Oz Clarke and the Armonico Consort toast music with ‘Gin & Phonic’

A top wine critic and broadcaster is set to team up with a choir and instrumental ensemble to explore the relationship between music and gin.

Held in association with Harrogate’s Slingsby Gin, the event will see Oz Clarke and the Armonico Consort investigate the highs and lows of the connection between gin, music, and humans over the centuries.

Gin and Phonic will take place in The Spiegeltent, in Crescent Gardens, Harrogate, on the evening of Monday, July 4, as part of the Harrogate Music Festival.

Slingsby Gin will be providing two free gin tastings for each audience member, which can be sipped whilst listening to the music of Purcell, Handel and Dowland.

Whilst William Slingsby discovered the unique properties of the natural spring water from Harrogate’s Tewit Well in 1571, more than 40 years later Slingsby Gin captured the ‘Spirit of Harrogate’, synonymous with its beautiful and restorative nature, in a variety of different gins.

Tickets cost £28 and are available here or by calling the Harrogate International Festivals box office on 01423 562303.

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Grab a picnic rug for open air theatre performances in the district

It has been a week of soaring temperatures across the Harrogate district.

And when the sun shines, there is nothing better than grabbing a picnic rug or deckchair and enjoying some fabulous outdoor entertainment.

We have put together a selection of outdoor theatre performances taking place across the Harrogate district this summer where tickets are still available:

Hamlet The Comedy – RHS Harlow Carr Gardens, July 5 and 6

Festival favourite Oddsocks Productions return to Harrogate with yet another high-energy, feel-good family theatre show.

Pack your picnic and join the crazy theatre troupe for a festival of music, magic and mayhem as they bring Hamlet The Comedy to the beautiful grounds of Harlow Carr.

Hamlet The Comedy finds the eponymous royal student returning home for the summer holidays to find something rotten in the state of Denmark and it’s more than just the bag of dirty washing! Mum’s married Uncle Claudius and Dad’s dishing the dirt from his grave – it’s enough to make a teenager mad!

Shakespeare’s famous tragedy is performed as you’ve never seen before with lots of laughs, music and memorable moments.

Presented by Oddsocks Productions as part of Harrogate International Festivals.

Event details:

Doors open at 6.30pm for Friends of the Festival and RHS card holders.

General admission from 6.45pm.

This is an outdoor event, please dress appropriately for the British weather. Feel free to bring your own picnics, rugs and deckchairs to make the most of the event.

Tickets are available here.

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Cinderella – Valley Gardens, Harrogate,  July 17

In an enchanted kingdom faraway land magical creatures and fairy godmothers come together to tell the best-loved of all fairy tales.

Full of song, mirth, and joy for the summer ahead, join us on Cinderella’s journey of a lifetime to a magical ball where nearly anything is possible especially if it is before midnight.

Family and friends are welcome to picnic and children are invited to dress in their favourite fairy tale characters and join for the midsummer ball dance.

Presented by Chapterhouse Theatre.

Event details:

Doors open at 3pm and the production starts at 4pm.

The performance will last around 90 minutes (with no interval) and will take place in all but the worst weather.

Please bring your own deck chairs, rugs and picnics etc for the performance.

Tickets are available here

Romeo and Juliet – Knaresborough Castle, August 6

This best-loved story of star crossed lovers and feuding families shall be performed in the castle yard.

Dressed in beautiful Elizabethan costume and performed by a fine troupe of Shakespearean players, join Chapterhouse for the greatest love story ever told as they perform magical theatre in magical surroundings.

Presented by Chapterhouse Theatre.

Event details:

Doors open at 6pm and the production starts at 7pm.

The performance will last around 90 minutes (with no interval) and will take place in all but the worst weather.

Please bring your own deck chairs, rugs and picnics etc for the performance.

Tickets are available here 

Pride and Prejudice – Ripon Spa Gardens, August 20

Take a step back in time as we meet Elizabeth Bennett and her sisters. Whilst their interfering mother engineers various courtships, Elizabeth and Jane must pursue their own quest for true love.

