Newby Hall and Gardens are set to reopen today after months of closure due to covid restrictions.

The gardens and adventure gardens will reopen alongside a new attraction – the enchanted wood trail.

Described as a “beautiful woodland walk”, the trail is for children and families to enjoy. Children can meet a number of woodland characters and even Titus the Troll along the way.

Unlike last year when Newby Hall missed out on the Easter holiday, this year it can take advantage of the easing of lockdown rules and reopen to the public.

However, the miniature train and the river boat cannot open until April 12. The restaurant is also only open for takeaways.

From May, it is hoped the house itself, the dollhouse and the teddy bears can be fully opened.

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Commercial director, Stuart Gill said:

“We are absolutely thrilled to be able to open on time this year. We were so disappointed to not open as usual at Easter last year; we all look forward to opening and to not have that or even a prospective opening date was a huge blow.

“We hope to welcome visitors back with the stunning gardens and our enchanted wood trail, which should keep the children entertained!”

The enchanted wood trail runs from today until April 11 and tickets must be booked in advance here.

Bettys is to start reopening its branches from the end of the month.

The famous Harrogate-based company will re-open its tea house in RHS Harlow Carr for takeaway food and drinks from March 29.

Bettys shops will then open to visitors on April 12, which is the earliest that non-essential shops can re-open under the government’s road map.

All Bettys cafes will then re-open on May 17, except for the Stonegate branch in York, which the company has said is too small for social distancing.

As part of the reopening, Bettys is now accepting bookings for afternoon tea in the Imperial Room in Harrogate and the Belmont Room in York from May 17.

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However, Bettys has warned the dates may change subject to the government’s lockdown rules and road map.

Bettys closed its branches completely in January.

Simon Eyles, Bettys managing director, said at the time:

“Given the severity of the coronavirus pandemic that we are currently witnessing, Bettys has decided to close its Yorkshire branches completely. This means our café tea rooms and now our shops too will be shut until further notice.”

The Christmas lights are up, the business owners are ready, now all Knaresborough needs is shoppers.

After a month of lockdown, Knaresborough’s shop owners say they need a huge boost to sales to cover the losses of two lockdowns.

The shopkeepers have been eager to reopen and are encouraging people to venture out and support their local high street.

The whole town is getting in the festive spirit. Knaresborough Chamber of Trade has helped to light up the town by installing 80 trees on the sides of buildings.

Shop owners have also been busy decorating their windows in an effort to encourage more shoppers to visit.

Photograph: Charlotte Gale Photography.

Diane Watson, owner of Knitting Pretty on Castlegate, said they’re feeling apprehensive and excited to see what today brings.:

“I’ve been desperate to open but now it’s here I’m a little nervous. I don’t know what to expect, it’s a scary time. This is usually my busiest time of the year so missing out on some of it has really hit me. I have such loyal customers so I am hoping for the best.”

Gill Mitchell, owner of Stomp footwear on Market Place, said:

“I’m raring to go I’m just hoping we can stay open for January, we just have to embrace it while we can. As soon as Boris said we can reopen people have waited to see us properly in store. It’s coming alive here in Knaresborough so hopefully more people will come.”

Over lockdown, many shops have moved online to boost the gap in sales. Tracey Bell at Ruebury Flowers offered a delivery service to ensure she wasn’t losing her annual Christmas customers.

She said:

“This lockdown has been completely different, I’ve been busy with orders and trying to do what I can. I am nervous but that’s because it is a difficult time for everyone but everyone in Knaresborough is remaining positive so let’s hope for a good few weeks of trade.”

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Knaresborough Chamber of Trade has been offering local businesses advice on opening up following the lockdown on their social media and website. Its president, Steve Teggin, said:

“It’s so good we needed this. The town is looking great too and the shopkeepers are really making an effort this tear too, we all want people to come and visit. We have to be careful of course but we can’t wait to reopen.”

Turkish Baths Harrogate will reopen this week five months after the coronavirus pandemic forced its closure.

For now the baths will only be able to open for treatments on Friday. It is unclear when the sessions will get the green light.

A spokesperson for Turkish Baths Harrogate said that the sessions will remain closed for a “little while longer”.

The baths used the time to renovate its 123-year-old flooring. The council said it could have become dangerous.

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A report seeking retrospective approval for the work detailed how Harrogate Borough Council needed to spend close to £30,000.

In the report, the council said that the floor is showing signs of water egress, wear in grouted joints, and cracks in the terrazzo.

Harrogate Borough Council also launched a consultation into dropping single-sex sessions. Moving to mixed-sessions only would reflect “equality and balance,” according to the council.

Meanwhile, the historic venue is set to become part of a new local authority controlled company (LACC), along with the district’s pools and gyms, as part of an overhaul of leisure services.

A Knaresborough yoga charity that launched a fundraiser to help it get back up and running safely has now set an opening date.

Yorkshire Yoga, set up in 2005, said that the coronavirus lockdown has had a “real dent” in its finances so set up a fundraiser online.

The centre will throw open its doors in early September but it is unlikely to have the normal schedule of classes straight away.

