Thanks in advance for having a sense of humour when you watch this video! To see a review of our Afternoon Tea in Harrogate, please click here: ua-cam.com/video/vY4rMrHz_6Y/v-deo.html
We have lived in Harrogate for 20 years now and do love it here. It was lovely watching your well narrated and filmed video and seeing a visitor's view of our home town. So pleased you enjoyed your visit.
Thanks for watching and commenting! I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy next Friday’s video of Knaresborough, as it is a particularly good one. My husband got some gorgeous drone footage of the viaduct bridge. 💖 Cheers XX Dara
You’re so fortunate to live in Harrogate. On a previous visit (without Dara) I went off the beaten track and walked several neighborhoods and they were lovely. I’ve also studied the town via Google maps and Street View and looked at properties on Rightmove. In some ways I would prefer Harrogate to Cheltenham where we currently have our flat, but I don’t think I could ever get Dara to relocate.
as a young person if you have a family then i wouldn't, this is sadly a very boring place to live if you're below 25 and nearly all of my schoolmates were hooked on alcohol or even drugs in highschool and yes, even the rich kids. i had bouts of depression and a lot of envy hearing of the glory days here, i can't wait to find a new town or city to relocate to @@ians3586
Dara, an EXCELLENT short introduction to my home town of Harrogate - a boy there from 1940 to 1956. A couple of nostalgic scenes: the opening shots of Victorian terraced house included the one, formerly a hotel, where my new wife and I stayed on Honeymoon in 1972 - in November!!! Then the model boating pool - how many HOURS I spent there in the 1940s. There was even a daily Pullman train, steam engine of course, to Kings Cross Station in London and I travelled on that. It arrived back in Harrogate as the Queen of Scots train at 4pm (1600 hrs now). Thanks, Dara and Ian
I envy all of you older generations who grew up with the old harrogate, after 2013 i fell out of love with this town big time with all of our old businesses and activities closing down.
Thanks so much! My husband Ian is commenting on your Apostle Islands video now 😉. If you watch our video from last Friday, called Downton Abbey vibes, you will hear a bit about our drone catastrophe! Cheers Dara
I'd just got into your very interesting tour of Harrogate, when it came to an end! Loved the glimpses of this celebrated and elegant spa town, with your background research, and also the tour of the tranquil gardens, with a quick burst of commentary from Ian: very professional - you should put him on camera more often!
Richard, I always tell Ian that YOU want him to do more narrating... he needs the encouragement because he HATES being on camera! But he is so much cleverer than me on many topics. I do enjoy getting him to talk more! Wait till next Friday's video... He really opens up and starts doing some creative lying. It's pretty funny! Plus, there is some gorgeous drone footage. So don't miss that one! ;-)
I live in Harrogate and you really caught a lot of the best parts. You also pronounced the name correctly too. :) Looking forward to the Knaresborough video. It's a stunning town too. Hope you include the castle :)
Such a delight to hear from you! I really appreciate you watching my little video and taking the time to comment. I try hard to pronounce place names correctly... and usually get them right. Although watch my video of Clovelly for a time I got it wrong, haha! Knaresborough was so lovely, and I did include footage of the castle from several angles. And best of all is my hubby Ian's drone footage of the viaduct! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on that vid! ;-) If you want a laugh, here's a video of my trying to teach Americans how to pronounce place names in England. ua-cam.com/video/j6VOftTubS8/v-deo.html Cheers XX Dara
This is Ian, Dara's husband. I know there's more we could have featured. I visited the Harrogate a couple of years ago, without Dara, and explored some areas outside of the town centre that were really lovely. We were a bit rushed on this trip, but next time I'd like to stay a couple of nights there, since I know you have some great b&b's and hotels in the town.
No, YOU are adorable! And yes, let's go live in the Garden of Serenity. With some stirfry veggies and teriyaki tofu! Basically, all the food we ate in last week's video! haha
Hello Dara👋 after watching your lovely videos on the Cotswolds, which inspired us to visit some beautiful places, I’m enjoying your other great videos guides too. This one was really nice to see as I grew up in Harrogate and my wife’s family live there, so was really nice to see your experiences. Take care, Steve ☺️
I'm so glad to hear that you have enjoyed our travel videos from different places around Britain! Harriet really is a stunning place. We have some dear friends who live in between Harrogate and Knaresborough, so we need to come visit them in the next year or two and see both places again! 💖💖
Yes, I've explored Buxton via Google Street View and it's definitely on our bucket list. The newly opened Buxton Crescent Hotel looks stunning. Probably out of our budget for a stay but I'd like to book a meal there.
I would love to visit Buxton! Like Harrogate, it's a famous spring that still has water bottled with that brand name ;-) Thanks for watching and commenting, Aidan!
The garden of serenity look like exactly that ❤️ Isn’t a live bagpipe SO powerful??? I (Stephen) love it! Also, SING IT, girl! That really took the pun-y plate to the next level!
Yes, it's a great day trip from Leeds! Also, if you haven't been to Knaresborough, it is a MUST VISIT place!!! Please don't miss our video this Friday of the town, and you'll see why ;-) One of our best videos yet! (and I don't say that all the time! lol)
October is one of the best times to visit Betty’s window and they have all sorts of Autumn-themes cakes and biscuits shaped like concerts and hedgehogs, but also Halloweeny ones like ghosts, and usually a giant cake shaped like a spooky castle!
