Ripon-Stay Awhile Amid it’s Ancient Charms

Our customers have told us that Ripon is one of their favourite destinations when there are staying at their Holiday Home here at Warren Forest!

Only 9 miles from the park, it is easily reached along roads that take it some beautiful countryside past Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. Ripon is one of the oldest cities in England, with history that stretches back centuries, making it a great place to visit. For those of you that haven’t found the opportunity to discover all it has to offer, we hope this piece will encourage you to pay a visit!

“Ripon may be a small city, but it has a Big Personality. It has all the benefits of contemporary living; a good selection of accommodation and restaurants, fascinating shops and a wealth of cultural entertainment and events.” To read the article in it’s entirety go to http://www.discoverripon.org/

From speaking to our customers we know that you love to walk along the river and canal sides in Ripon. The walk begins at the canal basin, which is just outside the city centre. A gentle stroll from here takes you to Rhodesfield Lock passing the former lock keeper’s house. From here the countryside opens out before you with options for watching boats, nature and the world float by.

There is also a beautiful 7 mile walk from Studley Royal along the river Skell which takes in stunning surroundings. For maps and directions go to https://www.ifootpath.com/display-ifootpath-walk?walkID=6629

Another extremely popular route is the Ripon Rowel. It takes in villages, historic sites, wooded valleys, rivers, lakes and streams. The route on recognised public rights of way and permissive paths includes Markenfield Hall, the romantic and magnificent Fountains Abbey, Studley Water Gardens and Park and the beautiful St Mary’s Church. There are visits to the tranquil River Skell’s Valley of the Seven Bridges and to Eavestone Lakes, Dallowgill, Ilton-Cum-Pot and the quaint Druids Temple. On the return leg are the lovely valleys of the Rivers Burn and Ure along with Hackfall Woods and Ripon Parks with local fauna and flora. To find out more look at;

https://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Ripon+Rowel

There are plenty of places to stop for refreshments, too many to name individually. In our questionnaire Oliver’s Pantry featured highly, as did Lockwoods for breakfast, lunch and dinner!!

There is an abundance of independent, small shops for those of you who enjoy a little retail therapy. The shops that featured highly with our customers were, The Little Ripon Bookshop, Forbes and The Castle (the shop of simple pleasures), Appletons butchers among many more. We would recommend you spend some time mooching around the lovely Ripon shops to see what they have to offer and enjoy the personal, friendly service of these independent, family run businesses.

Ripon market, which is every Thursday on the market square, has an abundance of stalls, selling a great variety of products. There are feature stalls selling fruit and vegetables, cheese, traditional sweets, cakes and other baking produce, fresh fish, pet products, ladies and mens clothing, handbags, picture frames, fresh flowers, plants and much more.

Ripon is most famous for its stunning Cathedral. The Cathedral is a beautiful attraction but it also offers a busy timetable of events, with something to suit the music, art or even beer lover on a regular basis. To see the full diary of events visit http://riponcathedral.info/

We are really lucky to have a Curzon Cinema in the city that shows both latest release blockbuster and art house movies. It has a really comfortable bar, the perfect way to spend an evening. To see what’s on visit https://www.curzoncinemas.com/this-week

If history is of interest then Ripon is simply steeped in it!! You only need to see the number of blue plaques on the buildings and visit the museum to get a flavour. There are also strong literary links to the writer Lewis Carroll, the war poet Wilfred Owen that are referenced around the city. A testament to the city’s commitment to tradition is the ancient ceremony of setting the watch. Each night at 9pm precisely the Hornblower stands at the the Obelisk in the market square in full regalia to call time. This ritual has not been missed, not for one night in over 1100 years!!

And finally, another great attraction of the city is the beautiful racecourse. Ripon Racecourse, commonly referred to as ‘Yorkshire’s Garden Racecourse’ it is an exciting way to spend the day, in a truly spectacular location. To find out the fixtures take a brochure from our tourist information room next to reception of visit  http://www.ripon-races.co.uk/racing/fixtures/

We hope you’ll spend some time “amid Ripon’s ancient charms” and discover all that this vibrant City has to offer.