HARROGATE is lovely. The history as a Spa town, the green open spaces on the Stray, the elegant buildings, the beautiful people - calling in from elsewhere in the region it can resemble another country.

Not for nothing has the town beaten the likes of Paris and Rome to be declared one of the most romantic destinations in the world. And it frequently tops tables for the country's happiest inhabitants or best places to live to boot.

We visited in early February to test a new initiative to encourage sustainable transport. The Open Harrogate campaign has been launched by North Yorkshire County Council as part of the Department for Transport's Local Sustainable Transport Fund. The idea is to get residents and visitor alike to leave their cars behind and walk, cycle and travel by public transport.

A new website and smartphone app have been created in a bid to inspire people to explore the town and enjoy their visit to Harrogate without using fossil fuels. 'Enjoyment' seemed a pipe dream when the bikes were delivered by Dave, from Nidderdale Cycle Hire, and Phoebe the toddler looked at her child seat with absolute disgust, but once she saw her brothers on their bikes we didn't even need the chocolate buttons bribe we had packed just in case.

We had booked into the West Park Hotel, which overlooks the Stray and is just a short walk from the town centre. Making use of their wifi, we downloaded the Open Harrogate app and were ready to go. The route we had planned took in the newly improved cycle path and pedestrian route between Hornbeam Park Station and the Great Yorkshire Showground. Unfortunately, we got so carried away messing about on our bikes on the Stray that we forgot to follow the route and got a little lost. The detour meant we were famished by the time we pulled up for lunch at showground farm shop and cafe, Fodder.

The place was very busy and it became clear why when our food arrived. My Yorkshire Slate ploughman's was spot on; a Voakes pork pie, a thick slice of beef, another of ham, cheese, chutney and a bit of salad - delicious. Sarah's marinated piri piri chicken burger was also excellent.

On the return journey, we paid far more attention to the app, which took us around the edge of the showground and back into town. The kids were unimpressed by the two red kites which circled overheard as we pedalled, but I was thrilled.

After a couple of hours of downtime back at the stylish hotel, we walked into the town centre. If the kids were unimpressed by the red kites, they were even less thrilled by the Royal Pump Room and the Royal Baths, but we enjoyed the stroll and the sites nonetheless.

In the evening we headed out to the Lucia Wine Bar and Grill for tea, which was much more to the children's liking especially when they brought out the non-alcoholic cocktails. There was a lovely buzzing atmosphere in the restaurant and we didn't feel at all uncomfortable eating out with three children, despite lots of well-dressed people clearly starting their night at the venue.

After a good night's sleep at the West Park, we enjoyed a superb breakfast in the hotel's dining room - the sausages which came with the English breakfast where the stuff of foodie legend.

After that feast, we didn't feel much like moving but pushed ourselves to go discover RHS Garden Harlow Carr on the edge of Harrogate. It turned out that the gardens and adventure playground were just the ticket for burning off the breakfast. After several hours of play and exploration, we even managed to find some room for light refreshments at the on-site Betty's Tea Room - of course having to queue for a 20 minutes to get a table as you do at most Betty's. The Yorkshire cafe exemplifies much of what Harrogate is all about - a bit posh and could potentially be viewed as exclusory, but well worth the effort as it has substance as well as style.

People have been heading to Harrogate for rest and recuperation for centuries and I'm sure it's still possible to have a relaxing break in the spa town.

But if you want to return home absolutely exhausted after plate loads of good food, plenty of fresh air, a healthy amount of exercise and as much sustainable family fun as you can handle, it's not a bad destination either.

Factfile

The Willis family stayed at the West Park Hotel, Harrogate, where double rooms cost from £75 a night. For more details, visit thewestparkhotel.com

The cycles were provided by Nidderdale Cycle Hire. One-day cycle hire starts at £15 for adult bike and £12 for a child's bike. For more information, visit nidderdalecycles.co.uk

For details on the Open Harrogate initiative, visit openharrogate.co.uk. The Open Harrogate app can be downloaded from the Play Store for Android users and from the App Store for Apple devices.