Oh, a spooky castle cake sounds amazing! And of course, I'm obsessed with hedgehogs (as well as otters, obviously!) so I would love that! Actually, chocolate hedgehogs make an appearance in this coming Friday's video of Knaresborough. It's one of our best videos yet, so I hope you get the chance to watch! Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment. I REALLY appreciate it! Cheers XX Dara
Loved the Agatha Christie reference in this one, Dara. I've read about that whole incident, and it is indeed quite mysterious. As always, I'm glad you found lots of magenta among all those beautiful flowers. And your singing? Hey, not bad at all -- Elton John and Kiki Dee would be pleased!! :-)
Bobby, as usual, you are too kind! haha Yes, we just watched the Netflix movie about Agatha Christie's disappearance... the fictionalised version of "what really happened". I think the fact that she was divorcing her husband was a big factor in her taking time out on her own, under an assumed name. Amnesia seems like an unlikely explanation!
Another lovely Vlog of a beautiful town. The flower trial looked beautiful. Loved the Agatha Christie story as well. I don’t think I’ve been to Harrogate, but it looks absolutely delightful. Thanks for sharing x
Harrogate is lovely. But honestly, nearby Knaresborough is even better! Don't miss Friday's video because it has some STUNNING footage (I can brag because it's Ian's drone photography, LOL!). Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment! Cheers Dara
It is a nice place, but definitely go later in the summer. Also, do not miss visiting Knaresborough nearby. That is next Friday’s video, and Ian has informed me it’s one of the best videos I’ve done. I just finished editing the video last night. LOVELY place. And honestly I think it’s the cutest and funniest video of Ian ever!
I live in Sunderland, you are not far from me! :) Well I am still in Italy but I will spend the winter at my home in England! You live in a beautiful place, I love Spa baths a lot!! Loved the Scotland vibes :)
Why hello!👋 Our last name is Sandland, so who knows, maybe my husband’s ancestors originally came from Sunderland?! LOL Italy is a great place to be! I just saw you have a video about Cinque Terre (one of my favourite places!). Sounds like we have something in common - living in Britain part time! We live near Dallas Texas most of the year, but we live in Cheltenham, England in the summer. That’s our way to avoid the worst weather in both places 🤣🤣
This is Ian, Dara's husband. You are so fortunate to live in Harrogate. I visited the town previously (without Dara) and went off the beaten track exploring some of the neighborhoods outside the town centre and they were lovely. I liked the town so much that I made sure Dara visited it on our trip to the North. Thank you for watching and please be sure to catch the video we do of Knaresborough coming out 4:00 pm on Friday.
@@ians3586 It is a beautiful place, I still love looking at the architecture and history of the town. Although you both have done one thing that I have never done… I have lived here since 1990 and never been into Bettys 😬 My ‘Harrogatarian’ card might be removed if anyone finds out though, so don’t tell anyone 🤫🤣
@@jamgart I have to say that Betty's was the thing we liked least about Harrogate. We've had afternoon tea many places and we would rate Betty's as only "okay" which was a disappointment to us as hyped up as it is. Next time we're in the area I'd like to do afternoon tea at Grantley Hall. Staying there is outside our budget but the meal we had there was excellent and the grounds were stunning.
As Ian said, definitely skip having tea at Betty's! Here is my video if you want to know why: ua-cam.com/video/vY4rMrHz_6Y/v-deo.html You live in such a beautiful area. We really loved visiting! And I am SO grateful that you took the time to leave a comment. It is fascinating to see how the UA-cam algorithm pushes out my video to people who live around the areas where I do a vlog! I hope you join the Magenta Otter Tribe and stick around for our travels beyond our Northern Expedition. We had some great fun in Northumberland and Scotland (if you want to check out those vlogs)... but there are some fun things coming soon for The Cotswolds and more! But first is this Friday's video of Knaresborough which you won't want to miss. Ian captured SUCH lovely drone footage of the viaduct! Cheers XX Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels Looking forward to the Knaresborough footage! I’m just a ten minute walk away from knaresborough river, I’m in Starbeck, between Harrogate and knaresborough (all in the Harrogate district) 😁 The viaduct is beautiful, it’s always so nice on the train too! You suddenly come through the trees of the station and you’re on top of the viaduct with that wonderful view. I haven’t been to Grantley Hall (Ian mentioned it) but coincidentally I did work for the people that own it. They own several smaller Inn’s in the area and before lockdown I worked at one just outside of knaresborough. The Bluebell at Arkendale. Beautiful pub/restaurant/Inn, in the tiny village of Arkendale. I’m not sure how the food is now as it’s all new staff since reopening, but it used to be great!
The architecture (not surprisingly) is gorgeous. And your jacket is like your camouflage standing in front of that “100” display of flowers! 😊 What is that giant rhubarb???
Grammy Nomination for Dara!! Love this town! Was there the smell of sulfur in the air? The UK seems to have the most beautiful gardens! Great video! (BTW I did a little singing on this trip… guess the song we were in Cincinnati video soon 🤣🤣). ~Cara
What did you sing?! I don't know any songs about Cincinnati!! No, there was no smell of sulphur... not like Old Faithful. Funny because I think in Harrogate and Bath and Cheltenham and other spa towns the water used to smell and taste nasty. But now Harrogate and Buxton have bottled water which is lovely pure and clean tasting water. I'm sure there is a story behind all that!
This wasn't a formal garden, just more of a central park in the town. So it was FREE!!! And fun to visit while touring the town. It's so great to have walkable places to visit, don't you think?
@@MagentaOtterTravels wow. That’s great. We love walkable places. If we find a place like this on vacation we try to go back for a picnic lunch if we have time.
The Valley Gardens is HUGE and is free for all. It has tennis courts, mini golf, children’s play areas, a paddling pool, and leads into a forest at the back.
