Blog (featuredHeader) - Visit Harrogate

Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is home to important landscapes, rich in heritage and wildlife. One of its jewels is Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, the country’s largest monastic ruin, and a UNESCO world heritage site. Cared for by the National Trust, it routinely tops the top ten lists of Britain’s favourite historical attractions, thanks to its landscaped gardens, deer park, ancient oaks, follies and vistas in a spectacular setting by the River Skell.

Written by Iain Mann Manager of Nidderdale AONB

All images: National Trust Images_Chris Lacey

It’s been a very challenging year in many ways which means things will be a little different this Christmas, but there’s still lots of family fun to be had at the visitor attractions across the Harrogate District – Here are five of our festive favourites:

A stunning display of decorated Christmas trees will be lit up around Knaresborough for this special tradition as the annual Christmas Tree Festival becomes a trail around the centre of the market town spreading the festive feeling to shoppers, visitors and local families.

If you live nearby then the Harrogate district can offer you some welcome time outdoors this November.  Whether you are looking for somewhere to stretch the legs, escape the confines of the house or recharge and refresh yourself this November, you will find something perfect on your doorstep.  

Readers of Which? Travel this week rated Nidderdale AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) as one of their favourite beauty spots in Yorkshire and Humber.  Alice Crosby, Woodland Officer at Nidderdale AONB, tells us more.

This National Apple Day may be a little different, but Beningbrough Hall Gardens are open, and Joanne Parker gives us an glimpse behind the scenes of Beningbrough's walled garden at this celebrated time of year.

Things may be a little different this October half term and Halloween, but there’s still a lot of family fun to be had across the Harrogate District.

Something spooky is coming to Lightwater Valley this Half Term from Saturday, 24^th – Saturday, 31^st October as the North Yorkshire park is hosting a hocus pocus half term full of activities to keep young families eerily entertained in-between rides.

Put one foot in front of the other and go walking this September and October across the Harrogate district.  The autumn months and the coming of winter paints Yorkshire in fabulous colours and you can explore it all across the Harrogate district with these five walks.

A grand piano, an iconic beauty spot and a time for reflection…   Ann Chadwick of Cause UK tells us why she and her sister Clair arranged for a pianist to play a piano in possibly the most inconvenient place imaginable.

Locations across the Harrogate district have carried their sense of drama onto both big screen and small with countless appearances in film and television, here are just a few of our favourites.

Knaresborough is a delightful market town with the ruins of a medieval castle perched on a cliff top and winding streets and passageways leading down to the River Nidd below.

The kids may be going back to school and the nights are coming in just little earlier, but across the Harrogate district there is still a taste of summer to be enjoyed.  We share some of the best places to find it across the area.

Every August the hills around Nidderdale turn a deep and vibrant purple as the heather comes into flower.   We share eight of our favourite places where you can explore this landscape and see the heather for yourself.

One of our regular travellers couldn't wait to enjoy a weekend away this month.  It turned out it was not so different and just went to show we can still enjoy a hotel stay post lockdown.

We're so pleased to be able to welcome visitors back to the glorious heart of Yorkshire.  Welcome back to food, shopping, gardens and heritage.  Welcome back to Harrogate!

As part of the national Know Before You Go campaign, we want you to enjoy a great visit to Harrogate, with all the information you need for a wonderful day out.

Thousands of beautiful, white, paper angels are being created and displayed in hope and in memory of loved ones and heroes. The final dramatic installation should be open for public viewing during August and September.

The tourism year can be hard to predict at the best of times.  England's oldest tourist attraction is named after the prophet Mother Shipton, so the irony of this particularly unpredictable year is not lost on Jay Stelling of Mother Shipton's Cave and Petrifying Well.

Katherine Musgrove, Garden Manager at RHS Garden Harlow Carr describes how the gardens have blossomed during the many months of lockdown before reopening to public this month.

Amanda George, Public Relations Officer for Knaresborough Lions, explains how this much loved event is going virtual and how you can get involved.

Further socially distanced digital rummagings through the museum collection have been taking place this week, Assistant Curator Nicola Baxter took a few minutes to share her findings with us.

The Harrogate Museums team share some of the curious items in their collections, and the stories behind them.

Claire Jones and Andy Merrick share their journey in creating the idilic glamping site of Strawberry Safari on their old railway site and horticultural nursery.

Find out why the Yorkshire Agricultural Society is promoting ‘Farm to Fork’ in their new campaign.

Will Roberts from the Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park updates us on what the team have been doing over the past few months and welcomes their new Head Gardener.

The team at Harrogate's ever popular Fodder share how they are adapting to serve their customers during the Coronavirus 

Why not spend some of your time at home learning how to mix a really good cocktail with these recipes from Spirit of Harrogate?

If you are missing the exotic flavours of your favourite holidays or restaurants, you can recreate them in your own home thanks to these ideas from Las Iguanas.

Spirit of Harrogate have provided us with this inspiration for something we can enjoy at home.

For those (of a certain age), the ‘get out of jail free’ card, the ‘bzzzzz’ of Operation, and high stakes of Buckaroo will bring back warm, fuzzy or – let’s admit it - murderous memories.

Rainy days, family Christmas’s, sibling rivalry. It’s a potent combo. But board games are back, and they’re big.

For the next two months RHS Garden Harlow Carr celebrates the Daffodil.  With over 70 varieties, and 70,000 blooms, there is no better place to go daffy for Daffodils this spring.  We get a sneak peak and some top Daf tips from the RHS team ahead of the event.

Chris Mason, manager of the Turkish Baths Harrogate, reflects on why it's not just visitors who love the experience of visiting Harrogate's original destination spa.

As Ripon Museums celebrate the opening of their new Exhibtion, Prisoners on Prisoners, curator Leah Mellors shares the story of its creation. 

During 2019 Leah and artist Faye Claridge visited prisoners in HMP Askham Grange and through the records of Ripon Prison, discover parallels between the prisoners of today, and prisoners of Ripon up to 100 years ago.

February is the month of some of our favourite celebrations and events.

Don't be stuck for things to do with the family this half-term.  Get out, explore, get wet, get warm, get inspired around Harrogate this February.

Discover 10 great attractions in the heart of Yorkshire that you can visit this January and February.  Don't let winter keep you indoors, get out and explore Harrogate!

Start the year with some relaxation in Harrogate

As 2020 gets underway we are looking forward to so many exciting highlights throughout the year.

Festive treats around the Harrogate district with ideas for things to do and places to go leading up to Christmas and throughout January.

There is something fun for everyone this November in the Harrogate district.

As the leaves begin to turn we highlight a selection of the warming and comforting events in the area this autumn, and a couple of spooky ones too…