Amidst mistakes and miscommunications, can Elizabeth finally surpass her prejudices to see past the proud exterior of the enigmatic Mr Darcy?

Presented by Chapterhouse Theatre.

Event details:

Doors open at 6pm, the production starts at 7pm.

The performance will last around 90 minutes (with no interval) and will take place in all but the worst weather.

Please bring your own deck chairs, rugs and picnics etc for the performance.

Tickets are available here 

Goldsborough Hall secures place in Michelin Guide

The owner of Goldsborough Hall, near Knaresborough, has said she is “honoured and delighted” the venue has secured a place in the Michelin Guide.

The 16th century stately home has been chosen as one of six of the inspectors’ favourite new additions to appear in the prestigious food bible this month.

Co-owner Clare Oglesby praised the venue’s “extremely talented” executive chef Josh Barnes, who was appointed last September.

Ms Oglesby, who runs the hall with her husband Mark, said:

“Josh is an extremely talented chef, having retained a Michelin star at La Chapelle in London.

“It’s fantastic to get into the Michelin Guide after all the hard work Josh Barnes and his team have put in. It’s also a wonderful achievement to have been chosen as one of the inspectors’ choices this month.”

Mr Barnes was previously head chef at the Galvin brothers’ La Chapelle restaurant in London, where he retained its Michelin star and AA 3 rosette status. He was also awarded for having London’s best vegetarian and vegan tasting menus.

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The chef grew up in the open countryside of Lincolnshire and developed a passion for cooking at an early age.

He enjoys foraging for mushrooms, wild herbs and flowers and other ingredients to create inspiring natural dishes.

Ms Oglesby said:

“His modern, French-based dishes are well-balanced and full of bold flavours – and his desserts are a highlight.”

One of Mr Barnes’ dishes at Goldsborough Hall.

Revealing some of their favourite new additions to this year’s Great Britain and Ireland Guide, the inspectors said of Goldsborough Hall:

“This grand, 16th century country house is set in a gloriously remote and peaceful setting and boasts delightful gardens and grounds.

“With a backdrop this stunning, the cooking risks paling in comparison, but it more than manages to live up to expectations.

“The set menu features ingredients from their own organic kitchen garden, mixing classic and modern techniques to showcase the skills and experience of the team.

“The modern, French-based dishes are eye-catching, well-balanced and full of bold flavours; desserts are a highlight.”

Ms Oglesby said she hoped the prestigious accolade would help put Goldsborough Hall on the map as a leading dining destination.

The dining room at Goldsborough Hall is open, including for non-residents, from Wednesday to Sunday, with a six-course tasting menu.

Spacious new village homes available to move into next month

This article is sponsored by the Oakapple Group.

Nestled between Ripon and Thirsk lies the quintessentially English village of Rainton, complete with a cricket club, green and pub.

This idyllic rural setting provides the perfect location for Robinson’s Fold, a small development of 15 three, four and five-bedroom family homes.

As village locations remain in huge demand, the majority of the properties have now sold.

However, there is still an opportunity to own your dream house in the country, with three beautiful new spacious homes available to move into late next month.

Lucy Collinge, new homes marketing executive at Linley & Simpson, the agent selling the properties, said:

“The developers – Oakapple Homes – have done some incredible builds around North Yorkshire. They are known for building large, quality family homes.

“Internally the proportions of the houses at Robinson’s Fold are really quite substantial. The specification is high quality with stunning fitted kitchens, tiled bathrooms and ensuites, oak flooring in the hallway and one reception room, underfloor heating to the ground floor and bi-fold doors all coming as standard.”

A showstopper kitchen and dining room space.

The Newburgh – Plot 12

The Newburgh is a stylish four-double bedroom home with an adjoining garage.

