Best picnic spot
A stroll away through the city centre is Valley Gardens is a 17-acre Grade II-listed park and woodland area which is free to visit. Pick up supplies from Weeton's (see Shopping).
Best walks
The Dales Way stretches for 84 miles from Ilkley down to the shores of Windermere in the Lake District, passing through some beautiful countryside. A 20-mile link trail from Harrogate joins the Way at Bolton Abbey, across the Barden Moors – visit www.dalesway.org.uk for more details. For an easier stroll, the Pinewoods offer a pleasant afternoon's pottering with green and pleasant views.
Shopping
Just up from Bettys tea room is Weeton's at 23/24 West Park, Harrogate HG1 1BJ (+44 (0)1423 507 100) stocking excellent meats, cheeses, fine wines and fruit and vegetables.
Activities
The Mercer Art Gallery (+44 (0)1423 556188), set in an 1806 spa building – the town’s oldest – on Swan Road, contains a collection of fine art and occasional exhibitions; see www.harrogate.gov.uk/museums. The nearby Pump House Museum on Crown Place (+44 (0)1423 556188) is a bite-sized insight into Harrogate’s boom era as a genteel spa destination, with a scary array of Victorian ‘spa’ equipment.
Smith Tip
Take advantage of being in this fine spa town and pack your swimwear so you can immerse yourself in Harrogate's hammam – a 19th-century Turkish take on a traditional steam and scrub.
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A Jakes Patisserie breakfast hamper
