Harrogate - a guide to the town Harrogate Hedge-blog Harrogate Harrogate is a town in North Yorkshire, with a population of 73,576 (2011 census). Its mineral waters were discovered in the 1500s, and it grew as a spa town in the 1600s and 1700s. The town's motto is arx celebris fontibus, meaning city famous for its springs. Present-day attractions include the original Bettys tearooms , and RHS Harlow Carr gardens. It was the happiest town in the UK in 2013 , and again in 2014 . Many people who live in Harrogate work in Leeds or Bradford. It is relatively prosperous, with an average household income of £41,833 in the Harrogate district, and an average house price of £265,207. (Source: 'A Profile of the Harrogate District 2011/12' . It also notes that tourism accounts for 25% of the district's economy, and that the conference centre generates £150m in Harrogate).

Name and history of Harrogate The name Harrogate comes from the Anglo-Norse Here-gatte, gatte being the way to, and Here or Herelaw the soldier's hill (now Harlow). So Harrogate could mean 'the way to the soldier's hill.' Another idea is that it means 'the way to the cairn, or heap of stones.' Harrogate is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, but it is likely that it existed as a name for many centuries before there was a settlement here. It was part of the Royal Forest of Knaresborough, although it was probably actually a heath, with gorse, bracken, heather, and patches of trees. The first reference to Harrogate in a document, was in 1332, on the roll of the Knaresborough Court. The town was created from two hamlets, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate. High Harrogate had the first important building, the chantry chapel, built in 1400, and Low Harrogate probably developed later. It was the discovery of the first mineral spring in 1571 that was the catalyst for Harrogate's development as a spa town.

The waters continued to attract visitors until the early years of the 1900s. See our section on Harrogate as a spa town . During World War II, Harrogate's large hotels accommodated government offices evacuated from London. This helped lead to the town's function as a conference and exhibition centre in the post-war years, and up to the present day. There was also industry in Harrogate - ICI had a plant at Hornbeam Park. Crimplene was invented there in the 1950s, and named after Crimple Beck. Harrogate hosted the Eurovision song contest in 1982, the year the International Centre opened. It has won various floral competitions, including Britain in Bloom in 2003, and European floral competitions in 1977 and 2004. The cauldron for the London 2012 Olympics was designed and built by Thomas Heatherwick in Harrogate. Harrogate: shopping Harrogate is centred on the War Memorial at Prospect Crescent. The main shopping area is east from there, on James St, Cambridge St, Oxford St, and Beulah St.

There's a WH Smith and a TK Maxx in the Victoria Shopping Centre at the top of Cambridge St. Parliament St and the Montpellier Quarter have a number of interesting and expensive stores. There are quite a few independent and less expensive shops on Cheltenham Parade and the streets off it, such as the lower part of Station Parade, and Commercial Street. Harrogate: Bettys Also in this area, at no.1 Parliament St, is Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms . Founded in Harrogate in 1919 by Frederick Belmont, an orphan from Switzerland, Bettys quickly became very popular, and there are now six Bettys, including in York and Ilkley. As well as the tea rooms, they have a shop selling bread, cakes, biscuits, and chocolates, all made by hand in the Bettys craft bakery. Tea and coffee is by Taylors of Harrogate - bought by Bettys in the 1960s. There are various possible explanations for the name Bettys, but no-one knows for sure who she was. Could it be that the company's first Board Meeting was interrupted by a little girl called Betty, just as the directors were discussing what to call the business?

Harrogate: the Harrogate International Centre Harrogate Internation Centre is a convention and conference centre, which opened in 1982, and hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in that year. As well as the modern, purpose-built facilities, conferences can book the Royal Hall, a 1000-seater theatre which dates from 1903, and was part of Harrogate's spa facilities. (It was known as the Kursaal until World War I, when its named was changed for reasons of patriotism). A Holiday Inn hotel is incorporated in the complex. Harrogate International Centre is the third largest such venue in Britain. Harrogate: the Great Yorkshire Show The Great Yorkshire Showground is on the eastern edge of the town, and hosts the annual agricultural show, attracting 130,000 people over three days. The first show was held in York in 1838. In 2014, the dates are Tuesday 8th - Thursday 10th July 2014 (just after the Tour de France).

Harrogate: Harrogate theatre Harrogate theatre was designed by Frank Tugwell (who also designed the Savoy theatre in London), and opened in January 1900. Famous actors who have performed in Harrogate include Charlie Chaplin, Arnold Ridley, John Noakes, and Ben Kingsley. One of the highlights of the year is the comedy festival in October. Harrogate: museums and Turkish Baths The Mercer Art Gallery is on Swan Road, close to the tourist information and Royal Pump Room. The collection includes Atkinson Grimshaw and Sir Edward Burne-Jones, but is not on permanent display. There are many temporary exhibitions. The Royal Pump Room museum takes visitors through the town's past as a spa resort. To experience this spa history more actively, take a trip to The Turkish Baths and Health Spa . It is in the restored C19th premises on Parliament Street. After time in the steam room, you can take an invigorating dip into the plunge pool. They also do massages, facials, and a range of spa treatments. Harrogate: parks and gardens Harrogate parks and gardens: the Stray Harrogate Stray came into being in the 1700s.

In the 1760s, there was widespread enclosure of Crown lands, for financial returns to the Crown, and to allow private development. Harrogate's wells and springs were on land that was part of the Royal Forest of Knaresborough, and the town depended on public access to them. It would have been very damaging for the land to be divided up and sold off. The people of Harrogate made representations to Parliament, and commissioners were appointed to survey the area. They designated 200 acres of land covering the springs, which would: '...for ever hereafter remain open and unenclosed, and all persons whomsoever shall and may have free access at all times to the said springs, and be at liberty to use and drink the Waters there arising, and take the benefit thereof, and shall and may have use, and enjoy full and free ingress and regress in, upon, and over the said two hundred acres of land...' The right to the common land was contained in the commissioners' award of 1778. Use of the Stray is now governed by the Stray Act 1985 and bye-laws under it.

