An acail is the name of this house. It means tranquility and that is the truth of it. The house is warm and welcoming; a Victorian property, with spacious rooms and high ceilings, a mellow feel, lots of pictures, gentle colours, wrap-around comfort.The modernisation is not intrusive. The house likes it: tradition blends with state of the art and is content. The bedrooms, fully en-suite, are large and very comfortably furnished; there are Knightsbridge chairs, for taking your ease, a wine table and a small wine cooler to keep your wine and the fresh milk for your tea and coffee - (plentifully supplied on the hostess tray). These are peaceful rooms, easy to relax in, good for sleeping well in; the beds are the best. This is a quiet house, on a quiet road, yet on the very edge of Harrogate's town centre and all amenities. A short walk takes you anywhere. It's good to come back though.

I fell in love with this house, enough to know that I would be at my most happy coming out of retirement and setting this up to do bed and breakfast again. I had a long time in the business, in much bigger properties, and I missed it tremendously. Having 'open house' is meat and drink to me. If you love people, you will know what I mean. I have other interests, of course. I write, for one thing-----am trying to finish my first novel, a historical saga. I read a lot too. I like to walk and explore new places and I like to go to the theatre and to music gigs, keep in touch with many friends and dine out often, though I love most to cook at home. My family is everything to me and I am very proud of all my children and my children's children. I am a very lucky person, I know this.

This is such a convenient place to be; quiet, yet less than five minute's walk away from the centre of town: the bus and train stations, with the theatre, in one direction, and the wonderful Conference and Exhibition Centre, with the Royal Hall, less than five minutes in the other direction. Less than ten minute's walk gets you to the fabulous Valley Gardens and the Montpelier Quarter, with its antiques and the famous Harrogate Stray. There are so many wonderful restaurants in Harrogate, all practically on the doorstep here, and the shops are very special. We are lucky to have the famous Turkish Baths, a few minute's walk away, at the bottom of Parliament Street and, at the top, you can call in at Betty's Cafe. But then, Harrogate is full of excellent coffee shops, round every corner. We have lights in the trees pretty well all the year and flowers in the summer are everywhere, in pots and hanging baskets, balconies and roundabouts, fences and doorways. The gateway to The Dales, Harrogate is a most lovely and satisfying place to know.