Chris Cox, Yorkshire Yoga’s manager, said:

“Just a really big thank you to all who donated to our Crowdfunder campaign to help us with vital funding needed to get back up and running after the covid lockdown. We are really touched by the generosity and want to say how grateful we are.”

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The charity originally set out to raise £10,000 but closed the fundraiser on July 26 with £2,585.

The over 60s with disabilities make up a quarter of its classes. Many of them will have been living alone during the coronavirus lockdown.

It also holds classes pregnancy and postnatal classes as well as pilates, chair-based yoga, pilates, dance fitness and children’s yoga classes.

Yorkshire Yoga had also been eating into its limited funds to support its most vulnerable clients in their homes.

A Harrogate restaurant will be celebrating both its reopening and Yorkshire Day with a make-shift beach this Saturday.

To mark its namesake’s day on August 1, as well as the re-launch of its Scran restaurant, The Yorkshire Hotel has created a beach at the front of the building and is offering a free glass of prosecco for those ordering food.

Its sister property, the White Hart Hotel and Fat Badger pub, installed an outdoor beach earlier this month to celebrate hospitality venues being allowed to reopen. Simon Cotton, managing director of HRH Group, said:

“Since we opened two years ago, Scran has been at the heart of Harrogate’s dining and bar scene, but with our new fresh, contemporary look, we are excited to bring a new concept to our loyal and new customers.”

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Dean Sowden and Dario Silviera pictured outside the new restaurant.

The restaurant’s food will be in the hands of head chef Dean Sowden of the former Deano’s, with Harrogate’s barman of the year, Dario Silviera, managing the bar.

Simon added:

“Dean’s food has such a good local reputation that we are delighted he is heading up the kitchen of Scran, and with head barman, Dario at the cocktail helm we have the dream team!”

Screens have been placed around the bar and more space has been created between tables to allow for social distancing. It is recommended that customers pre book.

Rudding Park has confirmed it will reopen its spa this weekend.

The hotel welcomed back visitors for overnight stays on July 13 but the spa has remained closed.

However, from Saturday guests will finally be able to enjoy a pamper day.

The spa will be operating at reduced capacity. The steam rooms and saunas will remain closed until further notice and face treatments, including waxing and makeup will also not be allowed.

However, the hydrotherapy pool, spa bath, sunlight therapy, foot spa and indoor swimming pool will be open for use.

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Peter Jones, managing director of Rudding Park, told The Stray Ferret:

“We are delighted Rudding Park spa will re-open on Saturday 25 July. We have put measures in place so guests can spa with confidence and are very much looking forward to welcoming guests back to relax and unwind on the rooftop spa.”

The spa will have reduced capacity, with 20 people allowed in the pool at once.

Guest are encouraged to arrive as prepared as possible for their spa experience to reduce time in the changing rooms. Visitors are also requested to shower at home after their visit.

Enhanced cleaning will be in place and face coverings will be available for guests on arrival. Magazines and newspapers will be removed to limit touch points.

Details will be taken from guests when booking as part of the test and trace initiative and all guests will need to book online before visiting.

North Yorkshire theme park Lightwater Valley will be welcoming visitors back as it reopens this weekend.

The theme park will be operating with reduced capacity and all visitors will need to pre-book tickets online. The park will have an increased cleaning regime along with floor markings and hand sanitiser stations.

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The general manager at Light Water Valley, Colin Bowes, said:

“We are delighted to be able to start welcoming visitors back but we also know how crucial it is that they feel safe. For this summer, to help us manage visitor numbers and keep everyone safe, we are focussing on running the rides and parts of the park which are more suited to a younger family audience.”

Lightwater Valley has been closed for over 3 months.

Most of the rides will be open but The Ultimate, Raptor Attack and Apollo remain closed. Indoor play areas will also be closed and food will be take out only.

Bettys will open its Harrogate tea rooms on Monday, July 27 and you won’t need to book in advance to get a table.

It will be a slightly different experience for visitors in order to maintain social distancing. The cafe will also be offering a reduced menu.

Bettys said it will still aim to make sure the experience is “just as lovely as people remember”.

Bettys has announced its reopening date for later this month.

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Harlow Carr will follow, with a re-opening date set for Monday, August 3.

“I was thrilled to hear the announcement, our club has been actively involved in the Swim England Open Our Pools campaign so we are delighted. Our club has been doing all we can to ensure that our divers can return to training safely.

“All of our club members are competitive divers and were training for competitions pre-covid. Some of them have trained every week for years in preparation for these competitions, it’s a huge part of their life. Understandably it has been hard for a lot of our divers for this to suddenly stop. Like the rest of the country we are embracing a new normal.”

Swimming classes will look a little different as safety measures are implemented.

“We will be starting to make plans but we still have a lot of work to do including following all the guidelines. We’ll be starting very small to get confident, for example we’ll have to reduce the class sizes to 1-2-1s and 1-2-2s just to make it safe. Those that can swim 25m and be left alone can return to their lessons. We are all very excited to get back to teaching.”

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Harrogate Borough Council, who operate the majority of swimming pools in the district, said:

“We’re delighted the government has advised it is safe for leisure facilities to open from 25 July. Customer safety comes first. So we’re busy working on new guidance as well as staff training and cleaning procedures. We’ll have more news in the coming days of what facilities will open and when.”