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A round trip that takes in the handsome spa of Harrogate, the peerless Dales scenery of Nidderdale and Wharfedale, unspoilt villages and the market towns of Skipton and Knaresborough, spectacularly perched above the river Nidd.
En route you can fill your shopping bag with Yorkshire produce including rare breed beef produced on the unique limestone pavements of the Yorkshire Dales, eat at superior gastropubs or Michelin-starred restaurants, or assemble a memorable picnic and choose a glorious location far from the madding crowds.
 Leaving York, on the way to Harrogate, the Ainsty Farm Shop at Kirk Hammerton stocks locally reared meat, bread, home made cakes and lots more. It is here that you can also buy ewes milk cheese and yoghurt from Stonegate Farm. A late breakfast at Betty’s Tearoom, is the perfect start to the day. The flagship of the famous tearoom will set you up with Ethiopian mocha and a warm fat rascal. Add to your collection of treats with superb bread, cakes, chocolates and speciality teas and coffees from their partner Taylors of Harrogate. Weeton’s of West Park, is a gourmet supermarket showcase for the very best of Yorkshire produce: Rosebud Preserves from the Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire clotted cream from Northallerton, fine Wensleydale and Swaledale cheeses, and a top class meat and delicatessen counter. The Cheeseboard in Commercial Street is a small shop with a big heart and 200 prime cheeses. From a strong Yorkshire selection try Richard lll Wensleydale, Yorkshire Tasty or nine months matured Supreme Wensleydale from the Hawes Creamery. King’s Road is a foodie’s delight: Ramus Seafoods is a wet fish store with a vast range of fish and shellfish from Yorkshire’s east coast and beyond. Ramus will put together a platter of any size brimming with lobster, oysters, shrimp and smoked salmon. Regal Fruiterers (01423 509609) next door has the best selection fruit and veg, for miles around and Arcimboldo’s (01423 508760), is a superb deli packed with delicious cheeses, pies, pastries and quality takeaway dishes. Next door again, Thierry Dumouchel is a French pâtissiere. Thierry bakes fresh French loaves, croissants, pain au chocolate, almond pastries and exquisite fruit tarts. If the weather’s fine eat out on the majestic Stray or the flower-filled Valley Gardens. For eating indoors drop into the basement trattoria of Sasso 8-10 Princes Square (01423 508838) where Stefano Lancelotti’s home-made pasta lifts off with glorious dishes like cannelloni stuffed with parsley and ricotta, topped with gorgonzola and walnuts. The Orchid transforms the hotel dining room with vivid fusion of Malay, Thai and Chinese dishes prepared by an international brigade. Book early for the popular Sunday buffet lunch. For more restaurants in Yorkshire we can recommend www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/uk and www.theaa.com
 If you have time pop into the Royal Pump Room Museum, have a sip from the sulphur springs that made Harrogate famous – and wash out the taste with Farrah’s equally famous Harrogate toffees from their shop in Montpellier Parade. With some forward planning you could enrol for a course at Betty’s Cookery School at their production site at Starbeck. Prices average £145. Book well in advance. The Royal Horticultural Society’s gardens at Harlow Carr, are three miles out of town. Here you can walk the gardens and explore the experimental vegetable patch and then indulge at another branch of Betty’s, But beware the obligatory queues. Cook Book Shop. Cook book addicts can’t fail to be seduced by Allison Wagstaff’s specialist bookshop. She has all the latest titles with a strong professional section for and by serious chefs. Nearby is Tartufo, 49 Cold Bath Road 01423 564270), a little deli and café specialising in Tuscan food Ainsty Farm Shop at Kirk Hammerton stocks locally reared meat, bread, home made cakes and lots more.