Key features

• 4 bedroom detached family home
• Fitted shaker style kitchen with Bosch integrated appliances
• Private rear turfed garden
• Open plan dining kitchen with bifold doors to rear garden
• Master bedroom with ensuite shower room

The Studley – Plot 13

Constructed in artstone, The Studley is a superb executive home with five double bedrooms and an integral garage.

Key features

• 5 bedroom detached family home
• Fitted shaker style kitchen with integrated Bosch appliances
• Private rear turfed garden
• Open plan dining kitchen with bifold doors to rear garden
• Master bedroom with ensuite shower room and dressing room

The Studley is available now.

The Studley – Plot 14

Constructed in brick with artsone cills, this is also a substantial executive home with five double bedrooms and an integral garage.

This home backs onto open countryside and enjoys unspoilt and open views from the rear bedrooms.

Key features

• 5 bedroom detached family home
• Fitted shaker style kitchen with integrated Bosch appliances
• Private rear turfed garden
• Open plan dining kitchen with bifold doors to rear garden
• Master bedroom with ensuite shower room and dressing room

A beautiful entrance and staircase.

When it comes to deciding what type of property to buy, Miss Collinge said the benefits of new homes “are endless”. She said:

“They have 10-year warranties. That’s two years with the builder, where they will come out and address any issues that might arise. For the next eight years it’s covered by an insurance backed warranty picking up anything structural.

“Another benefit is the affordable running costs. I think that’s such an important factor for purchasers at the moment with the cost of living continuing to rise. New build properties also come with all manufacturers guarantees on these appliances and heating systems.

“Self-builds, home improvements and renovations are difficult at the moment due to the cost. So new builds are fantastic in terms of buying something you can go straight into, live in and enjoy.

“All the evidence, as well as our own research, highlight that flexible working patterns are very much here to stay. No longer is working from home a novelty – it’s now very much a growing lifestyle choice. The majority of the properties incorporate a home office and super-fast broadband in response to this.

“In Yorkshire and across the UK, COVID-19 has rebooted the property market. One of the few positives of the pandemic is that it has catapulted the idea of home-working from the edge of employment activity, into the mainstream.”

A living room perfect for those cosy nights in.

Sean Mayes Development Director at Oakapple said:

“Recent events have made us all reflect on what is important in our lives. A sense of community, work/life balance and the need for open space away from the crowd are still very much at the forefront of our minds.

However, as the world starts to open up again, connectivity is also high on the checklist. Rainton offers the best of both worlds thanks to its convenient location.

It is close to the junction of the A1 and A168, providing the commuter with options when travelling by car. Central Harrogate and York are 16 and 25 miles to the south respectively and Leeds is 38 miles away.

For longer journeys, the nearest train station is Thirsk which is just 7 miles away. From here, it is possible to catch direct trains to Leeds, London, Manchester Airport, Sunderland and York”.

In conclusion, Miss Collinge added:

“Rainton has got a lovely village green and a maypole and it certainly looks the part.

“You head over the bridge back to Ripon and you’re also a stone’s throw away from Thirsk. You’re bang in the middle. You’ve also got great transport links on the doorstop giving seclusion without remoteness. Rainton really is a stunning village in a fabulous location – the perfect place to buy a new home.”

New owner takes over Harrogate’s former Farrah’s sweet shop

A new owner has taken over the former iconic Farrah’s Olde Sweet Shop in Harrogate after working at the store for more than a decade.

Natalie Moore said she jumped at the chance when she was offered the opportunity to buy the business on Montpellier Parade.

The 31-year-old is now putting her own stamp on the business, which has been renamed Harrogate Olde Sweet Shop.

And while it is no longer under the Farrah’s umbrella, it still remains one of the largest stockists of the historic brand, which makes the famous Harrogate Toffee.

Ms Moore said:

“We are still the number one customer for Harrogate Toffee. We still have one of the biggest ranges of Farrah’s in the country, including Harrogate Toffee gin.

“Even though it’s no longer part of Farrah’s, it is still the original place where it was sold.”

