By land and sea

Harrogate and Knaresborough

True-blue Harrogate - venue at the moment for the conference of the National Association of Head Teachers, of whom Riccall's Sue Sayles is the newly-installed president - must have seemed a safe enough bet for former Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont when he stood here in 1997 after the abolition of his Kingston Upon Thames seat in south west London.

In the event it was not to be. In what appears to have been one of the 1997 election's clearest examples of tactical voting, Labour's share of the vote fell from 13 per cent to under nine per cent and the Liberal Democrats achieved their third highest increase in vote share, 18.2 per cent, to allow former head teacher Phil Willis to beat Mr Lamont by more than 6,000 votes. It meant Harrogate joined Bath and Cheltenham as large, prosperous spas with Liberal Democrat MPs.

The race this time is going to be close, but pundits say Mr Willis has a good chance of holding onto his seat.

Harrogate's Royal Bath still provides some spa amenities - but the march of progress has by no means passed this constituency by. Since the Second World War the economic base of the town has diversified with the introduction and growth of light industry and research establishments.

As this week's gathering of head teachers demonstrates, the town's large hotels and public buildings make it a popular venue for conferences and trade fairs, an extension to the Royal Hall and the construction of a major international conference centre providing locals and tourists with superb exhibitions and leisure facilities. Cancellation of the Great Yorkshire Show will be a blow.

Scarborough and Whitby

Like many coastal constituencies that depend on farming and tourism, Scarborough was once considered safe Tory territory. But just as Hove, Hastings, Thanet North, Blackpool, Morecambe and Crosby all succumbed to Labour in 1997, so did Scarborough and Whitby, for the first time since the seat's creation in 1918.

Many of Britain's seaside areas have experienced economic decline in recent years, as British people increasingly choose to holiday abroad. Scarborough - one of North Yorkshire's unemployment blackspots - and Whitby are no exceptions, although anybody experiencing Bank Holiday crowds at either resort could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. The fact remains, day-trippers cannot fill the hole in the resorts' economies left by the departure of the families who once spent week-long holidays at the seaside.

Nevertheless, Scarborough remains the most popular seaside resort town in north eastern England, as well as being a significant conference centre and retirement area. It also features a certain amount of light industry, not to mention a busy port which provides the town with its main economy - fishing.

Outside the two main towns, coastal cliffs shelter small, picturesque fishing villages, while the rugged inland countryside is home to dozens of farms and a large chunk of the North York Moors National Park.

The once-famous giant golf balls at Fylingdales early warning station have been replaced by an equally giant pyramid that monitors satellites. Suggestions the base could form a vital part of US President George W Bush's Son of Star Wars missile defence system could well be an issue in this election. The threat to 750 jobs at bus and coach plant Plaxton's is also likely to feature large.

Skipton and Ripon

The spate of new cases and the mass slaughter of cattle and sheep on Malham Moor that began last week will ensure that, while the foot and mouth crisis may be easing in many parts of the country, here it will remain at the top of the agenda.

It is an outbreak that has struck at the heart of the constituency's rural economy - based mainly on tourism and farming.

There is, perhaps, no corner of England with more spectacular scenery than is to be found here. Forming the southern portion of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and boasting among its attractions Fountain's Abbey and Malham Tarn, Skipton and Ripon draws in tourists from all over the country. Until foot and mouth, that was. For the last few months, much of the Dales have been closed to walkers, and it looks as though they could remain so for some time to come.

Tourism aside, although there is some light industry centred around Skipton, the economy is mainly based on farming. It is principally sheep and diary - the two main casualties so far of foot and mouth.

Despite all its problems the constituency, with its unique limestone landscape dotted with attractive stone-built villages, remains one of the most beautiful parts of England in which to live: and a Conservative bastion. In 1997 the Conservative majority was a thumping 11,600. It looks likely to remain in Conservative hands.

Yorkshire East

Yorkshire East was thrust into the national political limelight when outgoing Tory MP John Townend sparked a furious row within the ranks of his own party with his comments about immigration.

His successor as Conservative candidate, Greg Knight, distanced himself from Mr Townend's comments but added they had been "blown out of all proportion."

Yorkshire East, like the two old constituencies of Bridlington and Boothferry from which it was born, has traditionally been a safe Conservative seat, though in 1997 the majority of just over 3,000 for the Conservatives was perhaps less than they would have liked. Nevertheless, it is likely to remain Conservative this time around.

The constituency, which stretches from the Yorkshire coast to the boundaries of York's new unitary authority, is mainly rural and agricultural. The area produces cereals, sugar beet, vegetables and animal fodder and supports intensive pig and poultry farms. It contains the seaside resort of Bridlington, which acts as a shopping centre for much of the surrounding countryside, and further north the cliffs of Flamborough Head, an important tourist attraction. Inland is the rolling countryside of the Wolds and the small towns of Driffield, Market Weighton and Pocklington.

Updated: 11:10 Friday, June 01, 2001