Knaresborough is a picturesque little market town in Yorkshire that was built in the gorge of the River Nidd which spills down the river bank while towering above are the ruins of an ancient castle and an iconic viaduct. No other place in Britain has quite captured my imagination as it has and it will always surprise me how very few people seem to have heard of it.
We went on a day trip in 2011, on the bank holiday weekend that celebrated the royal wedding and the royalists that we are decided it was too good a day to be stuck inside watching the lavish ceremony paid for by our hard-earned money so we decided to commemorate the event by visiting a town that was a perfect example of merry England. In the days when it was still easy to just hop on a train and escape for a day, we headed off to Leeds where we changed platforms to take the Harrogate line.
The train crossed the river through the stone viaduct and we followed a warren of cobbled streets and staircases which led us down to the riverside that was littered with pretty cafes, riverside walks and boats for hire.
After a short coffee break, we borrowed a boat and a romantic ride ensued (after a tiny bickering about how to make it move!) under the river gorge, taking turns on the oars. The views of the town rising on the crag from the river was a sight to behold and it was almost with regret that we got off the boat when our time was up.
We took a different path on our way up, following the signs that led us to the Knaresborough Castle, a Norman ruin that includes a 700-year-old King's Tower and modern-day unofficial children's climbing wall (for we have captured a couple of wilful youngsters defying Britain's extreme health and safety regulations). The views along the way are almost too beautiful for words even though it is a familiar sight for those of us who are fans of Paul the Weatherman's segment at 6pm on BBC Yorkshire.
We explored the medieval ruins and strolled along the castle grounds before heading towards the town centre that was mostly made up of Georgian homes, boutique independent shops and pretty little cafes. We followed the map of the town's tromp l'oeil - an art technique that sets out to 'fool the eye' into seeing a painted picture as something real. This colourful trail features characters and events from the towns long and rich history that goes back as far as 5th Century and were painted on the town's blank windows, a feature of Georgian buildings where the windows were blocked to avoid window taxes.
After picking up the traditional lunch of fish and chips from one of the village shops, we were off to chase our train to Harrogate. But the historic and delightful town of Knaresborough has sprinkled so much stardust that until now it remains my perfect vision of Peter Pan's Neverland. Go and see for yourself - it's an almost English paradise.
We went on a day trip in 2011, on the bank holiday weekend that celebrated the royal wedding and the royalists that we are decided it was too good a day to be stuck inside watching the lavish ceremony paid for by our hard-earned money so we decided to commemorate the event by visiting a town that was a perfect example of merry England. In the days when it was still easy to just hop on a train and escape for a day, we headed off to Leeds where we changed platforms to take the Harrogate line.
The train crossed the river through the stone viaduct and we followed a warren of cobbled streets and staircases which led us down to the riverside that was littered with pretty cafes, riverside walks and boats for hire.
After a short coffee break, we borrowed a boat and a romantic ride ensued (after a tiny bickering about how to make it move!) under the river gorge, taking turns on the oars. The views of the town rising on the crag from the river was a sight to behold and it was almost with regret that we got off the boat when our time was up.
We took a different path on our way up, following the signs that led us to the Knaresborough Castle, a Norman ruin that includes a 700-year-old King's Tower and modern-day unofficial children's climbing wall (for we have captured a couple of wilful youngsters defying Britain's extreme health and safety regulations). The views along the way are almost too beautiful for words even though it is a familiar sight for those of us who are fans of Paul the Weatherman's segment at 6pm on BBC Yorkshire.
We explored the medieval ruins and strolled along the castle grounds before heading towards the town centre that was mostly made up of Georgian homes, boutique independent shops and pretty little cafes. We followed the map of the town's tromp l'oeil - an art technique that sets out to 'fool the eye' into seeing a painted picture as something real. This colourful trail features characters and events from the towns long and rich history that goes back as far as 5th Century and were painted on the town's blank windows, a feature of Georgian buildings where the windows were blocked to avoid window taxes.
After picking up the traditional lunch of fish and chips from one of the village shops, we were off to chase our train to Harrogate. But the historic and delightful town of Knaresborough has sprinkled so much stardust that until now it remains my perfect vision of Peter Pan's Neverland. Go and see for yourself - it's an almost English paradise.
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