It's a great place for football, picnics, kite-flying, and walking. It gives Harrogate a special character. Harrogate parks and gardens: the Valley Gardens The Valley Gardens is an area of lawns and flower beds, which begins at the Royal Pump Room, and extends uphill, south west from there, bounded by Valley Drive and Cornwall Road. At the top of the gardens, there are tennis courts, pitch and putt, crazy golf, a skate park, paddling pool, and a children's playground. Harrogate parks and gardens: RHS Harlow Carr Between the Valley Gardens and Harlow Carr are the Pinewoods, with some lovely paths running through them. Harlow Carr is a delightful garden, which includes water features and woods. It was founded by the Northern Horticultural Society in 1950. There's an entrance fee of £8.50 for adults, but it's free for RHS members. Bettys have a branch here, for tea, coffee, cakes, and other refreshments. Right by the gardens, the Harrogate Arms stands on the site of a sulpur well, which had a bath house from 1840.

Harrogate: hotels Harrogate has a number of good hotels, some of them dating from Harrogate's heyday as a spa. Hotels in Low Harrogate include The Old Swan , the Crown , and the White Hart (which also houses the popular Fat Badger pub). The Holiday Inn is right next to Harrogate International Centre. On West Park (right where the Tour de France finishes in July 2014) are the Hotel du Vin and the Yorkshire Hotel . On the south eastern edge of Harrogate is Rudding Park , a luxury venue, which was voted best hotel in the UK in the 2013 Trip Advisor Traveller's Choice awards. Harrogate: sports clubs Harrogate has two football clubs, Harrogate Town and Harrogate Railway. There's a rugby union team, Harrogate RUFC. For cycling clubs, see our Harrogate Cycling page. Harrogate: the history of Harrogate as a spa town 'The queerest place, with the strangest people in it, leading the oddest lives of dancing, newspaper reading, and tables d' hôte.' That was how Charles Dickens described Harrogate when he visited in 1858. It is perhaps easy to see why he viewed the town as peculiar.

Dancing and newspaper reading were part of the ritual, but it was the sulphur water that drew a wealthy clientele to Harrogate. Despite its offensive smell, visitors would drink four or five glasses every day. Harrogate's fortunes had long depended on its naturally occurring mineral waters. It was in 1571 that the first spring was discovered in High Harrogate by William Slingsby. Riding through the Forest of Knaresborough, his horse stumbled by a pool, and he stopped to refresh himself with a drink. The taste reminded him of the mineral waters he had taken at Spa in Belgium. Realising that his discovery could be important, he had the spring walled and paved. It became known as 'the Tewit Well', on account of the lapwings (which the locals called 'tewits') which fed on the mineral deposits around it. This was the first of many mineral springs to be discovered in High Harrogate (the next being the Sweet Spa), and soon visitors flooded in to drink the waters. The inns and lodging houses where they stayed had wooden tubs in which guests could bathe in heated spring water.

The first public bathing house was built around 1663, next to the Sweet Spa, under the instruction of Dr George Neale, later author of a book about Harrogate's spa waters (Spadacrene Eboracensis). As well as taking the cure, they would spend time playing cards, racing (there was a racecourse on the Stray), watching sports, and hunting. In the evenings, they would dine and dance at the tables d' hôte, inns, and hotels. Harrogate became a fixture on the social calendar, a place where many a young lady met her future husband. The wells in High Harrogate were 'chalybeate', or iron, springs, but Low Harrogate had its own spring, known as the Old Sulphur Well. The water smelt of hard boiled eggs, but stronger and more salty, and it has always had its detractors.

In the early nineteenth century, it was described as 'the most foetid and foul-smelling water...a nauseous puddle.' In Tobias Smollett's novel 'Humphry Clinker', he wrote this of the sulphur well: 'As for the water, which is said to have effected so many surprising cures, I have drank it once, and the first draft has cured me of all desire to repeat the medecine...The only effects it produced were sickness, griping and insurmountable disgust. I can hardly mention it without puking...' Nevertheless, its medicinal properties meant that Low Harrogate became the focus of development of the spa in the early 1800s. A public assembly room was built by subscription in 1804 (now the Mercer Art Gallery); a Roman-style temple was erected over the Old Sulphur Well in 1808, for shelter from the weather; rival local entrepreneurs built the Victoria and Montpellier Baths, and, in the style of a Greek temple, the Cheltenham Spa Rooms, for concerts and balls. The new facilites made Harrogate a formidable competitor to the continental spas.

The town's prosperity was founded entirely on the waters, and when they were threatened in December 1835, the citizens were alarmed. Joseph Thackwray, the proprietor of the Crown Hotel, made an attempt to divert the waters of the Old Sulphur Well onto his own land. The other hoteliers, led by Jonathan Shutt of the Swan Inn, tried to persuade Thackwray to stop, and when he refused, they decided to prosecute him. He was tried in York, and acquitted on a technicality, but the court ordered him to stop digging. The incident led to the appointment of the Improvement Commissioners to look after the interests of the town. The first act of the Improvement Commissioners was to build the Royal Pump Room, an otagonal structure to house the Old Sulphur Well. An entrance fee for visitors helped to pay for it, but the outside tap preserved a free supply for the town's poorer residents. This free outside tap remains to this day, and is protected by Act of Parliament.

(The Stray Act 1985 provides - section 11 (1) (c) - 'The Council shall maintain and protect...the supply of water without charge from the public drinking fountain situate outside the Royal Pump Room.' In Dickens' time, visitors took two glasses of sulphur water from the Pump Room before breakfast, with a further dose before lunch. They would pass the rest of the morning reading the newspaper or letter-writing, strolling in Crescent Gardens, or shopping in Harrogate's boutiques. Afternoon activities included cycling, golfing, or driving out to local attractions such as Fountains Abbey or Knaresborough. In the evenings, the fashionable guests dressed up and attended the theatre, concerts, or a ball. Invalids would take their treatment in one of the public bathing houses; and from 1897, the Royal Baths provided a truly splendid setting for a wide range of hydrotherapy treatments. None was more bizarre than the baths where arthritic patients were immersed in gallons of steam-heated peat! Harrogate could justifiably claim to be one of Europe's great spas, and it attracted celebrities from all over the world.