My goodness me, love Harrogate, stunning wee place. So many memories 😊 fancy seeing a piper all the way down there. Agatha picked a rather conspicuous wee place to hide didn't she ☺🙂 Great tour guys, rather enjoyed that ❤
Thanks so much! I’m glad to hear that you have fond memories of Harrogate, and this video could be a wee reminder ❤️. Yes Agatha DID go to a very touristy place to hide! 🤣🤣
Thank you so much for saying that! I just finished editing next Friday’s video of Knaresborough, and it is a really really good one. Please make sure you see that one!😉
You did a nice job singing; nothing to be ashamed of. I would NEVER try that. I will sing in a choir, but doing a solo……NEVER!!!! Love those flowers and the garden areas; it must have been truly fabulous when in full bloom. ❤️
Thanks, Ruth! Singing a solo, and a cappella, in a video available worldwide on the Internet… totally crazy! Clearly I have no shame 🤣… or sense! We did love visiting Harrogate, but the place we visited later that day was even better! Knaresborough, the subject of next Friday’s video 😉
No it is not. Some people do that, and then sandwich the scone together to eat it. They are monsters. JK, I was later planning to put jam on top of the cream half and vice versa. I just snapped the photo then to show how puny and DRY the scone was! Ugh. But thanks for the question!
Thanks so much, Gerry! I don't hold a candle to Kiki Dee in terms of vocals. But I might be funnier ;-) Next week's video of Knaresborough is even better! Such a fun part of the country to visit...
Very nice video! Ooo, the piper, I think he must travel and perform in a few places. I've seen him in Derby. I noticed his cheeks. My mum has a rude name for him involving his cheeks.
The poor chap must get a lot of abuse for his cheeks! But they ARE memorable! Yes, he probably travels around to the really touristy places. I hope he makes a good living and enjoys what he does!❤️🏴 Thanks for your comment Cheers XX Dara
English gardens are all so lovely, so much colour! I read my way through most of Agatha Christie's books when I was a teenager, I loved a good murder mystery! I had heard about her disappearance in the 1920s but for some reason I thought she disappeared in the south of England as she lived in Torquay. (I've done the pilgrimage to her house!) so it was surprising to see that she went to Harrogate which is a lot further away.
Oh yes, I was a big Agatha Christie fan as well. Read almost all of her books in my 20s. I just watched the Netflix movie which was a fictionalised account of what happened during her disappearance. Now I can’t remember where she was living at the time. Maybe that’s why she came so far north is so she wouldn’t get found! I have also been to Torquay. Fun place to visit! I need to go back again now that I have a UA-cam channel! 😉 thanks for your comment! Cheers Dara
👍 Lovely video of this spa town, some great footage of the gardens and historical buildings. Lovely tea rooms, we've used Betty's at Harrogate, plus the ones at Ilkley and York. Harrogate is also known for the Great Yorkshire Show which takes place over 4 days every July, it's huge and attracts tourists from far and wide. There's many Americans living in and around the town, most of them work at Menwith Hill (Radar Station) a UK/US Military Base .... and like you two, they enjoy their Sunday roast dinners, we've seen them in the town and village pubs tucking into their feasts, yummy ! Dara, you've missed your calling, if ever the 'girl power' group the Spice Girls reform, you could replace Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice), and as a new member you'd be known as Dara (Magenta Spice) ! 😉
We visited Ilkley (and York) on previous visits and really enjoyed them. Dara's brother lived in Leeds for a couple of years so he took us around some of the local sites when we visited but I know there's still a lot of other worthwhile places and things to experience which we'll have to catch on another visit. Please be sure to catch our video of Knaresborough coming out on Friday that I think is one of Dara's best.
Whilst I do LOVE the name Magenta Spice (that should be my Halloween costume!)... I think my rockstar days are long over, LOL! I do love a roast dinner, and especially those Yorkshire Puddings. I trust you saw my video when we made the Yorkies in Leeds at my friend's house? What a great day! I dream about those puddings.... Thanks very much for you comment. I hope to chat with you on Friday when we do the Premiere of the Knaresborough vid! Cheers XX Dara
Betty’s: pigenta/ magentpig? The Japanese garden reminds me of when we visited my son down in Fort Worth they have that botanical gardens right next to where he lives and inside of that they have that Japanese garden that we went to. Pretty nice place. And I just mentioned Kiki Dee to some stranger I was walking alongside couple weeks ago and there’s a video I saw a couple of days ago about this piano that is in the London train station Saint Pancras, and Elton did a medley of tunes which included that song.2016.
Yes, I agree! The botanical gardens in Ft Worth have a lovey Japanese garden! Yes, magentapig! I love it!! BTW, don't miss next week's video of Knaresborough... Ian watched a preview last night and said it's the best video on my channel (next to the Watersmeet one). It's a fun one with lovely drone footage!
Yes, I love the Japanese garden and everything else in the Fort Worth Botanical garden. Coincidentally we’re staying at Marriott St Pancras next year so it may eventually end up in a future video.
I think there are a couple films about it. Last week we watched the one that was on Netflix. Fun to watch, and gave me enough insight to form my own opinion about what really happened ;-)
That sounds like a great job to have had! Harrogate is definitely known for its blooms... pity we were there a wee bit early! But it's hard to plan around ALL the flowers... at least we got it right for Cragside and their rhodies! ❤
Hiya. The 100 years flower bed display is to celebrate 100 years of Soroptimist International, a worldwide organisation of women now linked to the United Nations, founded in Oakland, California in 1921 and as there is a Harrogate & District Soroptimist Branch, the Borough Council decided to commemorate the fact. Stay safe. All the best to you.
THANK YOU for giving me an answer to THAT mystery! How fun to know. Another fun thing is that I have visited Oakland California. I still remember the hot fudge sundae I ate there... haha
Just to confirm the hundred flower display was no doubt to commemorate the new 100 cricket competition in 2021, which there was a northern so Yorkshire team based in the city of Leeds.
