The Stray dates back to 1778 when it was created from the forest of Knaresborough to link of Harrogate’s springs together in one area. Since the late 16th Century countless springs had been discovered around Harrogate and deemed to have medicinal properties for their high quantities of Sulphur, iron and other minerals.

Over the years it has grazed livestock, been occasional side for the Great Yorkshire Show and Harrogate Flower Shows, been used as allotments and wheat fields during the second world war, and at several times been used as an airfield for light aircraft.

Today it has been returned to open grassland, and in spring takes on the beautiful colours as first millions of crocuses come into flower, which give way to daffodils, and then the long lines of cherry blossom trees and their iconic pink covering.

The Stray is protected by an act of parliament and its total area must remain constant, meaning if any of it is ever removed it must be replaced elsewhere, ensuring the great public space will always be there at the heart of the town.

The service we received at breakfast was particularly attentive. As a change from previous days I chose scrambled egg on sour dough toast. I found it to be a delicious combination of flavours.

After breakfast we checked out and headed towards Brodsworth Hall and Gardens for which we had a pre-booked ticket. On our way there we realised that we would arrive an hour early for our pre-booked time slot. I researched what was nearby and found Conisbrough Castle. Luckily, we were able to book a ticket that would allow us to arrive in the next ten minutes. The castle was enjoyable but brief, allowing us to arrive at Brodsworth for our timeslot.

Currently Brodsworth Hall is not open and there is a one way system around the garden. This means that sometimes you have to make a choice in direction of travel but the good news is that you can go round again and choose a different direction to enjoy the things missed on the first circuit of the garden. The teashop is currently located outside the house with purchases packed as takeaway. The weather was glorious so we were able to sit on the picnic benches for an Alfresco lunch. Suitably refreshed we chose to do another circuit of the garden to view some more things we had missed.

I would love to go back and visit the garden at a different time of year and also the Hall when it is allowed to re-open.

After we left Brodsworth we stopped at a farm shop we had noticed as we arrived at Brodsworth  in order to pick up something for fine dining back at home. Much later we enjoyed a delicious pork chop roast dinner. What a fine way to end a holiday adventure.

After a good nights sleep it was time to sample the hotel breakfast. In all sorts of ways, it was a vast improvement on the offering during our recent stay in a Cotswold’s hotel. There were several choices of cooked items and a continental option. I chose the continental option and was served with granola, fruit compote, yoghurt, fresh fruit and mini pastries (freshly baked), perfectly presented on a plate.

We had booked an early time slot in the Pump Room so after breakfast we set off at pace through The Stray (no time for photos) to make sure we got there on time. It took us a little while to find which street the Pump Room was in but we managed to arrive before it opened. Once inside we found it to be a museum rather than anything else. It wasn’t possible to sample the water due to Covid-19. Perhaps that was a blessing because I am told that the water tastes quite foul.

We spent the rest of the morning walking around the nearby Valley Gardens, ending up near the War Memorial and Bettys Tea Rooms for lunch. I chose a salmon, prawn and lemon sandwich followed by three dainty cake delights.

We walked back to the hotel so that we could pick up the car to drive to the nearby RHS garden at Harlow Carr where we had an enjoyable afternoon exploring the gardens.

Back at the hotel I was sitting and relaxing before dinner when I heard voices at the door and a comment ’someone is already in here’. I got up to find two people entering our room. They were most apologetic and beat a hasty retreat. As they left I could hear them say to each other ‘it is the room number we were given’. Clearly it was because they were able to enter with the card key they had been given. I felt sorry for them but a bit disturbed about the security breach of the mix up.

When we went for dinner we queried the episode with the hotel receptionist, who was most apologetic and said she would be raising the incident with her manager the next day. We had another enjoyable meal, in my case fish and chips, which was even larger than my meal the previous day. We arrived back at our room to find that our card key didn’t work. It had obviously been cancelled along with the other peoples’ keys. By this time the hotel reception was closed, leaving Mr C to hunt down the restaurant manager to help us with the problem. Luckily he knew a man that could fix the problem!