Ms Moore next to the shop’s large loose chocolate counter.

The 31-year-old started working at the shop as a sales assistant when she left school 13 years ago and was eventually promoted to manager.

The shop was previously run by father and son team Gary and Peter Marston for almost 25 years. Peter still own Farrah’s, which is now exclusively a wholesale business based in Starbeck.

Ms Moore said:

“We will continue to be in-keeping with the traditional side of things, but we are going to be giving the interior a bit of a revamp.

“Overall the shop works well, but it’s just really nice to be able to put my own stamp on it.

“All the staff have been here a long time and I’ve been getting them involved, which is really nice.

“For example we have made some tiny changes to the chocolate counter, but it has really made a difference. We have increased the range and also the way we display it and it looks so much brighter.

“As far as I’m aware, we are the only shop in Harrogate that has a loose chocolate counter. When it’s full on a good day, there are 80 different types of chocolate, which are mostly Belgian. We also have some that are made in England.”

The original team of nine staff will continue to work at the shop and Ms Moore said her family also enjoyed helping out.

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Other plans for the future include continuing to increase the range of sweets and promoting the shop’s gift department, which sells a large range of Harrogate merchandise.

Ms Moore also wants to promote the shop more to the town’s residents.

She said:

“We get customers coming in here who have lived in Harrogate all their life and they say they didn’t know it was here or how big it was.

“Tourism is great for us and always has been, but with everything going on through covid, you realise you want to rely on the customers on your doorstep even more.

“That’s one of my goals. To try and put it on the Harrogate map a bit more.”

National Open Gardens: Gardens taking part across the Harrogate district this summer

The temperatures have risen across the Harrogate district this week and that summer feeling has well and truly kicked in.

And what better time than to enjoy some of the stunning flora and fauna that our area has to offer.

There are lots of gorgeous gardens to explore over the next few months as part of the National Garden Scheme.

The initiative gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens in the UK and raises impressive amounts of money for nursing and health charities. The scheme also promotes the physical and mental health benefits of gardens.

We have put together a list of the participating gardens in our district from now until August:

Birstwith Hall, Birstwith

When: Sunday, June 19, 2pm-5pm

Admission: Adults £5, children go free

About: A charming and varied four-acre garden nestling in a secluded Yorkshire dale.

A formal garden and ornamental orchard, as well as extensive lawns leading to a picturesque stream and a large pond. There is also a walled garden and Victorian greenhouse.

The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Yorke House and White Rose Cottage, Dacre Banks

When: Sunday, June 26, 11am-5pm

Admission: Adults £5, children go free

About: An award-winning English country garden in the heart of Nidderdale.

A series of distinct areas flowing through two acres of ornamental garden. There are also colour-themed borders, as well as a natural pond and stream with delightful waterside plantings. Secluded seating areas and attractive views.

The adjacent cottage has a recently developed garden designed for wheelchair access. There is a large collection of hostas and an orchard picnic area.

The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Prospect House, Burton Leonard

When: Friday, June 24, 1-.30am-2pm

Admission: Adults £35, children go free

Booking: A limited number of tickets have been made available for this special event. Tickets must be booked in advance here

About: Following a welcome by the owner, there will be talks on the development of the garden, the creation of a cutting garden and colour-themed borders plus demonstration of cut flower arrangements in the potting shed. Buffet lunch included.

Prospect House features a one-acre walled, landscaped garden with ornamental pond, pergola, large oval lawned area, cutting and vegetable beds.

There is a colour-themed herbaceous long border, ‘hot’ borders, and a physic bed. There is also mature hedging, trees and seasonal interest throughout. Additional new planting areas are being established.

A renovated outhouse has been converted into a potting area used for garden workshops.

The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Cobble Cottage, Whixley

When: Sunday, July 3,11pm-5pm

Admission: Adults £4, children go free

About: An imaginatively designed, constantly changing, small cottage garden full of decorative architectural plants and old family favourites.