Famous poets who visited Harrogate's spa include Lord Byron in 1806 and Wordsworth in 1827; in the 1911 season, royalty from Russia, Prussia, Portugal, and Greece visited; and 1926 saw Agatha Christie resurface at the Swan Hotel after her mystery disappearance had sparked a major police and media search. After World War II, Harrogate declined as a spa town, instead developing conference facilities. Of the hydrotherapy treatments at the Royal Baths, only the Turkish Baths remain. For the distinctive taste of Harrogate's past, however, visitors can still sample the waters of the Old Sulphur Well at the Royal Pump Room museum. Copyright © 2013 HedgehogCycling.co.uk Hotel Harrogate, Harrogate - trivago.co.uk less Bettys Café Tea Rooms Betty's cafe and tea rooms were founded in 1919 and have become a local landmark. Betty's was founded by Frederic Belmont who, in the aftermath of the Great War, wanted to create a welcoming cafe where visitors could choose from cakes and pastries both traditional and continental in origin.

Betty's of Harrogate has since given birth to another 5 Betty's cafes in region but the Harrogate branch remains the most famous. Betty's is recognisable for its black wrought iron decoration, its liveried waitresses and its service that's based in an earlier era. Betty's is open from 9 am to 9 pm daily with entertainment from a live pianist every evening from 6 pm more less Mother Shipton's Cave Mother Shipton was a prophetess born some 500 years ago. Mother Shipton's Cave is a tourist attraction built around the cave she was born in. The attraction include The Petrifying Well (which has been attracting visitors since 1630), The Old Wishing Well of Good Fortune, a Museum of figures and models, a mile long, riverside park with picnic areas, a woodland walk , tea rooms and gift shop, an adventure playground and Trail Quiz. The attraction is open from March to October, 10.00am-5.30pm daily.

Entry fees are: Adult £5.50 Senior Citizens £4.50 Children (under 4's free) £3.75 Family £15.95 (2 adults and two children or one adult and three children. additional children £2.00 each) All day parking is included in the admittance fee and you can leave the park to visit the rest of Knaresborough and go back in on the same ticket. more less St Anne's Cathedral St Anne's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Leeds. The current Cathedral dates from 1904 and is a Grade 2 listed building. The focal point of this Cathedral is the sanctuary, which features a free-standing high altar that is constructed from Italian marble. The altarpiece in the Lady Chapel was originally installed in the old Cathedral that stood on the same site and dates from 1842. The Cathedral is free to visit and is open daily from 7.15am until 6.15pm more less Leeds Art Gallery The Leeds Art Gallery contains watercolours, prints, sculptures, paintings and other works of art.

It recently re-opened following a £1.5 million refurbishment and is now fully accessible for disabled visitors. Facilities include a craft shop, café and a design gallery. Entry is free and the opening hours are: Monday and Tuesday - from 10am until 8pm Wednesday - from 12 noon until 8pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday - from 10am until 5pm Sunday 1pm - 5pm. It is closed on bank holidays. more less Art's Cafe Bar Art's Café Bar and Restaurant opened in 1994 and derives its name from the works of art that it displays on its walls, many of these are from well known artists. Food ranges from light snacks to a full a la carte menu and there is also a range of beverages available, including tea, coffee, beers and wines. Occasionally, live music is performed. It is open daily from midday until 11pm (Monday to Friday), Midday until 2am (Saturday) and from 10.30am until 11pm on Sunday.

more Bettys Café Tea Rooms, Harrogate | Brian's Coffee Spot Bettys Café Tea Rooms, Harrogate Posted on by Brian Williams No trip to Harrogate would be complete without at least contemplating a visit to the famous Bettys Café Tea Rooms. I duly carried out my contemplation as I walked past in the morning, put off by the long queue snaking along the pavement. However, as I wandered past with an hour to kill in the evening before my train back to York, the lack of a queue led to a reappraisal and soon I was seated downstairs in Bettys, greedily surveying the heaving cake trolley. Founded in 1919, Bettys sounds as Yorkshire as they come, but it was, in fact, the creation of a Swiss baker/confectioner, Frederick Belmont. Despite this, it’s quintessentially the British Tea Room and opinions about it vary considerably. I find my own ambivalence to Bettys both puzzling and informative. On the one hand, having to queue for anything puts me off, plus it is, undoubtedly, a grand institution of the sort I am naturally suspicious off.

On the other hand, were this Paris’ Angelina or Dublin’s Bewley’s , then I would (and have been) there like a shot. Perhaps it is just the familiarity of the British Tea Room that breeds contempt. Regardless, reach your own conclusions. You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery. Photo Carousel by WOWSlider.com v4.6 Bettys Café Tea Rooms on Harrogate’s Parliament Street is the original Bettys, a grand, sprawling structure that spreads over three levels down the hill along Montpellier Square. There are three parts to Bettys: to the right, as you come in, is a takeaway cake counter, while to your left, a café-bar. Through the café, down a flight of steps, is the third part, a full-service tea room, itself split over two levels, the second section down a further flight of stairs underneath the café. This lower section has no windows, but looks very cosy, the ideal destination for a cold, winter’s day. It’s also the most opulent of all the areas. Ignoring naming conventions, which would suggest the café-bar and not the tea room, this is Bettys: the whole point of which is the indulgence factor.

On that basis alone, I really can’t see the point of not going to the tea room, with its full, at-table service. For heaven’s sake, they even bring the cake (all of it!) to you. How civilized is that? The only caveat is if you want to skip the queue. According to the locals, you can sometimes get a seat in the café-bar when there’s a queue for the tea rooms. In defence of the café-bar, it’s a lovely-looking space, bright and airy, with a fantastic-looking bar in the corner. Where it not for the attractions of the tea rooms, I’d have been perfectly happy there. I ended up downstairs in the first (upper) of the two team-room spaces, tucked away on a table at the back, opposite the generous windows that line the left-hand wall. Bettys, in my head, is akin to Angelina or Bewley’s , but nowhere near as opulent. In reality, it has much more in common with the lovely, humble Anna’s Tea Rooms in Conwy. The main focus at Bettys is the cake, although like Angelina, Bewley’s and Anna’s, it offers a full range of food.

