Today was my birthday so I enjoyed a cup of tea in bed whilst opening prezzies. Breakfast was much as I remembered it although now it is completely self service whereas on our previous visit some of the breakfast items such as eggs were cooked fresh to order.

After breakfast we walked through misty Harrogate to Valley Gardens then through the Pinewoods to the RHS Harlow Carr.

By the entrance to the pinewoods, I stopped to take a photo of the beautiful autumn trees. A gentleman saw me and asked if Mr C and I would like him to take a photo of us together; he had also seen the photographic scene. After he had kindly taken the photo, we got chatting to him and his wife. They told us of a potential walk near Knaresborough where the trees are spectacular at this time of year.

It was mizzley and misty as we walked but by the time we had arrived at the garden the mist lifted to reveal brilliant sunshine. We enjoyed our early lunch of poached salmon and prawn sandwiches in a window seat in Betty’s where we enjoyed looking at the garden lit up by the sun.

Rather than follow our sandwich with a cake, we decided to take advantage of the sunny weather to enjoy the gardens at their best. The autumnal colours were spectacular. The sun graced us with its presence until we left the gardens through the shop and made a return visit to Betty’s for the cake we had promised ourselves.

The weather had become overcast as we walked back to town, with a lite sprinkling of rain. I had also been rather forgetful after my recent visit to Cardiff and had not recharged my second camera battery! So, part way through the return walk, I had to resort to plan B, my mobile phone camera.

Back in town Mr C took me to the board game shop, Gamers Crusade and bought me an extra birthday present, Kelp, the game that caught my eye the previous day.  Back in the hotel room we weren’t able to crack it open and play it. Although the room was large there was no table to play it on.

Later we dined in the hotel restaurant, The Pickled Sprout. Before dining we had an aperitif in the bar, once again perched on high stools which I found difficult to navigate in a skirt. When it was time to dine, we relocated to more comfortable seating in the restaurant. The lighting was rather dim making it difficult to read the menu (the couple next to us resorted to their mobile phone torches). I chose fish and chips; the fish melted in my mouth but the meal portion was enormous! Mr C chose salmon which was slightly overcooked accompanied by undercooked stringy beans. Perhaps not quite the gourmet experience for a ‘special’ birthday meal.

Before returning to our room we rounded off the evening with a nightcap in the bar where, thankfully, there was room to sit on the more comfortable lower-level seats.

Take a stroll along the path through The Pinewoods and you become part of a Harrogate tradition which stretches back decades.

A guide of 1891 describes what was then Harlow Moor as the ‘rough moor where furze, gorse and heather abound in profusion’. In 1898, the Corporation bought the land adjacent to the Valley Gardens and began the process of transforming part of the moor into the pure, pine-scented pleasure it is today. The rest was acquired in 1934, and what had been a large market garden was turned into a formal pine tree plantation soon afterwards.

The area became particularly popular amongst Edwardians, with ladies, gentleman and children alike striding out to take the air. It has remained a favourite to this day.

Now, the 75 acres of pinewoods are a living link of wonderful wildlife between the Valley Gardens of Low Harrogate and the Royal Horticultural Society Gardens at Harlow Carr.

The pines themselves are Scots pines. You will also see other species of tree including larch, beech, oak, ash, sycamore, birch, holly, rowan and hawthorn. There is eve a Rotary Centenary Woodland to explore.*

*From a signboard at the entrance to the woodlands

I awoke after a cosy and comfortable nights sleep and had to remind Mr C that it was my birthday, he had taken control of my cards and presents and they were tardy in being given.

We descended to the dining room for breakfast. It seemed rather quiet and we found out that breakfast was in the Sky Lounge on the 5th floor, something they forgot to mention when we booked in. We eventually arrived in the breakfast room to find the room and breakfast choices were perfect, partly self service but with the cooked food being waiter served from the counter. We even had a window seat looking out over Harrogate, causing us to linger over breakfast.

Comfortably replete, we walked to Valley Gardens. Mr C needed to dial in to an office conference so he chose a suitable bench whilst I explored the gardens. I ventured further afield than on our previous visit and noticed a sign for the Pinewoods. I couldn’t resist the temptation to walk along the pathway. The walk was delightful in the autumn sunshine until, with reluctance, I turned back and retraced my steps to return to the gardens to coincide with the time I thought Mr C’s phone call might end. As I walked along the garden pathway Mr C was coming towards me and we finished my circuit of the garden together. In one of the trees next to the path I was treated to a display of birds playing in the lower branches, including a nuthatch that ventured quite close to me.

We headed into Harrogate town centre for a wander before lunch in Betty’s where I chose a Salmon sandwich and a cake with almonds. Something went wrong and our sandwich was delayed. We were given an apology and offered complimentary drinks for our patience (we hadn’t even complained).

We enjoyed the afternoon in Knaresborough, enjoying a town and river walk in glorious sunshine. The Remembrance Day display around the castle was spectacular and moving. After our walk we returned to the hotel to relax before dining in the Fat Badger at the White Hart Hotel.

I was considering the possibility of a bubbly aperitif whilst we perused the menu when out of the blue a couple of complimentary glasses of Prosecco arrived because it was my birthday. The restaurant was loud and bustly, the food and service excellent, I chose fishcake with an egg on top and was too full for a dessert.

After dining we returned back to the relative calm, but still vibrant, atmosphere of our hotel bar where we had a lovely phone call with my brother and his wife. They had tried to call whilst we were dining but we’d missed it due to the noise level.