Thanks for sharing your theory! I have now heard three different explanations for the 100 display. I am not sure which is true... but I am sure that I loved those magenta flowers! Have a great weekend, and thanks for watching the video! Cheers Dara
No problem, I have one of those annoying memories for remembering random bits of information and I recall a friend of mine who is a gardener talking about it in a random conversation and I am not green fingered in the slightest so wasn’t paying that much interest to the conversation but I guess because it was a centenary celebration and it made me think about my Nan who would have been 100 the year before and she was very green fingered, it must have stuck in my memory. Who knew something I didn’t know I knew could be so helpful and luckily Dara’s singing didn’t break my brain 😝 sorry couldn’t help myself, I do have to commend you though for putting it out there, 10 out of 10 for effort. A ⭐️ for effort, lol
Harrogate is nice, and Knaresborough is even better. Don't miss this Friday's video! We are doing a premiere, if you have time to join and chat at 4pm UK time. As for the Lakes, YES, we love that area! We haven't been in a couple years, and it is definitely calling our names. Now that I have my channel, I need to go capture some nice footage of the lakes and the hikes and the food. Just not the gingerbread (inside joke... if you didn't see my gingerbread rant, here is that ridiculous video: ua-cam.com/video/0PuQUkKvOLY/v-deo.html Thanks so much for your comment! Cheers, Dara
I don't know about "Don't go breaking my heart," it should have been "Don't go breaking any windows!"🤣🤣 Only joking!! You could hit really those high notes, Dara! Good on you! 👍😁
Thanks in advance for having a sense of humour when you watch this video! To see a review of our Afternoon Tea in Harrogate, please click here: ua-cam.com/video/vY4rMrHz_6Y/v-deo.html
We have lived in Harrogate for 20 years now and do love it here. It was lovely watching your well narrated and filmed video and seeing a visitor's view of our home town. So pleased you enjoyed your visit.
Thanks for watching and commenting! I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy next Friday’s video of Knaresborough, as it is a particularly good one. My husband got some gorgeous drone footage of the viaduct bridge. 💖
Cheers
XX
Dara
You’re so fortunate to live in Harrogate. On a previous visit (without Dara) I went off the beaten track and walked several neighborhoods and they were lovely. I’ve also studied the town via Google maps and Street View and looked at properties on Rightmove. In some ways I would prefer Harrogate to Cheltenham where we currently have our flat, but I don’t think I could ever get Dara to relocate.
as a young person if you have a family then i wouldn't, this is sadly a very boring place to live if you're below 25 and nearly all of my schoolmates were hooked on alcohol or even drugs in highschool and yes, even the rich kids. i had bouts of depression and a lot of envy hearing of the glory days here, i can't wait to find a new town or city to relocate to @@ians3586
Dara, an EXCELLENT short introduction to my home town of Harrogate - a boy there from 1940 to 1956. A couple of nostalgic scenes: the opening shots of Victorian terraced house included the one, formerly a hotel, where my new wife and I stayed on Honeymoon in 1972 - in November!!! Then the model boating pool - how many HOURS I spent there in the 1940s. There was even a daily Pullman train, steam engine of course, to Kings Cross Station in London and I travelled on that. It arrived back in Harrogate as the Queen of Scots train at 4pm (1600 hrs now). Thanks, Dara and Ian
Thanks for watching and leaving this lovely comment. I always enjoy hearing peoples memories of places that we share videos about! Cheers! XX
I envy all of you older generations who grew up with the old harrogate, after 2013 i fell out of love with this town big time with all of our old businesses and activities closing down.
These flowers are just stunning and the colours gorgeous...!!! What a pretty town that you have made us discover.
My hope is that people watch the video and then go visit in late June or July... when the flowers are even better!
Thanks for the great tour! Very informative and interesting. We look forward to checking out more or your adventures. Safe travels, John and Bev
Thanks so much! My husband Ian is commenting on your Apostle Islands video now 😉.
If you watch our video from last Friday, called Downton Abbey vibes, you will hear a bit about our drone catastrophe!
Cheers
Dara
We will definitely check that out!
I'd just got into your very interesting tour of Harrogate, when it came to an end! Loved the glimpses of this celebrated and elegant spa town, with your background research, and also the tour of the tranquil gardens, with a quick burst of commentary from Ian: very professional - you should put him on camera more often!
Richard, I always tell Ian that YOU want him to do more narrating... he needs the encouragement because he HATES being on camera! But he is so much cleverer than me on many topics. I do enjoy getting him to talk more! Wait till next Friday's video... He really opens up and starts doing some creative lying. It's pretty funny! Plus, there is some gorgeous drone footage. So don't miss that one! ;-)
@@MagentaOtterTravels Good for you Dara! Ian's piece to camera was very good. And his drone footage is brilliant. Can't wait for Friday's video!
I live in Harrogate and you really caught a lot of the best parts. You also pronounced the name correctly too. :) Looking forward to the Knaresborough video. It's a stunning town too. Hope you include the castle :)
Such a delight to hear from you! I really appreciate you watching my little video and taking the time to comment. I try hard to pronounce place names correctly... and usually get them right. Although watch my video of Clovelly for a time I got it wrong, haha!
Knaresborough was so lovely, and I did include footage of the castle from several angles. And best of all is my hubby Ian's drone footage of the viaduct! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on that vid! ;-)
If you want a laugh, here's a video of my trying to teach Americans how to pronounce place names in England. ua-cam.com/video/j6VOftTubS8/v-deo.html
Cheers
XX
Dara
This is Ian, Dara's husband. I know there's more we could have featured. I visited the Harrogate a couple of years ago, without Dara, and explored some areas outside of the town centre that were really lovely. We were a bit rushed on this trip, but next time I'd like to stay a couple of nights there, since I know you have some great b&b's and hotels in the town.