While I didn’t try them, the breakfast menu looked fabulous and the lunch and sandwich menus were pretty decent too. When it comes to cake, you can go for an à la carte approach or opt for an afternoon tea (scones, cakes, sandwiches) or a cream tea (just scones). As fabulous as these options looked (particularly the afternoon tea on the adjacent table, with its three-layer cake stand), the attraction of going à la carte is having the cake trolley wheeled over to you, with all its wonderful goodies on display. The coffee selection includes two house-blends, espresso, latte/cappuccino and mocha, as well as eight speciality coffees by cafetiere. However, if the cafetiere of decaf that I had is anything to go by, the coffee’s not the main attraction. It was perfectly drinkable, but there’s far better to be had in Harrogate. I think I might risk cardiac arrest and have hot chocolate if I come again. For tea drinkers, by the way, there are three house blends and nine speciality teas, so, as with the coffee, there’s plenty of choice. My cake, on the other hand, was excellent.

I had the Engadine Torte, a Swiss-inspired, multi-layered concoction of hazelnut meringue & buttercream, topped with hazelnut Medicis. It was as awesome as it sounded and, while ridiculously sweet, not so much as to be sickly. July 2014: I have just discovered that while grammatically correct, I’d been putting a spurious apostrophe in the name: it should have been Bettys all along (now corrected). Also, for some reason, I thought Frederick Belmont was Austrian, not, as everyone knows, Swiss. Ooops. Thanks to Dan Jeffrey of Bettys for pointing these two errors out to me. It’s not clear why Bettys has no apostrophe. Apparently it did until the 1960s, when it mysteriously disappeared. Personally, I think it has something to do with the little-known world apostrophe shortage of 1963, when, for a brief time, apostrophes were rationed across the country. However, this doesn’t explain why the apostrophe wasn’t re-instated when rationing was lifted in early 1964. One of life’s little mysteries, I guess.

England – The Tea and Scone Hop By Diane In Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms , York, England Leave a comment While I’m a long way from being considered cosmopolitan, traveling in Europe over the last few years has changed my perspective on the world and my appreciation of other cultures. Even the Tour de France feels different to me now. Not that I had watched it in recent years after all those scandals. But my trips to France this year (more on that in future posts!) and England in 2013 have compelled me to tune in a few times, both for the race and for the atmosphere and scenery. The second stage was of particular interest since it started in York, England, the final city that we visited last year and home to the famous Bettys Café Tea Rooms. Located in northern England, about 200 miles from London and a couple of hours away by train, York was founded by the Romans in the first century and over the next thousand years served as an important city for Anglo-Saxons, early Christians, Vikings, and Normans. Its significance continued to grow during the medieval period.

York has several museums focusing on different aspects of its history, and many buildings and structures remain from various eras, including: The medieval City Walls and gates (known as bars). The well-preserved walls circle the city center and can be walked, with a few gaps along the way. Bootham Bar. Photo by Dorene York City Walls. Photo by Diane The Multangular Tower (left), part of which is an original Roman structure, and Clifford’s Tower, a remnant of the medieval York Castle. Multangular Tower. Photo by Dorene Clifford’s Tower. Photo by Dorene Medieval houses and streets, including Goodramgate (left) and The Shambles. Goodramgate. Photo by Dorene The Shambles. Photo by Dorene And the most famous site, York Minster. York Minster. Photo by Dorene York Minster. Photo by Diane As one of Europe’s largest Gothic cathedrals, York Minster takes a couple of hours to explore, with stained glass windows, religious artifacts, monuments, an undercroft, a tower, and more. (The Great East Window remains under restoration until 2016.) Chapter House ceiling. Photo by Dorene Altar.

Photo by Dorene Rose window. Photo by Diane View from lower tower. Photo by Dorene Tower view of York. Photo by Dorene And just a short walk from York Minster is Bettys Café Tea Rooms. Swiss immigrant Frederick Belmont opened the original Bettys Café Tea Rooms in Harrogate in 1919, with the York café, now the flagship, opening in 1937 in St. Helen’s Square. Apparently the identity of “Betty” remains a mystery. (To read more, visit Bettys’ website .) There are three ways to enjoy Bettys in York: the flagship location, which was our choice; the more upscale Art Deco Belmont Room, which has a separate entrance; and a smaller café on nearby Stonegate. We learned of Betty’s through our travel guidebooks, which said that there would be a line. And there was. On the day of our visit, the line moved quickly. Many people chose to sit in the windowless lower level, known during World War II as Bettys Bar (for a story about the Bar, click here ). We waited for an opening on the main floor and were seated within 15 minutes.

Bettys Café Tea Rooms offers a varied menu (click here for links to the menus). Dorene ordered her usual Afternoon Tea. Dorene’s Assessment Diane’s Thoughts While waiting in line to be seated, I had time to study the cake menu. That’s when I decided to order a light lunch of soup and bread so that I could indulge in a Chocolate and Raspberry St. Honoré. It looks small in this picture, but each bite of chocolate, raspberry, cream, and pastry produced a series of delights. Sadly, it is not listed as an option on the 2014 Summer Menu. During the wait for food, I did enjoy the chance to look around and appreciate the effect of the windows and mirrors. While Bettys Café Tea Rooms may not have the sense of character that we encountered in other tea rooms, its history, decor, and food created a wonderful experience. Side Hop Along with York, Harrogate (home of the original Bettys) also hosted the Tour de France, providing the finish line for stage one (Le Grand Départ). Of course the English found a way to celebrate the rare appearance of the Tour de France in their country with…tea.

Bettys is part of a larger firm called Bettys & Taylors Group, and one of their brands, Yorkshire Tea, served as Official Tea Partner of Le Grand Départ and created a commemorative tea, or rather Thé, for the event. Apparently, the fans loved it. I saw posts on Twitter from people looking for the tea, and according to the Yorkshire Evening Post , it has even sold on eBay. I think the U.S. should take note! Share this: By Diane In The Bath Bun Leave a comment During our visit to England in 2011, Dorene and I experienced a week and a half of rain-free days. Not so in 2013. While the rain was not constant on our first day in Bath, showers would be followed by sunshine before another cluster of clouds would blow in with more rain. And there was wind. At least the weather gave us a perfect excuse to visit two of Bath’s tea rooms in one day — not that an excuse would ever be needed! While we spent some time indoors (visiting Bath Abbey and the shops in Guildhall, where we each bought a much needed scarf), most of our sightseeing on this adventurous weather day was outdoors.

