We're Back Home

We ended our 9-day tour of the Yorkshire Dales in the UK last Friday, And, after a long day of travel with the time change, thankfully arrived home a day before the weekend's first nor'easter. 

Our large tour group of 45 was on a nine-day tour of the Yorkshire Dales, sponsored by NH Public Broadcasting System (PBS). Titled Discover the Yorkshire Dales, the tour highlighted locales featured in the popular TV series, All Creatures Great and Small. 

Alf Wight

Everyone on the tour had watched either the original 1978 series or the more recent 2020 PBS series (or both) that focused on the popular books by James Herriot (pen name of Alf Wight, a Yorkshire veterinarian). The book title is taken from a popular children’s hymn written in 1848 by Irish poet Cecil Frances Alexander. Wight also used another line in the poem for his book titled, All Things Bright and Beautiful.

Our week-long accommodation was at The Yorkshire Hotel in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, which dates to 1815 when Nicholas Carter built the first house on Prospect Hill as a premises for the sale of wine and spirits and provided guest accommodations. The hotel has had several names. First it was known as Carters then The Prospect and The Imperial before taking on its current name. It has also undergone many renovations with wings demolished, extra floors added, elaborate iron work and towers erected. 

The Yorkshire Hotel, Prospect Place, Harrogate

Royalty, the rich and famous and countless celebrities have been stayed here. The Yorkshire remained open during both world wars when it was used for support services and accommodation.

Harrogate War Memorial

Some of the hotel gardens were sold off to become the town’s war memorial site. The Harrogate War Memorial is a 20-meter white Portland stone obelisk located in Prospect Square (Prospect Place) in the center of Harrogate. It was designed by English architect Ernest Prestwich who specialized in war memorials and civic buildings. 

Crowds at War Memorial 1923 dedication (Internet source)

Two large bronze plaques list 1,163 local casualties from WW I and II, including a special dedication to Victoria Cross recipients. It was unveiled in September 1923 and its dedication was marked by one of the largest gatherings in Harrogate, an estimated 10,000 people.

Our room at the Harrogate

The hotel has 5 floors and 94 rooms. Our third floor room was modest with a king-size bed, built in nightstands, wardrobe, arm chair, desk and TV. Notably, there was no clothes dresser and the wardroom only accommodated hanging garments. We have become adept travelers at using our suitcases as dressers..

A very high tub was challenging

As expected, the bathroom didn't have wash clothes, but from previous European travels we knew to bring our own. It did have a towel heating rack with oversized bath towels. Getting into the high tub-shower presented unique challenges as there were no hand rails or step stool. In future travels, we know to request a shower-only room. 

Views from the single hotel window

Our hotel room only had a single window, but it provided a great view of the town center, including the war memorial.

During a short walk, we noticed that Harrogate had a lot of rounded buildings with at least one on every corner. Harrogate is a spa town that is about 455 years old, dating back to the discovery of its first mineral spring in 1571. 

Exterior of Harrogate Turkish Baths

Several fellow travelers went to the Turkish Baths housed in a restored 19th-century Victorian spa with Moorish design, Islamic arches, and terrazzo floors; however we did not. The UK currently has 11 remaining original Victorian-style Turkish bath with only about 6 open for public use.

Bettys Café Tea Room in Harrogate

Bettys Café Tea Room is among the most popular places in Harrogate and was 

located directly across from the hotel. Bettys is famous for combining traditional Swiss confectionery with hearty Yorkshire hospitality into a grand, afternoon tea experience. Long lines outside its five Yorkshire locations have turned a simple tea room stop into a major tourist destination

A sundae dessert at Bettys

Bettys was founded in 1919 when Swiss baker Fritz Bützer, later to become Frederick Belmont, opened the first one in Harrogate after arriving in England. There's no information on why it was called Bettys, but it's become a legendary institution for traditional afternoon tea and pastries. And, now also serves lunch and dinner. Rather than tea and scones, we opted for Betty's Gooey Rascal Sundae during our visit.

UK friends, Kath and Andrew, met us for dinner

A highlight of our first full day in Harrogate was a visit from our UK friends, Kath and Andrew, who traveled from Derby to meet us for dinner at The Yorkshire. We last met up in London in October 2023 when we were on another tour. This is long-standing and long-distance friendship that started over 20 years ago at a VA hotel. Over breakfast talk, we learned that we shared the same wedding anniversary date. We've remained in contact through emails and cards and have with  phone calls through WhatsApp.

Surprisingly, the weather was perfect for our 9-day trip with daily temps in the high 60s or low 70s (F) and a couple of light showers. This was ideal as in the weeks before our trip, Yorkshire had been receiving rain on a near daily basis.

Our limousine for the entire tour

Harrogate served as the tour base as we took daily bus trips accompanied by PBS representatives and Linda, a local tour guide. The very capable bus driver, Harry, always managed to maneuver a very large tour bus along the narrowest Yorkshire roadways.

Future posts will contain highlights on some of the sights seen and places visited, including a the 1940s festival, an agricultural fair, and, of course, some castles and abbeys.

Apologies for not keeping up with fellow bloggers recent posts. Catching up on things at home and recovering from a cold have taken up time.