There is an Interesting water garden, containers and use of natural materials. It also features a black and white courtyard garden and Japanese-style garden with growing willow screen.

The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Group openings – gardens that open on the same day

Grafton gardens, Marton-cum-Grafton

Well House.

When: Sunday, July 3,11am-5pm

Admission: Adults £6, children go free

About: These two gardens in adjacent rural villages are also connected by a public footpath.

Paddock House is on an elevated site with extensive views down a large sloping lawn to a wildlife pond. A plant lover’s garden where the house is encircled by a profusion of pots and extensive plant collections combining cottage gardening with the Mediterranean and Tropical. A curved terrace of Yorkshire stone and steps using gravel and wood sleepers leads to many seating areas culminating in a cutting garden and small greenhouse.

Well House, in Grafton, nestles under the hillside, with long views to the White Horse. This one-and-a-half acre garden was begun 40 years ago and is constantly changing.  A traditional English cottage garden with herbaceous borders, climbing roses and ornamental shrubs with a variety of interesting species. Paths meander through the borders to an orchard with ducks. Refreshments are available at The Punch Bowl pub, a five-minute walk from Well House.

Dacre Banks and Summerbridge Gardens

Woodlands Cottage.

When: Sunday, July 10,12pm-5pm

Admission: Adults £10, children go free

About: Dacre Banks and Summerbridge Gardens are situated in the beautiful countryside of Nidderdale and designed to take advantage of the scenic Dales landscape.

The gardens are linked by attractive walks along the valley, but each may be accessed individually by car.

Low Hall has a romantic walled garden set on different levels around the historic C17 family home (not open) with herbaceous borders, shrubs, climbing roses and a tranquil water garden. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Riverside House is an atmospheric waterside garden on many levels, supporting shade-loving plants and features a Victorian folly, fernery, courtyard and naturalistic riverside plantings. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Woodlands Cottage is a garden of many rooms, with exquisite formal and informal plantings, and an attractive wildflower meadow which harmonises with mature woodland. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Yorke House has extensive colour-themed borders and water features with beautiful waterside plantings. The newly developed garden at White Rose Cottage is specifically designed for wheelchair users. The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

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The Priory, Nun Monkton

When: Thursday, July 7,11pm-5pm

Admission: Adults £6, children go free

About: A large country garden surrounding William and Mary house (not open), at the confluence of the River Nidd and River Ouse.

It features species trees, calm swathes of lawn, clipped yew, beech and box, formal rose garden and mixed borders.

There is a new area of soft perennial planting and informal parkland. There area also kitchen gardens with a greenhouse and swimming pool where teas will be served.

The Nun Monkton Ferryboat will be running a special service on this day, connecting Nun Monkton with Beningbrough and Moor Monkton, from the riverbank next to The Priory.

Markenfield Hall, Ripon

When: Tuesday, July 12, 2pm-3pm

Admission: Adults £5, children go free

Booking: By guided tour only (max 10 people). Tickets must be booked in advance here

About: The work of the hall’s owner Lady Deirdre Curteis and gardener Giles Gilbey.

Mature planting combines with newly designed areas, where walls with espaliered apricots and figs frame a mix of hardy perennials.

In 2018 the farmhouse border was replanted to eventually blend seamlessly with the hall’s main east border.

Goldsborough Hall, Goldsborough

When: Sunday, July 24, 11pm-5pm

Admission: Adults £5, children go free

About: An historic 12-acre garden and formal landscaped grounds in parkland setting around Grade II*, 17th-century house, which was the former residence of HRH Princess Mary, daughter of George V and Queen Mary.

Goldsborough Hall boasts Gertrude Jekyll inspired 120ft double herbaceous borders, a rose garden and a woodland walk.

There is a large restored kitchen garden and glasshouse which produces fruit and vegetables for the hall’s commercial kitchens.