The little piggy cakes are so cute!
They are! I hope they aren't made of marzipan... then I wouldn't like the flavour.
Beautiful video! I want to live in the ‘Garden of Serenity’💖🌸🌼🌺🍃 And I thought your singing was spot on! You’re adorable. 💓🎼🎤
No, YOU are adorable! And yes, let's go live in the Garden of Serenity. With some stirfry veggies and teriyaki tofu! Basically, all the food we ate in last week's video! haha
LOL I just love this!!!! I think we've told you before that we have yet to go to England, but the more we watch your show, the more I NEED to go!
Yes you do! So many wonderful things to see there… and EAT! ❤️🇬🇧
And you will want to return, many times!
Ooh, the world's biggest rhubarb crumble! That does sound very wonderful indeed!
There's a world record I would enjoy pursuing! haha
Your gonna need a bucket load of custard 😋
Hello Dara👋 after watching your lovely videos on the Cotswolds, which inspired us to visit some beautiful places, I’m enjoying your other great videos guides too. This one was really nice to see as I grew up in Harrogate and my wife’s family live there, so was really nice to see your experiences. Take care, Steve ☺️
I'm so glad to hear that you have enjoyed our travel videos from different places around Britain! Harriet really is a stunning place. We have some dear friends who live in between Harrogate and Knaresborough, so we need to come visit them in the next year or two and see both places again! 💖💖
A well crafted taster, like those cakes in the shop window, enough to tempt people to visit. Buxton (near us) is also full of character.
Yes, I've explored Buxton via Google Street View and it's definitely on our bucket list. The newly opened Buxton Crescent Hotel looks stunning. Probably out of our budget for a stay but I'd like to book a meal there.
I would love to visit Buxton! Like Harrogate, it's a famous spring that still has water bottled with that brand name ;-) Thanks for watching and commenting, Aidan!
The garden of serenity look like exactly that ❤️
Isn’t a live bagpipe SO powerful??? I (Stephen) love it! Also, SING IT, girl! That really took the pun-y plate to the next level!
Thanks, Stephen! You are too kind. Next collab idea: Stephen on drums, Andie and Dara dancing and singing ;-)
@@MagentaOtterTravels deal!
Wow awesome video guys, Harrogate is beautiful. Wish I had visited when I lived in Leeds! Thanks for the tour :)
Yes, it's a great day trip from Leeds! Also, if you haven't been to Knaresborough, it is a MUST VISIT place!!! Please don't miss our video this Friday of the town, and you'll see why ;-) One of our best videos yet! (and I don't say that all the time! lol)
Loved this! (Especially the singing! So cute!) 💕💕💕
Thank you, friend! I appreciate your support. 💖
Beautiful vid. You really do go to the nicest places :)
Thanks, John! We try to go to as many nice places as we can. I'm very excited to share next week's Knaresborough video!
@@MagentaOtterTravels I'll look forward to it :)
October is one of the best times to visit Betty’s window and they have all sorts of Autumn-themes cakes and biscuits shaped like concerts and hedgehogs, but also Halloweeny ones like ghosts, and usually a giant cake shaped like a spooky castle!
Oh, a spooky castle cake sounds amazing! And of course, I'm obsessed with hedgehogs (as well as otters, obviously!) so I would love that! Actually, chocolate hedgehogs make an appearance in this coming Friday's video of Knaresborough. It's one of our best videos yet, so I hope you get the chance to watch! Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment. I REALLY appreciate it!
Cheers
XX
Dara
We went to a fabric shoppe in arrowgate..
Is that your accent? 😉
@@MagentaOtterTravels verily so..I drop my haches
Again a great video! Keep up the excellent work! I'm looking
forward to another awesome upload!! Take care and stay in touch!
Thank you very much!
Loved the Agatha Christie reference in this one, Dara. I've read about that whole incident, and it is indeed quite mysterious. As always, I'm glad you found lots of magenta among all those beautiful flowers. And your singing? Hey, not bad at all -- Elton John and Kiki Dee would be pleased!! :-)
Bobby, as usual, you are too kind! haha
Yes, we just watched the Netflix movie about Agatha Christie's disappearance... the fictionalised version of "what really happened". I think the fact that she was divorcing her husband was a big factor in her taking time out on her own, under an assumed name. Amnesia seems like an unlikely explanation!
Your singing is marvellous...much much better than mine!!! I think this part gave the video a very personal touch 💕
Sweet of you to say. I just HAD to bring to life that plate... because I was singing the song in my head for days after seeing it! LOL
@@MagentaOtterTravels you made the right decision!!! You have a wonderful voice!
Another lovely Vlog of a beautiful town. The flower trial looked beautiful. Loved the Agatha Christie story as well. I don’t think I’ve been to Harrogate, but it looks absolutely delightful. Thanks for sharing x
Harrogate is lovely. But honestly, nearby Knaresborough is even better! Don't miss Friday's video because it has some STUNNING footage (I can brag because it's Ian's drone photography, LOL!).
Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment! Cheers
Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels looking forward to it. X
Harrogate seems like a nice place to visit, would have never considered it, thanks Mrs.Tourism 👍👍
It is a nice place, but definitely go later in the summer. Also, do not miss visiting Knaresborough nearby. That is next Friday’s video, and Ian has informed me it’s one of the best videos I’ve done. I just finished editing the video last night. LOVELY place. And honestly I think it’s the cutest and funniest video of Ian ever!