We walked through the Parade Gardens during one of the sunny breaks. Non-residents must pay a small entrance fee, which is unfortunate but worth it. With beautiful plants and flowers, interesting statues and monuments, lovely views, and a few surprises (an old pet cemetery!), the Parade Gardens offer a wonderful outdoor experience. Photo by Dorene Parade Gardens pet cemetery. Photo by Diane Parade Gardens pet cemetery. Photo by Diane Bath also has City Sightseeing hop on/off buses with two routes from April to October. The City Tour passes by or near most of the tourist attractions. Since Bath is walkable, the bus is not necessary for anyone comfortable with walking the slightly hilly streets. Instead, we used the City Tour as a convenient introduction to Bath. The other bus tour, the Skyline Tour, travels out to the surrounding hills. The lovely views of the hills and the city offer a wonderful sense of Bath’s architectural beauty as well as its place in the bucolic Cotswolds. While the exposed, slightly wet top deck of the bus gave us the best vantage point, the wind up in the hills could be fierce. Photo by Dorene Photo by Dorene The Skyline Tour ended a few blocks behind the Roman Baths.

There we found St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church on a quiet side street, South Parade. The church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2013, and while it does not have the historical significance of Bath Abbey, the beautiful and quiet interior has several highlights, including the altar, stained glass windows, and memorials for both World Wars. Like many Bath buildings, it suffered damage during the bombings in World War II and was subsequently restored. The church has Bath’s tallest spire, and later in the day, the crazy weather rewarded us with a rainbow over the spire. Photo by Dorene Photo by Dorene After leaving St. John’s, Dorene decided that it was a good time for tea. Earlier in the day we had enjoyed afternoon tea at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party , so now we were in search of cream tea. Down a side street near the Roman Baths we arrived at Abbey Green, which has a small green with a very large plane tree that was planted more than 200 years ago. In one of the buildings surrounding the green we found The Bath Bun.

While we did not order a bath bun, which is a type of sweet roll, The Bath Bun’s website includes a bit of history about the treat. Dorene’s Assessment Cream Tea at The Bath Bun. Photo by Dorene. Tea – There was a good selection of tea. Dorene ordered Lapsang Souchong, and it was served with additional hot water to add to the teapot, which Dorene always appreciates in case she wants more tea. Scones – There was a choice of fruited and plain, and Dorene chose the plain. The large scone was not too sweet and was served with Wilkin & Sons Ltd strawberry jam and clotted cream topped with a tiny strawberry. The scone was excellent, and I love how it looks in the picture above! Service – The servers were pleasant and dressed in black and white maids outfits. Service was quick. Atmosphere – There were two floors, and we were seated at one of the few tables on the ground floor. With the takeout counter, cash register, and door nearby, there was plenty of activity, but it was not too distracting.

Decor – Pretty place settings, flowery table cloths, and wooden chairs all invoked a pleasing sense of the English countryside. Overall rating Wonderful Experience Diane’s Thoughts While I would not have minded eating scones twice in one day, a list of tea cakes on the wall caught my attention as soon as I entered. Chocolate sponge cake was one of the options, and while not my preferred cake style, I could not resist. The lightness of the cake was actually very enjoyable, as was the chocolate flavor. Our table on the ground floor offered the chance for some people watching, an interesting activity, especially when traveling. Among the unexpected sights for me: five men in their twenties and thirties who stopped in for tea. Dressed in jeans and sweatshirts or t-shirts, the men had a ruggedness about them, and two were so undaunted by the weather that they were wearing short sleeves, which revealed tattoos covering their arms. I loved these guys! They illustrated that despite its aristocratic origins, afternoon tea has a universal appeal. As I continue with my journey into the world of tea, I enjoy the traditions, but I also appreciate that the tea-drinking culture is about far more than expensive tastes, formal rules, and dress codes.

There’s also room for tattooed men and novices like me. Side Hop We would return to Abbey Green a couple of times, including once as part of an evening comedy walk called Bizarre Bath. A combination magic and comedy show that moves at a leisurely pace around the center of Bath, it’s unlike anything I had attended before. With a suspension of disbelief and a willingness to laugh at silliness, the 90-minute show (there are no shows during the winter) is worth £8. More traditional and expensive entertainment is at the Theatre Royal, where we went to see the Noël Coward play Relative Values. Our seats were on the right side of the royal circle (equivalent to mezzanine level), with a good view of the stage. Originally built in 1805, the building was destroyed by fire in 1862, rebuilt in a year, and then renovated in the 1980s. Theatre Royal stage. Photo by Dorene Theatre Royal ceiling. Photo by Dorene Bizarre Bath and Noël Coward on consecutive nights: an unusual but entertaining example of what Bath has to offer.

Share this: By Diane In Bath , The Mad Hatters Tea Party Leave a comment When Dorene and I stayed in London in 2011, we ventured outside the city for a day on a bus tour to Bath, Stonehenge, and Salisbury Cathedral. This seemed like the perfect way to visit some of England’s most famous sites, but our plan had one problem. We didn’t realize that the schedule for Bath would allow time for only a tour of the Roman Baths, a brief glance at some of the buildings, and lunch. This was not a satisfying experience of Bath. Disappointed by all that we missed, we decided in 2013 to enjoy Bath properly over three days. View of Bath from the Parade Gardens. Photo by Dorene Bath is about 100 miles west of London, and we traveled by train from Paddington Station, a trip that lasted just under 1.5 hours and included many scenic views of the countryside. Located at the Southern end of the Cotswolds, Bath was selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 for its cultural significance.

(To read about our earlier visit to the Cotswolds, click here .) Like the rest of the Cotswolds, the buildings were constructed from locally mined stone, in this case a type of limestone known as Bath stone. As a dense city on the slope of a hill, the uniformity of the cream-colored buildings creates a memorable impression. View of Bath from North Parade Bridge. Photo by Dorene Bath has almost everything that Dorene and I hope to experience when we travel: Historical sites – Including the nearly 2,000-year-old Roman Baths, Georgian-era buildings (the Circus and Royal Crescent), the reconstructed Assembly Rooms (destroyed during World War II), and more. Religious buildings – Bath Abbey, St. John the Evangelist Church, and a few other interesting churches. Literary significance – Jane Austen! (Check back in December for much more about our Jane experiences in Bath.) Museums – Along with the Holburne Museum and the Victoria Art Gallery, we also visited the Fashion Museum and a unique industrial place called the Museum of Bath at Work. Photo opportunities and general sightseeing – Bath is enjoyably walkable, and bus tours within and outside the city provide additional vantage points for seeing the sights.

