Things To Do in Harrogate – By The People Who Live and Work Here!
We were delighted to read today that Harrogate has been voted as the “Happiest Place to Live” in the Rightmove Happy at Home index 2014.
And we think it’s a pretty happy place to work too! Our head office and technical and creative hub is based in Harrogate, where over 50 people work, creating and rolling out digital campaigns across the world.
Whilst we enjoy a vibrant and bustling town centre, we are lucky enough to be just 5 minutes from beautiful countryside, quaint villages, plus we have great connections to both Leeds and York.
Living and working in Harrogate means that everywhere you look there is something green and/or beautiful. Even when you work on a business park, you look out on trees and fields.
It’s safe, its friendly and it has fantastic career potential for such a small place, with ‘big player’ companies like WMG and the Natwest choosing it for their main offices.
So we thought we would give our WMG list of places to go and things to do in Harrogate…
Our Favourite Evening hangouts:
1. The Fat Badger:
“I love how smart and classy the town is, so my favourite place is the Fat Badger for a drink or a bite to eat. It has a great outdoor area perfect for people watching (and that’s an activity you can definitely do a lot of in Harrogate!). Its in the popular Montpellier area of town, where old buildings and tree lined streets remind you of how beautiful the town really is.”
– Will Hope, Relationship Manager.
Photo cred: www.thefatbadger.co.uk
2. Major Toms Social:
“I’ve lived here all my life, so I like it when a new place opens. Especially if it’s a little bit quirky. Major Toms is chilled, cool, and retro in every sense! By day it’s a vintage shop, but by night they play alternative music, serve great drinks, and have a cool, buzzing atmosphere. Perfect!”
– Natalie Eagling, Group Marketing Manager.
Photo Credit: www.gorgeousyorkshire.co.uk
3. The Orchid:
“In my opinion, the Orchid is the best restaurant in Harrogate. Its nestled under a row of Georgian town houses, you’d almost miss it if you didn’t know it was there. They do amazing Pan-Asian food, plus you can watch the chefs at work on TV screens around the restaurant.”
– Ian Campbell, Developer
Our Favourite day time fun:
1. The Spiegeltent:
“I’m cheating a bit here as this isn’t a permanent Harrogate fixture, but I love it! The Speigltent comes once a year to Harrogate as part of the Harrogate festival, and brings with it a raft of amazing, diverse performers. I’m also going to Musical Story Time with my little girl, so it’s really family friendly!”
– Natalie Eagling, Group Marketing Manager.
Photo credit: www.harrogate.co.uk
2. Dog Walking in the country:
“We spend weekends walking our dogs at Alborough by the river. Its about 25 minutes drive from Harrogate, and 10 minutes from Knaresborough which is perfect for stopping off for a spot of lunch!”
– Sarah McLaughlin, Group Facilities Manager.
Photo Credit: www.girlguidingnyw.org.uk
3. Harrogate Farmers Market:
“The second Thursday of every month is Harrogate Farmers Market. You can buy fresh veg, baked goods and some seriously good meat. My favourite is Langthornes Buffalo burgers for lunch.”
screens around the restaurant.”
– Andrew Scarre, SEO Analyst
We also spotted this great infographic from www.harrogate.co.uk about what makes Harrogate such a happy place to live (and work!) in. And you know how much we love infographics, so we had to share…
(with thanks to Xerones on Flickr for his beautiful photo of the stray and cherry blossom)