Greencroft, Littlethorpe, Ripon

When: Sunday, August 7, 12pm-4pm

Admission: Adults £5, children go free

About: A half-acre informal country garden created by the owners. It features long herbaceous borders packed with colourful late summer perennials, annuals and exotics culminating in a circular garden with views through to large wildlife pond and surrounding countryside.

Special ornamental features include a gazebo, temple pavilions, formal pool, stone wall with mullions and gate to pergola and cascade water feature.

The gardens can also be visited by arrangement.

Knaresborough gym to host CrossFit qualifier this weekend

A major national functional fitness competition is being held in the Harrogate district for the first time on Sunday.

Rep it Out will see 80 athletes from across the country pair up and compete at Black Wolf Fitness, at Rabbit Hill near Knaresborough.

The top athletes will go through to the CrossFit-licensed national finals.

It is a huge coup for the district as competitions of this scale are usually held in the south.

Sophie Laird, event organiser, said:

“Since we relaunched Rep It Out this year, we’ve been looking for gyms across the UK to hold our activation events, giving as many people as possible a chance to enter and experience being on the competition floor.

“The majority of competitions are held in the Midlands or London, so when we came across Black Wolf Fitness, we knew it would be the perfect spot.

“We hope to see some new faces entering the competition scene and can’t wait to test everybody’s fitness.”

Rep It Out is a same-sex pairs competition, which will feature ‘scaled’ and advanced ‘RX’ divisions.

Each division, which will include athletes from CrossFit Harrogate, will complete four functional fitness workouts across the day.

Winners from each category will be entered into the CrossFit-licensed Rep It Out finals.

Black Wolf Fitness launched at Rabbit Hill Business Park in August 2020 and now has more than 100 members.

Danielle Broughton, who owns the gym with her fiancé Adam Whiter, said:

“It’s a huge opportunity for Black Wolf to have high-end athletes coming to the gym and such a well-known competition foundation, which allows us to be on the CrossFit functional fitness map.

“It’s also great for our athletes to be able to be able to perform in such a big competition on home ground.

“It also allows Adam and I to see how such a big competition is run and hopefully in the future we will be able to do something similar.”

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Ms Broughton said both she and Adam felt a huge sense of pride that their members were at a standard to be able to compete at this level.

She said:

“Being able to have a membership that are able to compete comfortably in a competition like this is a huge achievement. Many of them only started competing a year ago, so it is huge really. It is testament to the consistency of our members.

“We are really excited. We all know what the atmosphere is like at a competition and to see it going on our box is going to be pretty awesome.

“To see athletes come from outside and use this space that we have created really is a dream.”

Spectators will be allowed at the event, however they must register for a free ticket here.

Sunday’s workouts will be released on the Instagram page @repitoutuk.

Mobile speed van is not ours, says North Yorkshire Police

North Yorkshire Police has denied changing its mobile speed vans in response to an image that has been circulating on social media.

The photograph (above) of the dark blue and yellow vehicle has caused a stir on local Facebook groups, with people complaining that the new vans are harder to recognise.

The image, which has been shared thousands of times, has also sparked a big debate about speeding and mobile cameras in the Harrogate district in general.

Many comments support them and say drivers should not to go too fast in the first place. However there are also a number of people opposing the vehicles, claiming they are just “money spinners”.

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The van is alleged to have been spotted in North Yorkshire, however the force has denied it being one of its fleet.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said:

“This isn’t our van, our vans don’t look like that.”

He added that it appeared to have no links to North Yorkshire Police and therefore was unable to comment further.

Harrogate’s Nelson Inn sold to pub restaurant chain

The Nelson Inn on the A59 is set to reopen in the autumn following a takeover by a pub restaurant chain.

Brunning and Price said today it was “thrilled” to have received the keys for the 18th century inn, which has changed hands several times in recent years.

The new owners have a portfolio of 80 pub restaurants, including the Highwayman in Kirkby Lonsdale and the Bull at Broughton.

