather has been so bad and there had been a lot of snow. The roads were fine, but there were white blankets of snow as we travelled via Cumbria. We had originally booked into the Marriott Royal County Hotel but changed at the last minute to the brand new Radisson SAS Hotel as the leisure centre at the Marriott was closed for refurbishment. We booked the Radisson online and they had an offer of 20% discount for a two night stay which was £60 per room per night (Room only). The Hotel is a 4 star which opened in November 2008 and has a lovely leisure centre, parking for 130 cars (which you do have to pay for - it was £6.50 per 24 hours) and free Internet access for guests. It is in a great location, on the banks of the River Wear and is a five minute walk from the shops, restaurants and market.

There is also a Premier Inn on the other side of the River which is called Durham City Centre and rooms are from £61 per room per night, so I would try and book the Radisson or Marriott if you can get a similar price rate as they both have leisure facilities. Durham is a Market and University Town (the University is the third oldest in England) and is known for its ancient cathedral. Durham is also home to a Castle, both the Cathedral and Castle are World Heritage Sites.

We had a walk round the Cathedral which is huge and offers free entry, although there are donation boxes. You are not permitted to take photographs inside the Cathedral, although you can buy a licence pass if you wish to take photos for educational purposes and this is £15. There is a nice cafe inside the grounds of the Cathedral which I would recommend. The Stained Glass windows in the Cathedral are beautiful. The Castle is a five minute walk from the Cathedral and is also a stunning Building. The Castle is part of the University but is open to the public for tours.



We had a walk along the river which was really nice and you have stunning views of both the Castle and Cathedral. After we visited the Cathedral we headed to the market and shops. Although the shopping centre is not as big as Newcastle, there are quite a few shops in Durham. There is the indoor and outdoor market and most high street shops such as Marks and Spencer, British Home Stores, Monsoon among others. The streets are cobbled and quite hilly (good for the calves....). There are also two Oxfam shops, one selling clothes and accessories and the other selling books, DVD's etc. I noticed that the Oxfam shop had a pair of Jimmy Choo Shoes in the window (I have never seen designer items like that in an Oxfam Shop before!!!)

I found the people very friendly wherever we went and when we checked into the Hotel on the Friday, the head of housekeeping approached us and told us if we wanted anything to let her know... The one thing that I could not understand is that I could not get network for my mobile in the Hotel. I have been to some remote places in the world and been able to get coverage but not in the Hotel in Durham which was a bit of a pain as I had to keep going outside in the cold to use my phone or check for messages. There are a few restaurants in the city centre in an area called Walkergate and a few pubs that offer food such as Wetherspoons. There are also pubs such as Yates and Walkabout if you fancy some nightlife...

One thing that surprised me about Wetherspoons was their dress policy. We met up with a friend of ours in Durham and went for lunch in Wetherspoons, he was wearing tracksuit bottoms and was told that the policy is that tracksuit bottoms are not allowed to be worn in their pub. The thing I find bizarre is that as good as Weatherspoons is (and the food is great), it is not exactly Gordon Ramsay or a classy wine bar. I remember jeans not being allowed to be worn in some pubs years ago but never tracksuit bottoms, this was in the afternoon as well so I do not see the harm - but what do I know!!!!

There are other attractions to see and do in Durham in addition to the Cathedral and castle such as the Oriental Museum (part of the University), Durham Miners Heritage Centre and Durham Light Infantry Museum and Art Gallery. Since having a baby last year, it is now interesting to see how hard it can be sometimes getting in and out of shops that have very narrow paths. After pushing the pram around all day I certainly felt it the next day on my legs after walking up and down the hills.... The next day we were planning to go to Beamish but decided we would leave it until our baby boy was a little older and could enjoy it.



Beamish is an open air Museum and has costumed staff and demonstrates two stages of the North East's History. We ended up going for a look around the shops at the Metro Centre in Gateshead as it was so cold and did not want to be outside. On the way to Gateshead we stopped off at the Angel of the North Sculpture at Gateshead, our friend had recommended we see it although he thinks it is a monstrosity. It is known as 'Gateshead's Winged Wonder' and is twenty metres high and fifty four metres wide. It overlooks the A1 at Gateshead and was created by Anthony Gormley. I think it is different!!!!!!



The Metrocentre is huge and has plenty of indoor and outdoor parking. It is similar to the Trafford Centre in Manchester. It has over three hundred shops and over fifty restaurants and a Cinema. There are shops including Debenhams, Lush, House of Fraser and Mothercare.

It was very busy when we were there and you certainly would not think there was a recession on!!!! There is a lot more to see and do in the North East of England than we had time for. I believe Newcastle is a great city to visit and has great nightlife, but we just ran out of time.

For football fans there are lots of clubs to choose from such as Newcastle United, Sunderland and Middlesborough. I did feel a little cheated on my visit to the Cathedral as I had heard about 'The Sanctuary Knocker' on the door, however we found out that it is actually a replica and the original is in the St Cuthbert Exhibition in the Cathedral Precinct.

We had a great weekend and would definitely recommend Durham, there is so much more to see in the County and surrounding areas than we had time for. It is easy to find your way about and Durham, Newcastle and Gateshead are not that far apart.

If you are going to visit Durham or the North East and can go anytime, I would maybe recommend going in the Spring and not in February as it was freezing.......