Harrogate - to do?

[Ginandtonic4all]

Hi. Having a well earned kid free weekend in Harrogate in October.

Any suggestions of things to do and nice restaurants to eat in?

My lunch at Betty's at Harlow Carr this Friday. You can go into the cafe without paying £13 to go into the gardens - although I highly recommend combining the two.
Valley Gardens are also lovely, and free.
There are many, many good restaurants in Harrogate.
If you want to travel a little further, a walk along the river in Knaresborough (4miles away) is lovely, or Ripley Castle is just a buit further.
One other thing we always do in Harrogate is count the Fiat 500s - very popular choice there!

Fat Badger was nice pub grub

Lunch at Baltzersen's. Amazing Scandinavian food.

@scaevola

If you go to Wetherby, there's a lovely cheese shop on Church Street

There’s a lovely cheese shop in Harrogate! The Cheese Board, insane amounts of cheese in there.

@ZombeaArthur

Lunch at Baltzersen's. Amazing Scandinavian food.

Yes - it's a lovely casual lunch place. Many years since I've been, sadly.

We used to adore going to Harrogate but there is no doubt that the "flavour" of the town has changed. There are empty shops and what used to be called louts cocking around the streets where once elegant ladies strolled.

Go to Ilkley, Ripon or Wetherby. They're what Harrogate used to be.

@SailYourShips

We used to adore going to Harrogate but there is no doubt that the "flavour" of the town has changed. There are empty shops and what used to be called louts cocking around the streets where once elegant ladies strolled.

Go to Ilkley, Ripon or Wetherby. They're what Harrogate used to be.

They used to publish the names of anyone caught urinatingbin public in the paper each week.They would need a special publication now

Following! Also planning a trip in October!

@Scarby9

My lunch at Betty's at Harlow Carr this Friday. You can go into the cafe without paying £13 to go into the gardens - although I highly recommend combining the two. Valley Gardens are also lovely, and free. There are many, many good restaurants in Harrogate. If you want to travel a little further, a walk along the river in Knaresborough (4miles away) is lovely, or Ripley Castle is just a buit further. One other thing we always do in Harrogate is count the Fiat 500s - very popular choice there!

Yes to the Fiat 500's. I noticed this too. Why is this?

Yes to the Fiat 500's. I noticed this too. Why is this?

Can’t bloody park a bigger car due to all of the tourists parking on residential streets because they won’t pay for a car park.

Get out ASAP. We had a four day break there. Came home on day two. Dullest town in England.

@FinallyFluid Totally agree about the A661 to Wetherby!

@DerAlteMann

Get out ASAP. We had a four day break there. Came home on day two. Dullest town in England.

It is pretty dull. Many parts are pretty & quaint to look at, but there's not much charisma it has to be said. It's like a seaside town without the sea or the seafront.

Harrogate was a conference town with some weekend genteel tourists but generally quiet at the weekend. It had very few hotels

They built some more hotels and cheaper ones
Airbnb
Hen dos

It then became a tourist destination at weekends but really has very little to do. It is a residential town that has a lot of food and drink outlets and a rapidly declining number of shops. Most people are not employed in tourism and so it isn’t like many tourist towns.

So I’d do the Turkish baths in a morning and then go for lunch. I’d recommend Stuzzi or domo are both excellent indies. Stuzzi is my absolute favourite place to eat!
Then after that a nice walk through valley gardens and up through the pine woods. That takes you upto RHS Harlow carr where you could walk the garden’s which are lovely. Or go to the bettys tea rooms/ shop there for some nice cakes

Evening wise - if you didn’t do Stuzzi for lunch I’d go there. But there’s a few places down cold bath road - Italian connection, will and vics , fat badger, pranzo or la Feria.

There’s not much “to do” attraction wise but lovely walks and meals can be had.
Further afield there is knaresborough. Take a walk by the river, get a boat. There’s a few cafes there but we just get an ice cream and feed the ducks!

Hope you enjoy it!