Agatha Christie played the lead role in her very own national mystery story when she hid away here for a week, Charles Dickens thought it was the ‘queerest place with the strangest people in it’, and Karl Marx came to take the renowned spa waters until he ran out of money.
Where else but Harrogate? This elegant North Yorkshire town, noted for its wide boulevards, stately Victorian architecture, beautifully maintained parks and gardens – and of course home to Bettys, the classiest tea-room in the world. Home too, to one of the most vibrant book events anywhere, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.
We had travelled to attend the latter and found ourselves staying at the impressive Regency-style Rudding Park Hotel and Spa in the hamlet of Follifoot, just a ten minute drive from the centre of Harrogate. This luxury hotel has 90 bedrooms and suites, together with a sumptuous spa, two restaurants, a kitchen garden, private cinema, and two golf courses – all set in 300 acres of delightful landscaped gardens and woodland. There’s also a splendid private chapel (more like a parish church), built in 1874, in the grounds.
A number of magnificent animal paintings by local fine artist Tania Still adorned the walls on the way to our room in the newish (2010) Follifoot wing of the hotel. In fact it was more of a suite, with its own private terrace and balcony. The super king-sized bed could tranquilize even the worst of sleepers, and what we particularly appreciated was the wide bedside table to accommodate book, glass of water, glasses case etc. The luxurious bathroom included underfloor heating, roll-top bath and a walk-in shower.
Rudding Park’s spa was built in 2017 and has attracted much attention and praise since then. Why it has built such a reputation became quickly clear – its sheer size and the range of its facilities, together with the expertise and enthusiasm of its staff. We spent some time there before attending the festival. Walking in through its doors is like stepping into a mini village, with a sizeable swimming pool, treatment and relaxation rooms downstairs, and then the spectacular rooftop area with its hydrotherapy pool, saunas, steam rooms, spa bath, and lounging areas dotted around a garden filled with lovely trees and shrubs.
We first took advantage of the pool, swimming a few lengths and then showering before heading to the treatment room. We then chose the spa’s signature massage, a 50-minute, deeply relaxing back, neck and shoulder massage, using a lavender infused dry oil, administered capably and sensitively by our two masseuses.
Relaxed to the core, we set off into Harrogate for two days of ‘murder and mayhem’. For a long time crime writing was not seen as respectable, perceived in some literary quarters as having little merit. The festival, now 20 years old, has helped changed all that, and the events we attended this time were consistently excellent – better than most literary festivals we have attended down the years - in their discussions about the character, plot, structure and big ideas that go into writing a successful crime novel.
Among our highlights was a panel discussion on ‘Literary Crime’, chaired by Stephanie Merritt (aka S.J.Parris), who writes bestselling historical thrillers set in Tudor times. While one of the American greats, Jeffrey Deaver, reminded his audience he had been there right at the very start of the Harrogate festival.
After a relaxing and richly entertaining few days in Harrogate, we headed home with plenty of food for thought for that thriller that’s still waiting to be written…
For more information or to book a stay at Rudding Park visit ruddingpark.co.uk
The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival will be held on July 18 to 21, 2024, harrogateinternationalfestivals.com