They plan to spend the next few months refurbishing the Nelson Inn, which is on Skipton Road in Killinghall, before a planned reopening in early October.

Nelson Inn

Former popular Harrogate French restaurant Chez la Vie owned the pub in 2019, before new owners took it on in 2020, which also saw a sweet shop and ice cream parlour launched at the site on Skipton Road.

Mary Willcock, managing director at Brunning and Price, said:

‘’You’ll find us traditional in style, with wooden floors, bookcases, open fires, trusty old furniture and lots of rugs and plants. We love to restore old buildings, learning about the character they have within them.

“Being foodies, our menu, which will be published on our website each morning, will be something of an eclectic mix, striking a balance of hearty pub classics, complemented by more exotic influences from around the world.

“We think simple things done well are often the best and we want to create a friendly atmosphere in attractive surroundings where locals, regulars and new customers can meet, eat, drink and relax. That for us, is what being a good pub in the heart of its community is all about.’’

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The Nelson Inn was built around 1776 and remained a private house until early in the 19th century.

For much of its early years the pub used to be more or less a farm with a sack over the door where locals came in for a drink.

It received its name around 1805 when Nelson was victorious at the Battle of Trafalgar  and it has remained all that time, except for its short spell as Chez La Vie in 2019.

Brunning and Price is set to launch a recruitment drive for the pub, with job opportunities including management, chefs, front of house, cleaners and gardeners.

 

Head out for a walk then visit one of these four dog-friendly pubs in the Harrogate district

With the warmer weather (finally) arriving, nothing beats a walk in the Harrogate district’s beautiful countryside with your four-legged friend.

We are truly spoilt for dog walks in the area – from the peaceful Nidd Gorge to the rolling hills of Nidderdale.

But all that rambling is guaranteed to work up a thirst.

To help quench it, we have put together a list of four dog-friendly pubs in the Harrogate district.

Obviously there are too many to possibly mention, so get in touch with your favourites and send your photos to nina@thestrayferret.co.uk

The Knox – Bilton, Harrogate

The Knox often crops up as a dog-friendly favourite, with furry companions being considered very much part of the family.

The pub’s website says:

“Dogs are more than welcome at The Knox, and if you ask one of our team members, they’ll be more than happy to bring your four-legged friend a fresh bowl of water. From time-to-time, we may even have treats available to keep your dog occupied and happy, just be sure to ask one of our team.

“We’re an extremely busy pub and we want your furry friends to feel relaxed, safe, and happy at all times during your visit.”

Sportsman’s Arms, Wath, Nidderdale

The quaint hamlet of Wath is in a wonderful area for walking; the circular route from Pateley Bridge is particularly good, four miles out along the northern fellside and back along the river.

Once you have stretched your legs, you can enjoy a refreshing pint and a spot of lunch in the bar area of this family-run 17th-century country inn, while your dog curls up under your seat.

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The Royal Oak, Staveley, Knaresborough

Landlady Catherine Audsley outside The Royal Oak in Staveley.

Staveley is actually home to a nature reserve, which takes you on a lone walk that stretches beyond the village. It has many wild and rare species of flowers and wildlife and is perfect for a summer dog walk (they are permitted on leads).

Once you have admired the otters, of which there are regular sightings, head to Royal Oak, a traditional country pub that reviewers on Trip Advisor have described as “the most dog-friendly place I have ever been to”.

The pub’s website says:

“A selection of local ales and various seating areas offer somewhere for everyone – even the four-legged friend.”

The huge beer garden is also very impressive if you want to catch some rays.

The Royal Oak, Ripon

Another Royal Oak, this time located in Ripon’s historic Kirkgate, this renovated 18th century coaching inn is a firm favourite with dog owners.

Enjoy a walk at nearby Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden and then head into Ripon for a wander.

The pub’s city centre location is a great base to explore this fabulous part of the district.

Dogs are allowed in the bar area and there is even a selection of dog-friendly tables in the restaurant if you have worked up an appetite.