I live in Sunderland, you are not far from me! :) Well I am still in Italy but I will spend the winter at my home in England! You live in a beautiful place, I love Spa baths a lot!! Loved the Scotland vibes :)
Why hello!👋 Our last name is Sandland, so who knows, maybe my husband’s ancestors originally came from Sunderland?! LOL
Italy is a great place to be! I just saw you have a video about Cinque Terre (one of my favourite places!).
Sounds like we have something in common - living in Britain part time! We live near Dallas Texas most of the year, but we live in Cheltenham, England in the summer. That’s our way to avoid the worst weather in both places 🤣🤣
Yay! This is where I live. 😁 Your video just popped up. What a lovely surprise!
This is Ian, Dara's husband. You are so fortunate to live in Harrogate. I visited the town previously (without Dara) and went off the beaten track exploring some of the neighborhoods outside the town centre and they were lovely. I liked the town so much that I made sure Dara visited it on our trip to the North. Thank you for watching and please be sure to catch the video we do of Knaresborough coming out 4:00 pm on Friday.
@@ians3586 It is a beautiful place, I still love looking at the architecture and history of the town.
Although you both have done one thing that I have never done… I have lived here since 1990 and never been into Bettys 😬 My ‘Harrogatarian’ card might be removed if anyone finds out though, so don’t tell anyone 🤫🤣
@@jamgart I have to say that Betty's was the thing we liked least about Harrogate. We've had afternoon tea many places and we would rate Betty's as only "okay" which was a disappointment to us as hyped up as it is. Next time we're in the area I'd like to do afternoon tea at Grantley Hall. Staying there is outside our budget but the meal we had there was excellent and the grounds were stunning.
As Ian said, definitely skip having tea at Betty's! Here is my video if you want to know why: ua-cam.com/video/vY4rMrHz_6Y/v-deo.html
You live in such a beautiful area. We really loved visiting! And I am SO grateful that you took the time to leave a comment. It is fascinating to see how the UA-cam algorithm pushes out my video to people who live around the areas where I do a vlog! I hope you join the Magenta Otter Tribe and stick around for our travels beyond our Northern Expedition. We had some great fun in Northumberland and Scotland (if you want to check out those vlogs)... but there are some fun things coming soon for The Cotswolds and more! But first is this Friday's video of Knaresborough which you won't want to miss. Ian captured SUCH lovely drone footage of the viaduct!
Cheers
XX
Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels Looking forward to the Knaresborough footage! I’m just a ten minute walk away from knaresborough river, I’m in Starbeck, between Harrogate and knaresborough (all in the Harrogate district) 😁
The viaduct is beautiful, it’s always so nice on the train too! You suddenly come through the trees of the station and you’re on top of the viaduct with that wonderful view.
I haven’t been to Grantley Hall (Ian mentioned it) but coincidentally I did work for the people that own it. They own several smaller Inn’s in the area and before lockdown I worked at one just outside of knaresborough. The Bluebell at Arkendale. Beautiful pub/restaurant/Inn, in the tiny village of Arkendale. I’m not sure how the food is now as it’s all new staff since reopening, but it used to be great!
The architecture (not surprisingly) is gorgeous. And your jacket is like your camouflage standing in front of that “100” display of flowers! 😊 What is that giant rhubarb???
A couple people commented and said that it is actually a giant Brazilian rhubarb! Crazy!
@@MagentaOtterTravels wow! that’s awesome!
Grammy Nomination for Dara!! Love this town! Was there the smell of sulfur in the air? The UK seems to have the most beautiful gardens! Great video! (BTW I did a little singing on this trip… guess the song we were in Cincinnati video soon 🤣🤣).
~Cara
What did you sing?! I don't know any songs about Cincinnati!!
No, there was no smell of sulphur... not like Old Faithful. Funny because I think in Harrogate and Bath and Cheltenham and other spa towns the water used to smell and taste nasty. But now Harrogate and Buxton have bottled water which is lovely pure and clean tasting water. I'm sure there is a story behind all that!
Gardens are also some of our favorite places to visit. Was there a fee to go in the garden? I also love rhubarb desserts. 🥧
This wasn't a formal garden, just more of a central park in the town. So it was FREE!!! And fun to visit while touring the town. It's so great to have walkable places to visit, don't you think?
@@MagentaOtterTravels wow. That’s great. We love walkable places. If we find a place like this on vacation we try to go back for a picnic lunch if we have time.
The Valley Gardens is HUGE and is free for all. It has tennis courts, mini golf, children’s play areas, a paddling pool, and leads into a forest at the back.
My goodness me, love Harrogate, stunning wee place. So many memories 😊 fancy seeing a piper all the way down there. Agatha picked a rather conspicuous wee place to hide didn't she ☺🙂 Great tour guys, rather enjoyed that ❤
Thanks so much! I’m glad to hear that you have fond memories of Harrogate, and this video could be a wee reminder ❤️. Yes Agatha DID go to a very touristy place to hide! 🤣🤣
I love your content, thank you.
Thank you so much for saying that! I just finished editing next Friday’s video of Knaresborough, and it is a really really good one. Please make sure you see that one!😉
You did a nice job singing; nothing to be ashamed of. I would NEVER try that. I will sing in a choir, but doing a solo……NEVER!!!! Love those flowers and the garden areas; it must have been truly fabulous when in full bloom. ❤️
Thanks, Ruth! Singing a solo, and a cappella, in a video available worldwide on the Internet… totally crazy! Clearly I have no shame 🤣… or sense!
We did love visiting Harrogate, but the place we visited later that day was even better! Knaresborough, the subject of next Friday’s video 😉
Wait - cream on one half and jam on the other? Is that an “acceptable” option?