Evening entertainment – We saw a play at the Theater Royal (Noel Coward’s Relative Values) and also experienced something completely different, the Bizarre Bath comedy walk (I’ll try to describe this in a future post). Shopping – Bath has typical chain stores, souvenir shops, and a mall, and also plenty of independent and local businesses, including those in Guildhall Market, the Corridor, and on Pulteney Bridge. Tea and scones (of course) – On our final day in the city, we discovered what would turn out to be our favorite tea room of all the ones we visited in England (I’ll share this experience in December). During our brief visit to Bath two years earlier, we had rushed through afternoon tea at a little restaurant with an Alice in Wonderland theme. We decided to revisit the place and enjoy it at a relaxed pace. Remembering little about it, we knew that it was somewhere behind Bath Abbey. In a compact city with buildings made from the same colored stone, Bath Abbey stands out as a dominating structure that serves as a beacon from various vantage points.

Once the site of a monastery dating to the 8th century, a Norman cathedral was built there in the 11th and 12th centuries. After the Bishop’s seat moved from Bath to Wells in the 13th century, the building slowly began to decay. The current building, a parish church rather than a cathedral, was started in 1499. This was not good timing. With religious upheaval soon arriving, the building again fell into ruin. After being salvaged in the early 17th century, significant restorations occurred in the 19th century and late 20th century. For its history, stained glass windows, interior and ceiling, monuments, memorials, wall tablets, and even contemporary artwork, Bath Abbey provides a worthy opportunity for a leisurely stroll. Bath Abbey. Photo by Dorene Inside Bath Abbey. Photo by Dorene Dorene outside Bath Abbey Behind Bath Abbey (the East End), there is a small circular park called the Orange Grove. Could there really be an orange grove in England? A nearby sign cleared up this question for me. It was named for the Prince of Orange to commemorate his visit to Bath in 1734.

Bath Abbey and Orange Grove. Photo by Dorene The Orange Grove. Photo by Dorene In the building seen in the photo on the left, we found the Mad Hatters Tea Party. Outside sign and seating. Photo by Dorene There are only four tables inside, two on each side of the door, and a few more outside. Given that it was a cool day with off and on rain showers, sitting outside was not an option. There was one available table inside, so we sat down to order Afternoon Tea for Two. Dorene’s Assessment Good place to visit Diane’s Thoughts As part of my ongoing initiation into the world of afternoon tea, I discovered what now seems obvious: I should not expect traditional afternoon tea at a place that pays homage to the unconventional world of Wonderland, the Mad Tea Party, and the Hatter. Many tea rooms in England and the U.S. are named “The Mad Hatters (or Hatter’s) Tea Party.” Technically the term “Mad Hatter” never appears in the Alice books, although the Cheshire Cat does describe the Hatter as mad. And the Mad Tea Party occurs in front of the March Hare’s house, not the Hatter’s. No matter.

It’s the Mad Hatter who has survived in popular culture, and his tea party continues to inspire and delight. While there may be more traditional and comfortable places for afternoon tea, the Mad Hatters Tea Party in Bath is worth visiting for its tribute to Lewis Carroll’s books. Even the small space may bring to mind Alice’s tendency to find herself not quite the right size. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland illustrations from . Side Hop Not far from the Mad Hatters Tea Party and Orange Grove is Grand Parade, which offers views of the River Avon. Since the original meaning of the word “avon” is river, several unconnected rivers in England ended up with the same redundant name. Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon. Photo by Dorene Apropos of the unconventional, the bridge crossing the river in this photo is Pulteney Bridge, one of only four bridges in the world lined with shops. Shops on Pulteney Bridge. Photo by Dorene While the bridge has architectural significance and adds to the beauty of viewing the river against the backdrop of the buildings, having only four of these bridges in the world sounds just right to me.

Our inn was on the other side of the bridge, so we crossed it several times each day. Most of the time I forgot that I was walking on a bridge. Of course this illusion makes the architectural achievement even more remarkable, and without question Pulteney Bridge works as a tourist attraction. In most cities, though, I would prefer to feel the experience of walking over a river and enjoy views of water winding through a city. Share this: By Diane In Cotswolds Leave a comment Yes, the world may aspire to vacuousness, lost souls mourn beauty, insignificance surrounds us. Then let us drink a cup of tea. Silence descends, one hears the wind outside, autumn leaves rustle and take flight, the cat sleeps in a warm pool of light. And, with each swallow, time is sublimed. –Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog (part 2 of quote) Visiting English country houses was one of the themes that Dorene had proposed for our travels in England in 2013. If this brings to mind a quaint English cottage nestled in a bucolic landscape, well…not quite.

Dorene was talking about the ancestral homes of dukes and earls, houses with wondrous designs, architecture, interiors, furniture, artwork, and landscapes that would help to define aristocratic families for centuries. Still, the quaint English cottage has an authentic appeal, and we were fortunate on our second day in England to experience both types of country living. A full-day bus tour out of London brought us to the grandeur of Blenheim Palace and the picturesque scenery of the Cotswolds. The final stop on our tour was Blenheim Palace. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to the historical significance of its architecture and landscape, Blenheim Palace is home to the Duke of Marlborough and notable as the birthplace of Winston Churchill. Photo by Dorene Photo by Dorene Afternoon tea is served at Blenheim Palace, but we would not have had enough time for it. Bus tours carry the risk of unpredictability, and our tour was no exception. Between traffic delays caused by road construction and a tardy tour member whom the guide did not want to leave stranded, we had limited time to explore the house, gardens, grounds, and gift shop. Fortunately, we had already stopped for tea in the Cotswolds.

The Cotswolds are a range of hills west-northwest of London, about 2 hours away. Our tour guide translated the word to mean “sheep farms in the hills,” although some websites suggest that “Cot” refers to Cod, a 12th-century Anglo-Saxon chieftain. (By the way, our tour guide was not really a guide. He shared some facts and history, set the timetable, took lunch orders, and arranged tickets. Otherwise, we were on our own at each stop.) Among the facts that he shared: While 60% of England is made up of farms, 80% of the Cotswolds is farmland. The region has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the bus tour rewarded us with views of expansive fields, rolling hills, grazing animals, and, of course, Cotswolds cottages, all made from stone that was mined in local quarries.

