I had been feeling for several days that I had to get out of York. Don’t get me wrong – York is beautiful in the autumn, but after a very full week, I needed some time and space to get out of my city and to breathe and enjoy the season. Autumn is my favourite season, and I love to savour it.

Luckily for me, Knaresborough, an idyllic town in the Yorkshire countryside, near to the Yorkshire Dales, is only a twenty minute train ride from home. So I packed my bag, grabbed my brolly, and hopped the train for a day.

One of the most bizarre bits of living in York is the lack of hills. In London, I used to dream of walking over the Yorkshire Moors like Jane Eyre or Cathy in Wuthering Heights. Then I moved to York and met a startling reality – York is in a vale, meaning there aren’t hills in the city, or even very nearby. The Moors that take their name from the county are further north. Still, Knaresborough is on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, and the hills are exquisite. One of my friends said that he loves to go and sit by the castle, because seeing all of the levels helps him to think. I’ve tried it a few times, and I have to say – I think it works!

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One of the things that always captivates me about autumn is the small, exquisite details. There are still flowers amongst the falling leaves. The berries are there, eclipsed by the riot of colour from the trees. I love it all so much!

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One of the best bits of Knaresborough is taking a long walk through all of the homes and countryside nearby. I went the day after the time change, which meant that the sun set at 4:30 pm (albeit behind clouds), but it was still nice to have a sunset walk in the middle of the afternoon. Bless, autumn is really here!

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I guess what I’m saying is – if you need to get away for a day, go to Knaresborough. And for goodness’ sake, if you go with me – please can we do the row boats?