Just for Christmas: the Harrogate pub that becomes the Sleigh & Reindeers

Walk through a North Yorkshire spa town, then pop in to the Victorian baths before a pint and top-notch food at this festively renamed old pub

Few towns wear their Christmas ornaments with the charm and panache of Harrogate. Perhaps it’s the mass of wonderful gritstone buildings and all the Victorian shop windows that seem from a bygone age. My end point will be the Coach & Horses on West Park – which has changed its name to the Sleigh & Reindeers for the festive season.

I start at the railway station and head north, passing one of the country’s great cafes, Bettys. Peering inside I can see a dazzle of polished woodwork and brass, plus platoons of prim staff dressed as if to serve Charles Dickens with cakes that carry names like ginger tart and fat rascal. It always pains me to pass such treats, but it’s too early in the walk to stop.