London - Wakefield - Nurseborough - Harrogate

We leave London in the morning for a busy day ahead. The first stop on the journey is the small town of Wakefield, 180 miles from the capital. Three and a half hours to get there passes quickly - while reading the curious signs (if you go right, you'll find one castle, if you turn left, you'll get to another one).

To be honest, Wakefield is not the most interesting or beautiful town in Britain. It was once an active producer of wool and cattle, but after coal deposits were discovered in the vicinity, most of Wakefield's residents went to work in the mines. In a very short time they became major "employers" and operated until 1982.

There are few surviving attractions in Wakefield. However, it is worth stopping by to visit the Barbara Hepworth Gallery, built in 2011 on the banks of the Calder River. The minimalist building is striking in its scale: it was designed by British architect David Chipperfield, who won the prestigious RIBA Competitions. According to official figures, it cost the local council £35 million to build the gallery, and within five weeks of opening it had been visited by a hundred thousand people.
The gallery was built in Wakefield not accidentally: it was here that one of the most famous British women sculptors of the XX century was born. In her youth Barbara entered the Yorkshire School of Art in Leeds and then studied at the Royal College of Art in London. Full of air and light, the gallery houses artworks created by her: drawings, paintings, abstract sculptures in stone and wood. Some were donated by collectors, while others came from members of the Hepworth family. You can also see the artist's reconstructed studio - the original was in the town of St. Ives, where a memorial museum is now open.

The second point on the map is the town of Knaresborough, which is remarkable for its age: it is said to be over a thousand years old. On the way there, the industrial landscape gradually gives way to picturesque villages with antique shops as we move from West Yorkshire to North Yorkshire.

Nurseborough is a fabulous place. And it's not just the beauty, though almost any other Yorkshire town would envy it. The place boasts a grand viaduct over the River Nidd that was built in 1851, and the best view is from the Norman manor house. Today the only parts of the castle that have survived are the tower, which once served as a prison, and the secret passage. The viaduct, on the other hand, is fully operational - if you're lucky, you can see a train passing through it.

The spans of the bridge are quite high above the water, and in good weather it's particularly pleasant to take a boat ride under them, which you can rent on the promenade. If you walk along it, however, you'll come across a number of old houses with commemorative plaques - one, for example, featured in a Turner painting, and another was where Oliver Cromwell stayed for the night.

We spend the evening and night in the spa town of Harrogate, renowned in the area for its healing waters, one of the most prestigious places to live in England. The architecture here is a little like that of another British spa town, Bath, and it's a striking difference from the architecture of the surrounding towns.

Harrogate is also home to Britain's oldest Turkish baths, which have recently been restored and are now open again. If you're planning to go inside, book your tickets in advance.

Harrogate has lots of little restaurants, a cosy antiques market in the mews, and pubs that play the blues in the evenings. You could go to one of them or, if you don't find a table available, pop into the good old Ivy for dinner.

Staying overnight in the centre of Harrogate. A small but very pleasant hotel that has recently been refurbished inside on the outside.