(For a comprehensive website about the Cotswolds, visit Cotswolds.info .) Our first stop was the village of Bibury, with highlights including Arlington Row, a series of cottages that originally stored wool and were later converted to weaver’s cottages; a water meadow; the River Coln; “oreo” cows; and other picturesque scenes. Photo by Dorene Photo by Dorene Photo by Dorene Next we visited Burford, which was once named by Forbes Magazine as one of the top 10 places in Europe to live. A highlight for tourists is the church of St. John the Baptist. Photo by Dorene Photo by Dorene The third village that we visited was Bourton-on-the-Water. With stone buildings overlooking the River Windrush and several footbridges crossing the river, Bourton-on-the-Water is sometimes referred to, with a touch of imagination, as the Venice of the Cotswolds or Little Venice. This is where we had tea. The River Windrush in Bourton-on-the-Water. Green and Pleasant Tea Rooms are in the background center/left.

Photo by Dorene Lunch had been served earlier at The Mermaid, a pub in Burford, so we were not looking for the full afternoon tea experience. We just wanted a snack, or more properly, “cream tea”: a pot of tea and a scone. This was not a challenge. Everywhere you turn in Bourton-on-the-Water, a tea room is in sight. The one we chose, the Green and Pleasant Tea Rooms, happened to be in front of us when we decided to stop for tea. The ice cream window at the Green and Pleasant Tea Rooms in Bourton-on-the-Water. Photo by Dorene Dorene obviously wanted to order cream tea, and a server waited on her as soon as we entered. When the server asked whether we would like to sit inside or outside, “outside” flew out of my mouth before I remembered that I needed to check with Dorene. Inside was her preference. The afternoon was cool and breezy, not ideal conditions for eating a scone. Besides, Dorene felt satisfied that she had seen and photographed enough of the Cotswolds. All that remained for her was to have tea and then finally move on to Blenheim Palace.

Dorene’s Assessment Cream Tea at the Green and Pleasant Tea Rooms. Photo by Dorene Tea – Enjoyable, standard tea fare. Scone – There were three options for flavored scones, but no plain scone, Dorene’s preference. She chose the fruited scone, and fortunately there was not too much fruit. The scone was extra large and fluffy with good volume. As at Selfridges, the scone was a little sweet. Dorene is more accustomed to U.S. scones, which are less sweet. The clotted cream and jam were in containers: Rodda’s Classic Cornish Clotted Cream and Robertson’s jam, which both seem to be popular brands in England. Service – Friendly staff. The tea and scone were brought to the table within a minute or two. Atmosphere – Pleasant and peaceful. We were seated alone in the front room, near the door and windows. There were people in the back room and at the tables outside by the river. It was worth sitting inside for the comfortable environment. Decor – There was a pretty French/Provence theme to the decor, with both natural and artificial plants and flowers.

The tea room must also serve as an art gallery, because the paintings on the walls were for sale. There were additional paintings on the floor resting along the walls. Overall grade – A- Diane’s Thoughts Now I must make a confession. Unlike Dorene, I sometimes stray from the purpose of the Tea and Scone Hop by failing to order tea and scones. I could claim that I want the blog to include other options available at tea rooms, but in reality my devotion to tea and scones still needs to grow. During the bus tour, our tour guide had mentioned three times that we would be able to get Winstones (pronounced Winstons by the guide) Cotswold Ice Cream in Bourton-on-the-Water. When I discovered that the Green and Pleasant Tea Rooms carried it, I could not resist. I ordered chocolate ice cream, which was served in a plain cone and produced an extra delight: It had chocolate chunks as well. If I had committed myself to drinking tea, either within the lovely tea room itself or outside in the cool breeze beside a river named Windrush, would I have approached the noble and spiritual experience Muriel Barbery depicts in the quote at the top of this post?

Probably not, mainly because we were part of a bus tour, where time is of the essence, not sublimed. Still, even though I was only an observer, I was able to appreciate the quiet pleasure that the tea experience brings, especially when sitting in a quaint English village and not next to a department store escalator . Side Hop While I was still deciding what to order (there were also cookies to tempt me), an older couple came in and requested two scones to go. The server asked whether they wanted clotted cream and jam, and the gentleman responded, “What is a scone without jam? Or ‘scon,’ as my mother used to say.” The server noted that she always pronounced it as “scone” (rhymes with “stone”), although the alternate pronunciation made sense to me since our tour guide had pronounced “Winstones” as “Winstons.” (Keep in mind, these people are all speaking with British accents.) I checked the OED, and both pronunciations are correct.

I was curious whether the pronunciation varied by region and found this definition , which indicates that the “scon” pronunciation is associated with northern England and the working class, while what I thought was the standard pronunciation of “scone” is associated with the south and the middle class. However, the OxfordWords blog on the same website has a post How do you pronounce scone? that tells a different story. According to a poll they did, a slight majority of the respondents from the United Kingdom voted for “scon,” while Americans overwhelmingly favored the pronunciation that rhymes with “stone.” Several British commenters, but not all, insisted that “scon” was the correct pronunciation. One commenter even invoked Monty Python’s Lumberjack Song to make his case. Yes, Monty Python. So a simple pronunciation inquiry triggered by a kind British gentleman in a Cotswolds tea room ended up leading me to watch TWO versions of an imaginary, tea-drinking, scone-eating (or rather “scon”-eating) lumberjack who sings about cross-dressing. So much for the spiritual side of drinking tea.

I’ll include a link to one version of the song on my Twitter feed on the right side of the blog, but be warned, it is typical Monty Python. As for “scon” or “scone,” I’m definitely going to stick with the American pronunciation. Share this: What makes Harrogate so happy? Find out what the Yorkshire spa town has to offer | UK | News | Daily Express UK What makes Harrogate so happy? Find out what the Yorkshire spa town has to offer CHARLES DICKENS once described the spa town of Harrogate as "the queerest place with the strangest people leading the oddest lives". 01:39, Thu, May 22, 2014 The Valley Gardens contain a greater number of mineral springs than anywhere else in the world[GETTY] How times change. This week Harrogate was voted the happiest place to live in Britain for the second year running. Set in some of the most beautiful countryside in Europe the North Yorkshire town of 74,000 has claimed the top spot in the Rightmove Happy At Home Index thanks to factors such as neighbourliness, safety and recreational facilities.

