Harrogate

Harrogate sits in North Yorkshire, England, roughly between Leeds and York and on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. It grew as a fashionable 18th–19th century spa town after people flocked to its mineral springs, and you can still see that history in the Turkish Baths at the old Royal Pump Room and the town’s elegant Victorian and Georgian architecture.

Today Harrogate blends leafy parks like Valley Gardens and The Stray with a lively cultural and conference scene centred on the Harrogate International Centre; its economy leans on tourism, events and upmarket retail. Socially it’s known as an affluent, outward-facing town with a strong food and café culture (the teashop Bettys being a local institution), regular festivals and good access to the countryside.