Harrogate

A couple of weeks ago I spent three days in Harrogate, NorthYorkshire.  Harrogate developed during Victorian times as a spa town and is still  a very elegant town. But the special properties of the waters had been discovered long before that in the 1600s. Over 100 mineral springs have been discovered in and around Harrogate. The springs do not originate from the same source and as a consequence they have different mineral contents. In the 17th and 18th century the waters containing iron were a very popular health treatment and people came from far and wide to bathe and drink the waters.

In 1897 the Royal Baths was opened to offer spa treatments and hydrotherapy to visitors. Much of the building is now used for other purposes such as bars and restaurants but the Turkish Baths still remain open. I couldn't resist a visit and spent a couple of relaxing hours in the steam room and hot rooms and managed two seconds in the cold plunge pool. It was a highlight of my trip. No photos though.





















This Royal Pump Room was built in 1841  to pump the sulphur water from a natural spring known as the Old Sulphur Well. Visitors to the Pump Room would pay  to drink the sulphur water inside the Pump Room. However legislation from 1841 stated that the water must be freely available to those who cannot afford to pay. Outside the Pump Room is a tap where you can still taste the water.

Nowadays EU regulations state that the water is not fit for human consumption but the water still flows if you want to try it.

A short distance away in the Valley Gardens is the pump room for a Magnesia well erected in 1858. With all these wells it is no wonder the town was known as the 'English Spa'. Between 1830 and 1840 local business men ciphered off spa water for their own wells to profit from the influx of visitors. As a result of this dishonest activity locals petitioned for an Act of Parliament to protect the town's wells which was instrumental in its survival and preservation for today's visitors.

Other places of interest in the town include the Hotel Majestic. Built in 1900 it was favoured by the likes of Sir Winston Churchill, Errol Flynn and various Prime Ministers. Bombed in 1940 it served as an RAF Reception Centre in WW2. It was extensively refurbished between 1998 and 2002.











A visit to Harrogate would not be complete without having tea and cakes at Betty's tea shop which has served a variety of teas here since 1919.

In 2014 the Tour de France cycling race began in Yorkshire and the evidence is everywhere. Here in Harrogate you will see numerous yellow cycles adorning gardens, houses and streets. It was hugely successful and now we have the annual Tour de Yorkshire.  It is a gruelling 3 day race covering 518.5kms.  This year it begins in Beverly on the 29th April.