27 MINUTES FROM PATELEY BRIDGE
Harrogate
An elegant Victorian and Georgian spa town built around its sulphur wells, with the spring-fed Valley Gardens, a museum telling the story of its spa heyday, and the original branch of Bettys Café Tea Rooms. A good half-day or full-day trip from Pateley Bridge.
BOOK ONLINE
Want a local's introduction to the town? Book the guided Hidden Gems Food Tour online: six tastings at independent eateries on a 1.3-mile walk through Harrogate.
Visit information
- Location
- Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1
- From Pateley Bridge
- 27 minutes via the B6165
- Open
- Town is open year-round, individual attractions keep their own hours
- Entry
- Free to wander; Bettys and the Pump Room Museum charge individually
- Dogs
- Welcome across the Stray and most of the town centre
- Parking
- Several town-centre car parks, or park at Harlow Carr and walk in
SINCE 1919
The original Bettys
Bettys Café Tea Rooms on Parliament Street has been a Harrogate institution since 1919. Famous for its afternoon tea and cakes, and almost always busy, so it is worth booking ahead if you want a table at a set time.
A spa town built on its wells
Harrogate grew into a fashionable spa town in the 18th and 19th centuries, when visitors travelled from across Britain and Europe to drink and bathe in its mineral-rich sulphur waters, said to cure all manner of ailments.
The Royal Pump Room, the Turkish Baths and the wide, leafy Stray, two hundred acres of open parkland that still rings the town centre, are all legacies of that era and give Harrogate a graceful, spacious feel that is unusual for a town its size.
Combine it with Harlow Carr
Valley Gardens leads almost directly into RHS Garden Harlow Carr, so the two combine naturally into a single day out: a morning in the garden followed by an afternoon wander into town, or the other way round.
Allow at least half a day for the town centre itself, more if you want to shop in the Montpellier Quarter or take a full afternoon tea at Bettys.
FOR FRIENDS OR COUPLES
Design your own perfume
A relaxed couple of hours at The Perfume Studio in Harrogate, blending and taking home a fragrance of your own. A nice change of pace if you fancy something other than the usual sightseeing.
LUNCHTIME OPTION
Harrogate Walking Food Tour
A shorter, half-day lunchtime alternative to the Hidden Gems tour above: five tasting stops and a guided walk through the town centre.
What to see
Valley Gardens
Spring-fed municipal gardens running from the town centre up towards Harlow Carr, with colourful seasonal displays, a paddling pool, a sun pavilion and an ice cream kiosk. A lovely spot for a stroll whatever the season.
Bettys Café Tea Rooms
The original Bettys, open on Parliament Street since 1919 and world famous for its afternoon tea, cakes and pastries. Expect a queue at peak times, but it is worth the wait at least once.
Royal Pump Room Museum
Housed in the octagonal pump room built over England's strongest sulphur well, the museum tells the story of Harrogate's spa heyday, when visitors travelled from across Europe to drink and bathe in its waters.
The Montpellier Quarter
Cobbled streets just off the town centre lined with antique shops, independent boutiques and cafes. A good spot for a slower wander away from the main shopping streets.
About 27 minutes away
Harrogate is around 27 minutes from Pateley Bridge on the B6165. Combine with RHS Garden Harlow Carr or Ripley Castle for a fuller day out.
