Harrogate - The Happiest Town in the UK

11 July 2014

Farrah's of Harrogate

Quoting uncharacteristically from Wiki - "Harogate is consistently voted as one of the best places to live in the UK and in 2013 a poll by Rightmove of 40,000 people found that Harrogate was the happiest place to live in the United Kingdom :-)

Cheltenhan Parade

What's more, in 2013, beating off rivals including Paris, Rome and Vienna, Harrogate was declared to be the third most romantic destination in the world. With its many colourful restful gardens, parks, cobbled streets and exquisite restaurants, cafes and music this comes as no surprise.

Betty's Cafe at the top of Montpellier Parade

So there you have it, not only has Harrogate and Yorkshire in general done the UK proud with the very successful hosting of the opening stages of the Tour de France (see other blog), but whether Tour or no Tour, there's always lots on offer for everyone.

I'm here of course primarily to visit my parents who live here. Of course I've been making the most of the opportunity and two wheels to explore a little of the area as well as do some training in preparation for the Tirolean mountains that await me in a couple of weeks.






 
The following photos taken by me don't of course do the area any justice. So, you'll just have to come here and check it out for yourself. In the meantime, you are invited to enjoy a quick blog tour around the area............



 




Harrogate has something to offer everyone, from magical gardens, arts, crafts and music entertainment, iconic landmarks such as Betty's cafe, globally famous for its teas & coffees and baked delights, Farrah's confectionary, historical architecture and lush rolling green countryside for cyclist and rambler alike. 

 

There's definitely much to see and do in and around Harrogate. No wonder indeed that it has been voted the happiest place to live in the UK!

Le Tour de Yorkshire (formerly known as The Tour de France)

6^th July 2014: Harrogate, North Yorkshire

 

Me and my brother fly the flag on Stage 1

Tour de Yorkshire (formerly known as the Tour de France)

I think everybody involved in Le Tour this year has been blown away by the reception that they’ve received from the Yorkshire public, with the weather holding off to provide riders and spectators alike with some blazing sunshine (Press words not mine). The truth be told, it was a comfortable 19C!! 

Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate (190.5km) was won by the German sprinter Marcel Kittel from the Giant Shimano Team after a long and brave early break away by Nicolas Edet (Team Cofidis), Benoit Jarrier (Team Bretagne) and the 42 year old powerhouse of pro cycling, Jens Voigt (Trek) was pulled back after over 140kms. 

 

Jens Voigt, Benoit Jarrier and Nicolas Edet

The speed of the peleton was then kept high enough to assure the tens of thousands who had gathered around the finish line in Harrogate a thrilling sprint finish. They weren’t disappointed, although sadly, it wasn’t to be the finish the British had hoped for.

Indeed, the final position standings at the end of the stage don’t tell of the dramatic crash involving Mark Cavendish (Team Sky), Simon Gerrans (Team Orica-Greenedge) and Bryan Coquard (Team Europcar) just a few hundred metres from the finish line which left Cavendish out of the Tour with a dislocated shoulder, and Gerrans and Coquard lining up for Stage 2 with undoubtedly some very painful bruising.

Stage 2 from York to Sheffield (201km) was perhaps for many riders a surprisingly tough one, and one which would rival some of the non-mountainous stages that France can offer.   

Stage 2 Peleton, Nr Blubberhouses

It was certainly a stage that was tough enough to split the field up with Stage 1 yellow jersey winner Marcel Kittel (Team Giant Shimano) finishing some 20 minutes down on the eventual Stage 2 winner, and newly crowned Italian road champion Vencenzo Nibali (Astana Team) who classically stole away with just 1.5 kilometers to go and held off a charging pack on the line.

The race results however fail to tell of the hundreds of thousands who turned out on day, or who had camped out to witness Le Tour, whether arriving by car, on foot or even bike, some perhaps seeing the light of day for the first time after a long period of inactivity!!! The enthusiasm of the Yorkshire public as they lined the roads and streets to cheer their favourites, learning a little more at the same time about the tough sport of cycling was palpable. Indeed, the announcement that 2015 will include a UCI Tour de Yorkshire road race will surprise few in Yorkshire.

Having once again been left off the start sheet :-) I’ve been out on my MTB bike scouting the countryside for good vantage points from which to watch the event. In fact, this morning (6 July) I even rode part of Stage 2, and everywhere, even at 7.30am was greeted with an ‘Allez allez’ or a ‘not far to go now mate’ by people seated on the side of the road enjoying Le Tour English style with coffee and crispy bacon sandwiches to await the arrival of the race.

You (Dear Reader) will probably have your own favourite online locations to go to in order to read a more comprehensive and no doubt accurate review of each of the opening two stages, and so I’ll sign off here for now. Vive Le Tour!