Reacting to the news Hazel Bone, manager of Harrogate's iconic Bettys Café Tea Rooms, says: "It is a lovely town with a really good feeling and atmosphere. "There is a beautiful town centre with Victorian architecture, lovely attractions such as the Roman Baths, nice shops and lots of great places to eat." So what else is it about Harrogate that puts a smile on its residents' faces? • The Royal Pump Room Museum offers a fascinating insight into Harrogate's past as the site of the strongest sulphur wells in Europe. It was built by Isaac Shutt in 1842 to provide shelter for the town's affluent visitors as they took the famous waters. At its peak the Pump Room attracted 15,000 every summer, including on one famous occasion in 1911 Tsarina Alexandra of Russia. Following the creation of the NHS after the Second World War demand waned for the "curing" waters and it was closed. In 1953 it reopened as the museum with permanent displays of Harrogate's spa history. • No visit to Harrogate is complete without a cuppa at Bettys Café Tea Rooms.

It was founded in 1919 by Frederick Belmont and its combination of mouthwatering Swiss confectionery and Yorkshire warmth and hospitality in an elegant setting proved irresistible. Nearly 100 years on Bettys Harrogate is as popular as ever offering more than 300 breads, cakes and chocolates, as well as 50 different teas and coffees. Its signature creation is the "fat rascal", similar to a scone but with more fruit. The Great Yorkshire Show is expected to attract 130,000 visitors [GETTY] We have the space, facilities and expertise to ensure your event is a success from start to finish Harrogate International Centre's publicity material • Top-notch conference facilities are provided by the Harrogate International Centre which styles itself HIC Yorkshire. "We have the space, facilities and expertise to ensure your event is a success from start to finish," says its publicity material. It boasts more than 18,500 square metres of space including a 2,000-seat auditorium and the spectacular Edwardian Royal Hall theatre which has had a recent multi-million-pound restoration. The HIC's finest hour dates back to 1982 when it hosted the Eurovision Song Contest.

The BBC's coverage was presented by Jan Leeming and Germany won the competition for the first time with a song called Ein Bisschen Frieden (A Little Peace) by Nicole. • Proof that there is more to Yorkshire cuisine than tripe and parkin is provided by the Michelin-starred Yorke Arms restaurant, located in the nearby village of Ramsgill. Under head chef Frances Atkins - one of only six female Michelinstarred chefs in the country - its menus include Yorkshire classics such as Wensleydale soufflé and fillet of Yorkshire beef. • The first Saturday in July promises to be a red-letter day for Harrogate this year. The city and surrounding district will host The Yorkshire Grand Depart, the opening stages of the 2014 Tour de France. Stage one of the tour on Saturday July 5 will pass through Ripon on its way from the Yorkshire Dales and finish in Harrogate. Stage two will pass through Knaresborough en route from York to Sheffield the following day. • No sooner has the cycling circus left town than the country's bestknown agricultural show gets under way.

The 156th Great Yorkshire Show runs from Tuesday July 8 to Thursday July 10 and is expected to attract 130,000 visitors. They will be treated to a display of 5,000 of Britain's finest cattle, sheep and pigs as well as 2,000 horses participating in top-class showjumping and equine classes. Apart from international sheep-shearing competitions there will be demon-competitions there will be demonstrations of country skills, including dry-stone walling and gundog training and of course traditional Yorkshire brass bands. • The London 2012 Olympic cauldron was built in what the designer describes as "the most sophisticated shed in Harrogate". Thomas Heatherwick's cauldron, which was made of 204 separate petals representing the number of competing countries, was chosen by officials including David Cameron and London 2012 chairman Lord Coe.

Bettys Café offers over 300 breads, cakes and chocolates, as well as 50 different teas and coffee [GETTY] • Harrogate's Grade II-listed Valley Gardens are in Low Harrogate, which along with an area of woodland known as The Pinewoods, cover 17 acres. The gardens contain a greater number of mineral springs than anywhere else in the world, including an area known as Bogs Field where 36 different mineral wells were discovered. • The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival runs from July 17-20 at the Old Swan Hotel and this year boasts a star-studded line-up including Harry Potter author JK Rowling - appearing under her nom de plume as crime writer Robert Galbraith - Prime Suspect creator Lynda La Plante and bestselling SJ Watson. The four-day festival will kick off with an opening party at which the crime novel of the Year will be announced. This will be followed a day later by the perennially popular murder mystery dinner this year hosted by Ann Cleeves, author of the Jimmy Perez books that were turned into top-rating BBC One series Shetland.

No fewer than 16 crime writers have been roped in to act as team captains and mingle with participants. • The Old Swan Hotel resonates for crime fiction fans because it was here that a depressed Agatha Christie holed up for 11 days in December 1926 while police conducted a manhunt amid speculation she had committed suicide. Writers Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dorothy L Sayers got involved, with Conan Doyle's interest in the occult prompting him to take one of Christie's gloves to a medium. In the end Christie - who had checked into what was then known as the Swan Hydropathic Hotel under an assumed name, was discovered after she was recognised by a banjo player from the hotel. • The town is the birthplace of a number of big names including Jim Carter, who plays Downton Abbey butler Carson, and Hugo Speer, one of the six male strippers in the film version of The Full Monty. • Only seven working Turkish baths date back to the 19th century and none is as historically authentic as Harrogate's, which opened in 1897.

Renovated with National Lottery funds in 2004 the magnificently restored Moorish interior features vaults and arches that soar to a high arabesque ceiling ornately decorated with a colourful stencilled design. The walls consist of vibrant glazed brickwork while underfoot the look is completed with elaborately assembled mosaic and marble terrazzo floors. Serious bathers start at the eucalyptus-infused sauna and then pass through three rooms that are hot, hotter and hotter still before taking the plunge into a cold bath. Related articles

Question: What is the name of the cafe/tea room, founded by Frederick Belmont in 1919 in Harrogate, and now a tourist attraction?
Answer: Betty's