Brimham Rocks and Fat Rascals

A few years ago I was invited to be a speaker at the Harrogate Literary Festival. To my delight, they put me up in the Old Swan Hotel - the very place that Agatha Christie was found after her mysterious 11 day disappearance in 1926.

And, as I was in Harrogate, there were two other places I had to visit - Betty's and the Brimham Rocks.

If you've never heard of Betty's Tea Rooms, you're missing out. It's a Yorkshire institution. In 1907 a young Swiss baker and confectioner, Fritz Bützer, travelled to England with a dream of establishing his own business. He spent his first night in the waiting room of Bradford station – penniless, jobless and unable to speak a word of English. 

He eventually settled in the spa town of Harrogate by which time he’d changed his name to Frederick Belmont and styled himself as a ‘Chocolate Specialist’. It was in Harrogate that he fell in love and later married his landlady’s daughter, Claire Appleton. In July 1919, with the financial support of Claire’s family, the first Bettys opened for business.

Now there are six Bettys dotted throughout his beloved adopted county. I'd already visited the Bettys in York so it was nice to visit the 'original'. And who could resist a Fat Rascal?

Then it was on to the Brimham Rocks, just eight miles north-west of the city.

These are bizarre giant rock formations, created by an immense river 325 million years ago. The heather heather moorland that surround sthe rocks have been designated a a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI),

The rocks have assumed fantastic shapes. In the 18th and 19th centuries, antiquarians such as Hayman Rooke wondered whether they could have been at least partly carved by druids, an idea that ran concurrently with the popularity of James Macpherson's Fragments of Ancient Poetry of 1760, and a developing interest in New-Druidism. 

Some stones still carry fanciful names, such as Druid's Idol, Druid's Altar and Druid's Writing Desk.

The Druid's Idol - a stack of rocks that look impossibly balanced on a thin spike, is particularly extraordinary. It looks like it could fall over at any time but the National Trust, who looks after the site, state that it's quite safe. It's something of a test of bravery to sit underneath it. But I did.

So many young children were doing it I couldn't refuse!