Harrogate: This Yorkshire spa town is the happiest place to live in my experience as someone who grew up there - here’s why
Harrogate was named one of the happiest places to live in Great Britain by Rightmove in December - as someone who grew up in the Yorkshire town, I agree and here’s why.
My family moved to Harrogate when I was 12 years old and over the years it has gone through many changes.
Just like anyone who has lived in one place for years, I often took it for granted until I left for university.
Throughout my adult life I’ve revisited Harrogate many times and every time I did, it was like exploring it with a fresh pair of eyes that belonged to a tourist or an outsider.
I have many fond memories of being off school for days at a time due to the snow and I made snow angels, had snowball fights with my friends and built snowmen.
In recent years, my memories are somewhat more sophisticated; for instance four years ago Harrogate was blanketed with snow and my sister and I took our usual stroll towards the farm cafe Fodder.
We often had lunch there and the food is fresh and satisfying with friendly staff and we have a great window view of the farm outside filled with sheep.
During Covid years, my family and I would walk that route every day.
Behind the Great Yorkshire Showground there’s a beautiful woodland area that was covered in ice, including ice droplets hanging from tree branches - it was like walking through a winter wonderland.
Winter is not the only season that reminds me how stunning the spa town is; during the summer the cherry blossom tree trail on the Stray is so vibrant and colourful it looks like it’s animated or a postcard.
Harrogate also blooms during spring, in autumn the leaves along the Stray change colour and the landscapes are filled with a variety of hues, it’s mesmerising.
Whilst it is not the biggest town, there is so much to do. A couple of weeks ago I went Christmas shopping in town but I went with the intention of having a fun day out with my mum rather than on a mission to get my gifts.
This relieved a lot of the pressure and allowed me to rediscover - and even discover - all the special shops and businesses Harrogate has to offer.
Before I got there, I looked up independent bookshops in Harrogate online and the first one that popped up was Imagined Things Bookshop on Montpellier Street.
The second I walked in I felt excited and my nerdy side came out.
I knew roughly what kind of book I was looking for, so I asked one of the owners and they were so helpful and enthusiastic.
Next door to the bookshop is The Olde Sweetshop which filled me with nostalgia as I was buzzing around the shelves of sweets, feeling giddy as I had flashbacks of my childhood during my Flying Saucers, Bon Bons, Gobstoppers addictions.
But to my surprise, as you walked further into the shop it wasn’t just sweets - there were plenty of trinkets and keepsakes you could buy. I think I spent two hours in that shop and I still felt like I hadn’t seen everything.
Onto the more touristy reasons for Harrogate being a happy place to live - Betty’s is a luxury I can’t afford regularly but for a treat I love to pop in, especially in the bakery shop. The pianist plays beautiful music as you sit and indulge in a nice lunch or pamper yourself with an afternoon tea.
You can also enjoy brunch, lunch and an afternoon tea at Mama Doreen’s Emporium, I’m spoiled for choice there. It is always dressed beautifully on the outside and the inside and the price is just right.
These happy moments have always pulled me back - you can take me out of Harrogate but Harrogate will always live inside me.
Overall what really draws me to the town is its abundance of beautiful four-season-friendly walks, its stunning aesthetic, its independent shops, cafes, restaurants, businesses and the many nostalgic strolls down memory lane.