No it is not. Some people do that, and then sandwich the scone together to eat it. They are monsters.
JK, I was later planning to put jam on top of the cream half and vice versa. I just snapped the photo then to show how puny and DRY the scone was! Ugh. But thanks for the question!
@@MagentaOtterTravels “monsters” 🤣🤣🤣
Beautiful singing!
Very kind of you to say! It was a funny plate that just HAD to be brought to life! 😂
Another great video that does Harrogate proud. I'm sure Elton will be in touch if Kiki Dee isn't available.
Thanks so much, Gerry! I don't hold a candle to Kiki Dee in terms of vocals. But I might be funnier ;-)
Next week's video of Knaresborough is even better! Such a fun part of the country to visit...
Squeaky D(ara)!? Sorry, l didn’t mean it, your voice is 1000 times better than mine…
@@MagentaOtterTravels hopefully we’ll have more suitable serenades from Dara deece pwan…
I LOVE those giant rhubarbesque leaves.
Me too! And it made me want crumble, LOL
@@MagentaOtterTravels A scaled up giant one.
Very nice video! Ooo, the piper, I think he must travel and perform in a few places. I've seen him in Derby. I noticed his cheeks. My mum has a rude name for him involving his cheeks.
The poor chap must get a lot of abuse for his cheeks! But they ARE memorable! Yes, he probably travels around to the really touristy places. I hope he makes a good living and enjoys what he does!❤️🏴
Thanks for your comment
Cheers
XX
Dara
English gardens are all so lovely, so much colour! I read my way through most of Agatha Christie's books when I was a teenager, I loved a good murder mystery! I had heard about her disappearance in the 1920s but for some reason I thought she disappeared in the south of England as she lived in Torquay. (I've done the pilgrimage to her house!) so it was surprising to see that she went to Harrogate which is a lot further away.
Oh yes, I was a big Agatha Christie fan as well. Read almost all of her books in my 20s. I just watched the Netflix movie which was a fictionalised account of what happened during her disappearance. Now I can’t remember where she was living at the time. Maybe that’s why she came so far north is so she wouldn’t get found! I have also been to Torquay. Fun place to visit! I need to go back again now that I have a UA-cam channel! 😉 thanks for your comment!
Cheers
Dara
I met an American lady at Sherwood Forest visitor centre yesterday..her English friend had a knitted Stars and Stripes cardigan..
Haha that’s great! 🇺🇸
@@MagentaOtterTravels exactly the same thing happened to me once i was given a star spangled do rag to wear..
Ahhhh! Gimme Fat Rascal!!!
Harrogate looks beautiful! Looking forward to seeing it some day. 👏🏼
Thanks to me, you know to visit in July or August 😉…. The really good video is going to be next Friday! Knaresborough ❤️
👍 Lovely video of this spa town, some great footage of the gardens and historical buildings. Lovely tea rooms, we've used Betty's at Harrogate, plus the ones at Ilkley and York. Harrogate is also known for the Great Yorkshire Show which takes place over 4 days every July, it's huge and attracts tourists from far and wide. There's many Americans living in and around the town, most of them work at Menwith Hill (Radar Station) a UK/US Military Base .... and like you two, they enjoy their Sunday roast dinners, we've seen them in the town and village pubs tucking into their feasts, yummy ! Dara, you've missed your calling, if ever the 'girl power' group the Spice Girls reform, you could replace Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice), and as a new member you'd be known as Dara (Magenta Spice) ! 😉
We visited Ilkley (and York) on previous visits and really enjoyed them. Dara's brother lived in Leeds for a couple of years so he took us around some of the local sites when we visited but I know there's still a lot of other worthwhile places and things to experience which we'll have to catch on another visit. Please be sure to catch our video of Knaresborough coming out on Friday that I think is one of Dara's best.
Whilst I do LOVE the name Magenta Spice (that should be my Halloween costume!)... I think my rockstar days are long over, LOL!
I do love a roast dinner, and especially those Yorkshire Puddings. I trust you saw my video when we made the Yorkies in Leeds at my friend's house? What a great day! I dream about those puddings....
Thanks very much for you comment. I hope to chat with you on Friday when we do the Premiere of the Knaresborough vid!
Cheers
XX
Dara
Simply beautiful! This town reminds me of Persuasion 🤗
I love how you always have literary comparisons for everything🥰
@@MagentaOtterTravels 😂
Really loved the Elton John/Kiki Dee moment, and you are fully forgiven! 😄
Thank you so much! ☺️
Betty’s: pigenta/ magentpig? The Japanese garden reminds me of when we visited my son down in Fort Worth they have that botanical gardens right next to where he lives and inside of that they have that Japanese garden that we went to. Pretty nice place. And I just mentioned Kiki Dee to some stranger I was walking alongside couple weeks ago and there’s a video I saw a couple of days ago about this piano that is in the London train station Saint Pancras, and Elton did a medley of tunes which included that song.2016.
Yes, I agree! The botanical gardens in Ft Worth have a lovey Japanese garden! Yes, magentapig! I love it!! BTW, don't miss next week's video of Knaresborough... Ian watched a preview last night and said it's the best video on my channel (next to the Watersmeet one). It's a fun one with lovely drone footage!
Yes, I love the Japanese garden and everything else in the Fort Worth Botanical garden. Coincidentally we’re staying at Marriott St Pancras next year so it may eventually end up in a future video.
The Agatha Christie story about her going missing for several days in 1926 is a fascinating story. Have you seen the film about it?
I think there are a couple films about it. Last week we watched the one that was on Netflix. Fun to watch, and gave me enough insight to form my own opinion about what really happened ;-)
I used to work for Cardiff in Bloom, actually. I see Harrogate as entered Britain in Bloom in the past.