The route from Harrogate to Skipton takes you close to the luxurious Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel at Bolton Abbey where you could opt for a Michelin starred dinner or Sunday lunch in the Burlington Restaurant or lunch in the more informal Devonshire Brasserie. It's market day in Skipton most days (except Tue, Thur and Sun) the market fills both sides of the High Street. The first Sunday of the month has more rewards for the food lover. The Northern Dales Farmers Market where some of Yorkshire's best food producers show up: Sue Gaudie with Yorkshire Clotted Cream, Just Puds, and their fabulous sticky toffee pudding, even buffalo burgers from a farm in Northallerton. For the definitive Yorkshire pork pie, head to Stanforth's Celebrated Pork Pie Establishment for pies sold warm, straight from the oven. Skipton also has one of the best French produce shops in the region at Au Panier Gourmand. Take home a jar of authentic Marseilles bouillabaisse. Wright Wine and Whisky Company in the Old Smithy on Raikes Road has a vast selection of new world wines and some 500 malts to choose from. Lunch or dinner doesn't get much better than the Angel at Hetton, one of the country's first - and still excellent ? gastropubs. Eat in the bar or more formally in the dining room. Book ahead or be prepared for a wait.
This lovely town in the heart of Wharfedale is also the source of some of the best rare breed beef in the county. Limestone Country Beef, comes from hardy breeds of cattle reared on the Limestone Pavements of the Dales as part of a unique programme of co-operation between farmers, English Nature and the National Trust aimed at preserving the very special flora and fauna of the region. It is stocked by Jacksons of Cracoe and Colin Robinson a butcher on Main Street. The third Sunday of the month is the date for the Northern Dales Farmers Market, where the best of Yorkshire produce is on sale.
 This pretty little town with a winding high street has a shop to gladden the hearts of children of all ages. The Oldest Sweet Shop in England stocks midget gems, liquorice, aniseed balls and much more all stored in old-fashioned glass jars, with a tinkling door bell and ancient cash register. Two good family butchers are Weatherhead & Son 01423 711207 and T Kendall and Son 01423 711342. Also along this high street is The Old Bakehouse 01423 711189 selling mouth watering homemade cakes as well as a range of savoury delicacies. At Nidderdale Fine Wines 01423 711703 you will find helpful and knowledgeable staff ready to help you find a wine to suit your palate.
Beyond Pateley at Glasshouses you can take a wine tour at Yorkshire Country Wines housed in a 19th century flax mill. From local flowers and fruits such elderflower, damsons, gooseberries and rhubarb, Richard and Gillian Brown make real country wines. Afterwards try a warming wassail cup in winter or in summer take tea on the terrace overlooking the river Nidd.
 Ripley is a picture postcard estate village complete with French style Hotel de Ville and its own castle. Ripley Castle has been home to the Ingilby family for the last 700 years and has a colourful history that involves rescuing King Edward III from a wild boar and links to the gunpowder plot. Tour the castle, stroll the gardens or walk the deer park but finish off with a meal at the smart Boars Head Hotel (menus created by Lady Ingilby), or more informally in the bistro round the back. Pack your bag with cheeses, home baked cakes, jams and jellies and other specialties from Hopkins-Porter Wine & Cheese a lovely shop in the castle courtyard.
 A memorable diversion between Grassington and Pateley Bridge is to head into upper Nidderdale. There's the ever-popular Sportsman's Arms for solid pub food or upmarket dining in the lovely Yorke Arms on the village green at Ramsgill where Frances Atkins' take on local produce is raised to Michelin star levels.
 Knaresborough has a more ruined castle and more rich history. Here you can visit Mother Shipton's Cave and its quirky Petrifying Well or hire a rowing boat on the lovely River Nidd. The best view across the dramatic gorge is from the terrace of Gallon House high up on the cliff, where Rick Hodgson runs an elegant small hotel. Stay the night or pre-book for a party of 6-16. Carriages Wine Bar on the High Street offers tapas and brasserie style dishes. For something simpler, take a pot of tea or an ice cream at one of the unpretentious little cafes by the river. Shop for quality regional cheeses at The Farm Dairy and for quality meat at Hutton's the butcher in Castlegate. For a final feast on the way back to York, detour to The General Tarleton on the Boroughbridge Road at Ferrensby. It is owned by the former head chef of the Angel at Hetton and the best Angel influences feature strongly in both bar and dining room.
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