Harrogate: Gardens, the Stray and the history of its springs

If you’re looking for a hotel in Harrogate, you can plan your stay around gardens, open green spaces and the history of its sulphur springs. These offer a range of reasons to visit: a garden visit in Low Harrogate, outdoor recreation, one of the recurring fairs or an interest in the history of the springs. The locations differ both in their design and in the specific ways they can be enjoyed.

Valley Gardens and the Pinewoods

Valley Gardens is a 17-hectare garden in Low Harrogate and is listed as a Grade II garden by English Heritage. The grounds are next to the Pinewoods woodland areas. If gardens are the focus of your trip, Valley Gardens offers a clearly identifiable destination in Low Harrogate; the neighbouring Pinewoods add a woodland setting to the garden experience. At 17 hectares, Valley Gardens is an expansive garden, and its size can help you plan your trip.

The Stray: open space and fairs

The Stray offers a different focus from Valley Gardens: it covers 200 acres of open grassland and verges around Harrogate’s main historic town centre. There is room for picnics, kite flying, outdoor games and local football matches. Over the years, six to seven million crocuses have been planted in the grasslands of the Harrogate Stray. They add a seasonal floral accent to the open landscape.

Two fairs are held each year on Oatlands Drive Stray: one on the Spring Bank Holiday and the other on the August Bank Holiday. These two holiday periods give you two different occasions to plan a visit. If a fair is the focus of your trip, check the specific event dates for your chosen year.

Sulphur springs and the Royal Pump Room Museum

The Royal Pump Room Museum is housed in a building erected around 1842 by Isaac T Shutt, on the site of sulphur springs described by Edmund Deane in 1626. The dates relate to different stages: 1626 to the description of the springs, and around 1842 to the construction of the building. This distinguishes the early description of the sulphur springs from the later history of the building. For travellers interested in the history of Harrogate’s sulphur springs, the museum is a specific point of reference that brings both aspects together.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr

RHS Garden Harlow Carr is on the outskirts of Harrogate in North Yorkshire. The locations distinguish the two garden highlights: Valley Gardens is in Low Harrogate, while Harlow Carr is on the outskirts. Visitors who reach Harlow Carr without a car by bus, train, bicycle or on foot currently receive a 30% discount on garden admission. As the terms may change, check them before your visit.

For planning purposes, the fairs and the discount are relevant in different ways: the fair dates depend on the bank holiday, while the discount depends on travelling without a car and on the applicable terms.

Discover more destinations: West Witton, Hebden, Grosmont, Carlton Miniott, Great Edstone, Masham, Ravenscar, Clapham

For the broader travel overview: North Yorkshire.