Lauren Tabbron shares her favourite things to do in Manchester
Jess Astbury regales tales of festivities in warmer climates.
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal:
What to do:
First of all, bring a camera. There are so many beautiful sights in this National Trust property that you’ll regret only being able to document your visit with the camera on your phone (although, the great arch at Fountains Abbey does serve as an attractive “wallpaper”). Fountains is a very well preserved Abbey, with beautiful shadows cast through the old cloisters, beautiful green grass where the monks would once have prayed, and shady, perfectly preserved covered walkways in the old crypt.
Fountains Abbey is just the first of the gems on this trip, however. You follow a vague track from the starting point, down past historic houses, through and around the Abbey, the stunning meadows, where you’ll probably want to pick wild flowers and write Romantic poetry, down past the expansive lakes and woodlands of Studley Royal.
Bring a picnic – don’t eat it in the car park as we saw some people doing – sit before the Abbey and relax in the presence of such natural perfection and ancient splendour.
What to look out for:
Sometimes there are events on so if you plan in advance, you can set your day around those. When we went there was a medieval fete, but they frequently have concerts and plays performed in the open there.
Harrogate:
People say that York and Harrogate are two Southern towns in the North… no coal mines, no centres of industry, and plenty of luxury shopping and tearooms instead. Harrogate has a very different vibe to York though.
What to do:
York is full of boutiques and eateries; however, maybe due to the student populous, it looks practically plebeian compared to Harrogate. So many luxury clothing shops, cafes, and gift shops and restaurants every which way you turn.
Stroll about the regency terraces and crescents and lust after the beautiful houses that overlook more beautiful houses.
Visit the Valley Gardens, a veritable urban jungle – not at all the concrete jungle Alicia Keys is always singing about. There is a glorious pergola overlooking flower beds worthy of the Chelsea flower show. It’s so beautiful and relaxing that you can almost imagine glancing a unicorn or a centaur behind the trees.
What to eat:
Betty’s started in Harrogate. I went determined to prefer Betty’s of York, but most disappointingly was in awe of the wrought iron Victorian beauty of Betty’s older sister. And, if the superior aesthetics were not enough, in Betty’s of Harrogate you can buy pre-packed sandwiches and salads from their salad bar. What a decadent alternative to Pret.
The Bottom Line:
A trip to Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal and Harrogate, or one of the two, is bound to put you in a good mood. The only bad thing to say about these places is that with their superior ruins, superior gardens, and superior Betty’s, they might leave you finding York lacking.
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