Knaresborough

I really enjoyed my day out in Knaresborough today; I saw all the main attractions and had a decent length walk along the river, discovering a sculpture trail in the process. It's the first time I've been there since I was a child; I really shouldn't have left it so long, it's not really that difficult to get to. I used my £10 travel voucher to pay for the journey from Leeds to Knaresborough - I can travel for free to Leeds from Doncaster. I was surprised that the standard fare is only £10.50...so I had only to pay 50p for my day out.

Down by the river, at the bottom of the Nidd Gorge, it's a natural sun trap. The atmosphere is very chic and continental, with a hint of the Italian Riviera with the vibrant colours, riverside cafes and ice cream vendors, rowing boats for hire neatly moored next to each other, whitewashed villas clinging to the hillside and a tall palm tree strategically positioned to complete the effect. 

I was disappointed that I couldn't visit the House in the Rock [it's been closed to the public for twenty years] and the Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag [the gate at the bottom of the footpath up the steps was padlocked.]  I also didn't reach St. Robert's Cave; I turned back too soon.

There are plenty of free public toilets in Knaresborough, which is always good when visiting somewhere. One criticism I do have though is that some of the handrails are too low; I was having to lean forward and bend over quite a bit, and this isn't really safe when descending steep steps.