We all need to get away sometimes, and there is nothing we love more here at Quingo Scooters than tracking down the best short breaks in the UK for you. There are certainly plenty to choose from but this time we’re finding out what the beautiful northern spa town of Harrogate has to offer.
Exploring Harrogate
It’s a regular winner of the best place to live in the UK and it really is no wonder. Harrogate is a stunning town, full of historic buildings and tea rooms to wile away the days in. So, it is a great place to live, but it is also a wonderful town to visit. And whether you fancy taking in the town’s peaceful parks, treating yourself in one of its great cafes or restaurants or enjoying a spot of local history, the great news is that many of its attractions are accessible too. Here is our pick.
Have a little something at Betty’s
If there is one thing that Harrogate is known for around the world, it is its wonderful tea rooms, where people have been filling in that lengthy gap between lunch and their evening meal for generations. Betty’s is without doubt the town’s most famous, as the queues outside prove, but it is certainly with good reason. Having Afternoon Tea there is a fantastic experience, and while the queues can be long, don’t let that put you off. If you really want to treat yourself then book a Lady Betty Afternoon tea online and avoid any waiting. You’ll get to enjoy the luxurious surroundings of Betty’s Imperial and Belmont Rooms, and you even get your own pianist! The café, shop and toilet at Betty’s are all at pavement level and so are easily accessible for scooter users.
Chill out (and warm up) in the Turkish Baths
Of course, thanks to William Slingsby’s discovery of the local springs four hundred years ago, Harrogate is also a spa town, and the historic Turkish Baths are well worth a visit. The place itself is breathtaking (literally, in the case of the cold plunge pool!) with intricate mosaic floors, and Islamic arches creating a real sense of being transported to another world. The baths take you through a process of heating, cooling and cleansing your body, and you can also take your pick from a number of treatments. The baths are fully accessible, although it can be busy and some of the rooms aren’t huge, so we’d recommend giving them a call on 01423 556746 to make sure it won’t be too packed when you visit. As with Betty’s, you can park nearby on the street using pay and display or disc, or there is also the Jubilee long stay car park about 5 minutes away. The Jubilee is just off Cheltenham Road and is open 7am – 10pm Sunday to Wednesday, and 7am – 11:59pm Thursday to Saturday. There are 444 spaces, with a number reserved for Blue Badge holders.
Take a trip around RHS Garden Harlow Carr
If Harrogate’s wonderful tea rooms and relaxing spa facilities weren’t enough, there is also one of the country’s most beautiful and horticulturally important gardens to enjoy. Harlow Carr is a wonderful space to explore, with an extensive garden that is home to an incredible range of different plants. The Royal Horticultural Society have done a fantastic job of making a visit there a real journey through lots of different landscapes, from woods to rich wildflower meadows. We’d suggest you pick a day when the sun is shining and set aside a whole afternoon to explore the garden’s 68 acres.
And as the weather gets colder, we’d also recommend their Winter Garden, that has been designed and planted with the specific shapes and colours of winter in mind. Although some of the paths can be steep, the gardens have been designed to be fully accessible, and you can also park very close to the entrance. For more information, take a look at their accessibility page here.
General accessibility
While Harrogate is hilly and can be busy during tourist season, it is easy to get around and many of the town’s most popular attractions have taken into account the needs of those of us who use mobility scooters and wheelchairs. The town’s main tourism information site is a great place to start planning your stay.
Getting to Harrogate
Harrogate is well served by road, rail and air. If you’re coming by car, it’s about 20 minutes from the A1. For those of you coming from the North, take the A1(M), leave at Junction 47 (Knaresborough) and follow signs to Harrogate. If you’re coming from the South, then take Junction 45 (Wetherby) and then the A661 to Harrogate. It’s half an hour on the train from Leeds, and you can reach Harrogate from London on the train in under three hours. Leeds Bradford Airport is also only about 20 minutes away. There is a direct airport shuttle bus (the 747) which takes you right into the heart of town.
About Quingo
The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.
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All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC). AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.