Harrogate

Harrogate, a spa town in North Yorkshire with a population of 75,000, was voted the happiest town in England in 2013, 2014 & 2015. Together with the commercial city of Leeds to the south and the ancient city of York to the east, Harrogate forms what is known locally as The Golden Triangle, where the property market has remained strong, even during the recession.   Harrogate became known as 'The English Spa' in the Georgian Era, after its waters were discovered in the 16th century. As a result the architecture of the town is almost uniformly Georgian and Victorian.  The town motto is 'Arx celebris fontibus', which means a 'citadel famous for its springs'.

Harrogate has many excellent schools (both state and private) as well as a FE/HE College.  Nearby York and Leeds also have excellent private schools and well regarded universities and colleges of Art.

Harrogate railway station links travellers with the mainline stations of Leeds and York. The busy bus station provides regular services to the centre of Leeds, Ripon and Bradford as well as direct services to Leeds Bradford International Airport and all nearby towns and villages.

The main roads through the town are the north-south A61, connecting Harrogate to Ripon & Leeds, and the east-west A59, connecting to York & Skipton.  The A1M 3 lane motorway is just 5 miles to the east.

Harrogate is a popular conference destination with the International Centre and Royal Hall hosting many events throughout the year. Harrogate has 3 theatres, 2 cinemas, and countless bars and restaurants to suit every taste, the most famous being Betty’s Tea Rooms located in the centre of the town.   Harrogate has 2 football clubs, a rugby union club, 2 tennis clubs, lawn bowls clubs (indoor and outdoor), crown green bowls, several gyms & spas and four 18 hole golf courses within the town boundary and a further two just outside.    Harrogate is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include the Valley Gardens, spa waters and RHS Harlow Carr gardens. Nearby are the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Studley Park & Gardens, Fountains Abbey, Riveaux Abbey, Jervaux Abbey and many ancient towns and villages such as Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge, Boroughbridge and the City of Ripon. 

Harrogate is famous for The Stray, 200 acres of maintined grassland and trees that virtually surround the town providing interesting walks and picnics in the summer.  Visitors from all over the world photograph the corridors of flowering cherry trees along the paths leading to the Tewit Well.  The Stray is protected land that will never be built on. In 1778 the Commissioners for the Enclosure of the Forest of Knaresborough, referring to the Stray,  declared that "The said 200 acres of land shall forever hereafter remain open and unenclosed and all persons whomsoever shall have free access at all times".

The Prince Of Wales roundabout at the junction of York Place and West Park is maintained by the local council to greet visitors arriving on the Leeds Road (A61).  It is one of the most beautiful roundabouts in England and is regularly featured on calendars.