There are now just 96 days until we go to the polls to vote for the first mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

The Liberal Democrats still haven't named a candidate; Conservative hopeful Keane Duncan's, by contrast, has been sending out press releases like billy-o.

Mr Duncan's bid took a slightly farcical turn this week when he announced he would spend the final 100 days of the campaign trail living in a campervan “surviving on army-style ration packs and sleeping in the wilderness”.

Keith Tordoff, an independent candidate from Pateley Bridge, delivered a withering response.

My personal highlight this week was a trip to the little known Lime Tree Observatory and Planetarium, between Ripon and Masham, which you can read about today.

It was also fun mingling with Manchester City fans at Starbeck Working Men's Club, where the club paraded the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup trophies. The queue was almost as long as the list of Premier League charges facing the club.

The fire I attended at Bettys & Taylors headquarters in Harrogate was a far more serious matter.

This week also saw plans for a major new bar on Harrogate's Parliament Street and academics discovered some details about the mysterious Knaresborough Hoard.

Read more:

• Changes approved at Harrogate’s most famous abandoned home


• New road resurfacing works costing £430,000 to be confirmed for Ripon and Sharow


• Study unlocks secrets of the Knaresborough Hoard