That sounds like a great job to have had! Harrogate is definitely known for its blooms... pity we were there a wee bit early! But it's hard to plan around ALL the flowers... at least we got it right for Cragside and their rhodies! ❤
Hiya. The 100 years flower bed display is to celebrate 100 years of Soroptimist International, a worldwide organisation of women now linked to the United Nations, founded in Oakland, California in 1921 and as there is a Harrogate & District Soroptimist Branch, the Borough Council decided to commemorate the fact. Stay safe. All the best to you.
THANK YOU for giving me an answer to THAT mystery! How fun to know. Another fun thing is that I have visited Oakland California. I still remember the hot fudge sundae I ate there... haha
The flowers in Harrogate were definitely better during my previous visit in August.
Yes, you have to know how to time all these things! You did a good job planning when to visit Cragside!!👍
Just to confirm the hundred flower display was no doubt to commemorate the new 100 cricket competition in 2021, which there was a northern so Yorkshire team based in the city of Leeds.
Thanks for sharing your theory! I have now heard three different explanations for the 100 display. I am not sure which is true... but I am sure that I loved those magenta flowers! Have a great weekend, and thanks for watching the video!
Cheers
Dara
The plant that looks like rhubarb is called 'Gunnera Manicata' , also known as 'Brazilian giant-rhubarb' , so infact you were right 🤓👍
That is fascinating! Now I need to know if Brazilians make giant pans of crumble!
I think it was the 100th anniversary of the Harrogate flower show
THANK YOU!!! That was really bugging me!
You are correct. A visit to the Harrogate Flower Show website confirms this. Thank you for answering that mystery.
No problem, I have one of those annoying memories for remembering random bits of information and I recall a friend of mine who is a gardener talking about it in a random conversation and I am not green fingered in the slightest so wasn’t paying that much interest to the conversation but I guess because it was a centenary celebration and it made me think about my Nan who would have been 100 the year before and she was very green fingered, it must have stuck in my memory.
Who knew something I didn’t know I knew could be so helpful and luckily Dara’s singing didn’t break my brain 😝 sorry couldn’t help myself, I do have to commend you though for putting it out there, 10 out of 10 for effort.
A ⭐️ for effort, lol
There certainly won't be any music copyright on that, but at least it was in tune 😉👏
Darn ! That's an ear worm 🤨👍
That is exactly why I had to sing it! I saw that in the shop window and the song was in my head for the rest of the day!
Here's some new lyrics, 😬
" Don't go breaking a fart,
It's the sulphur, I never lie
😁👍
Bwahahaha
Very clever!
But I’m not singing that! 😂🤣
I like that one better. Would sell well in the sulphuric streets of Harrogate.
I have friends that live in Harrogate. It is nice. However, the Lake District is calling your names!
Harrogate is nice, and Knaresborough is even better. Don't miss this Friday's video! We are doing a premiere, if you have time to join and chat at 4pm UK time. As for the Lakes, YES, we love that area! We haven't been in a couple years, and it is definitely calling our names. Now that I have my channel, I need to go capture some nice footage of the lakes and the hikes and the food. Just not the gingerbread (inside joke... if you didn't see my gingerbread rant, here is that ridiculous video: ua-cam.com/video/0PuQUkKvOLY/v-deo.html
Thanks so much for your comment! Cheers, Dara
Hello my freind greetings
I've been lent some pipes. I hope my cheeks don't go like that.
Hmmmm... we need to research possible cheek inflation from bagpipe playing! haha
I don't know about "Don't go breaking my heart," it should have been "Don't go breaking any windows!"🤣🤣 Only joking!! You could hit really those high notes, Dara! Good on you! 👍😁
Like Lucy, I should get an award for being fearless and having a go!!! Nothing is too ridiculous for our UA-cam channels, right? haha
@@MagentaOtterTravels Absolutely right, Dara!! 100 per cent!!
The North of England Horticultural society were celebrating their 100th anniversary of the flower show😁👍
You knew I'd get the answer 🔎🤓👍
If only you were around in 1926 to solve the mystery of Agatha’s disappearance!
@@MagentaOtterTravels 🔎yeah me and Mr.Google, I presume 😉
My be Agatha Christie had a secret lover ? that would make a good read.
She was a mysterious woman! But as she was divorcing her husband... I'm not surprised she wanted a bit of time to herself, out of the spotlight.
@@MagentaOtterTravels Knowing how the press can be nosey yes I can understand how she might have been feeling.
I think the bagpiper's cheeks were the real star of the show.
YES! They were incredible!!
Reminded me of a chipmunk
years ago when Wool ruled the world the mill owners knew they'd made it when they moved from Bradford & Leeds to live in Harrogate lol
Oh I can totally understand that! They are very different places.
@@MagentaOtterTravels lol true
That should be the world's biggest rhubarb!
I seriously love rhubarb. A highlight of my summer was all the rhubarb we saw at farmer's markets. And the crumble I made!
"Montpellier"..... I thought you were in the UK not in France 😉
Montepellier is an area in Cheltenham as well!
And in Llandrindod Wells, a spa town in Wales, if you haven’t guessed.
Agatha Christie’s husband wanted a divorce as he was having an affair. That is why she ran away.
Yes, that is a much more logical and believable reason than “total amnesia“, right?
A singing agent will be in contact Dara .
DOUBTFUL! I just hope I was able to put a smile on the face of my viewers with this silly singing!
Agatha Christie mystery 🤣🤣, this is what happens when you have a holiday and don't tell anyone. Today's equivalent is loss of the Internet
😂😂. Seems to me that her biggest issue was not telling her husband!
@@MagentaOtterTravels sometimes you need a bit of space 👩🚀👍