Things To Do In Ripon - Cathedral, Fountains Abbey & More!

Last Updated on 15th December 2022

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Despite only living less than an hour from the city for the vast majority of my life, I’d never actually been to Ripon until last week when Matt and I visited as part of our AtoZ UK road trip.

It’s a place that I’d heard lots about, but with it being a relatively small city, I just presumed it wasn’t really worth making the effort to go and see.

However, after spending the day there last week, I was completely blown away by how adorable it is. Sure, there’s not an overwhelming amount of things to do like there is in York for example, but it’s still a great place to enjoy a day out in North Yorkshire.

Below you’ll find some of my top recommendations of things to do in Ripon, including where to get the best roast dinner, things to see as well as how to plan a visit to the remarkable Fountains Abbey.

*Post updated December 2021 after my second visit to Ripon*

How to get there

Ripon is in the borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire and is situated in very close proximity to other great towns and cities in the area.

Driving to Ripon is remarkably easy; it’s just a 30-minute drive from Harrogate on the A61 and approximately 45 minutes (depending on traffic) from York along the A1 and B6265. It’s also only 40 minutes from Darlington on the A1 so you can access it from all directions.

If you travel by car, you’ll be delighted to know that parking is ridiculously cheap in Ripon. We parked at the St Marygate Car Park which is just next to the Sainsbury’s store right in the centre of town. Parking here is insanely cheap at just 60p for 1 hour, £1 for up to 2 hours, £1.60 for up to 4 hours and then 4 hours and over is just £2.50. Compared to many cities I’ve parked in, in the UK in the past, I was blown away by how cheap this was!

There are no direct trains to Ripon as it doesn’t have its own station but you can find local bus and taxi services to take you from Harrogate, York or Thirsk train station.

Where to stay in Ripon

As Ripon is situated so close to York, we didn’t really have any need to stay over for the night on our first visit to Ripon.

However, while I never expected to revisit Ripon any time soon, in December 2021, we actually spent a week at The Unicorn Hotel in Ripon just before we moved to New York as Matt’s mum tested positive for Covid so we were doing everything in our power to ensure that nothing scuppered our plans for New York so we semi-self-isolated in The Unicorn Hotel in Ripon.

I understand how random it seems to stay in a hotel that’s 50 minutes from our house in York but it was by far the cheapest place to stay for the week, compared to the hundreds of pounds it was going to cost us to stay in York!

The Unicorn Hotel in Ripon is actually also a J D Wetherspoon pub so I was incredibly apprehensive about staying there at first as I’d had a very turbulent relationship with Wetherspoons in the past with dodgy food and an even dodgier tummy, but our stay at the Ripon Wetherspoon hotel was honestly amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed the hotel and even the pub food!

The room was remarkably spacious, the bathroom had a bath and a shower and there was even a desk in our room so we could get plenty of work done before our move. Our room also had a great view of Ripon Cathedral, which was a little noisy at first as the bells seem to ring constantly, but as we were there for a week, we soon got used to it!

It may seem like a very random place to stay in Yorkshire, but I couldn’t recommend The Unicorn Hotel enough, especially as we were in pretty desperate need of a place to stay and it turned out to be awesome!

Book a stay at The Unicorn Hotel here!

1. Fountains Abbey – best things to do near Ripon

The section below about Fountains Abbey is pretty much a gallery appreciation post of all my favourite pictures of the Abbey; I took over 50 while we were there and it was impossible to choose just a few of my favourites so I’ve included a tonne below!

Now, just a little disclaimer before I get started with raving about this absolutely BEAUtiful place, because it’s one of my biggest pet peeves when reading travel guides and people include things to do that aren’t even in the place they’re writing about. However, Fountains Abbey is just too good of a place not to include in this guide so please forgive me! Fountains Abbey isn’t technically in Ripon itself; you’ll find it a short 10-minute drive (approximately 3.8 miles) from Ripon centre.

Cool. Now we’ve got the boring bits out of the way, let’s get on to the fun part of why you absolutely need to visit Fountains Abbey when you’re in and around Ripon!

Fountains Abbey is a National Trust World Heritage Site that’s home to the largest monastic ruins in England. It’s not somewhere that I’d ever really given much thought about and it’s not somewhere that I had on my to-visit list.

However, after spending a good few hours wandering around the Abbey and surrounding grounds, I was absolutely speechless and couldn’t wait to get started on this post so that I could tell you all about it!

The Abbey was founded all the way back in 1132 by a group of Benedictine Monks from St. Mary’s in York; they were seeking a more simplistic and relaxed way of life which is how the Fountains came about.

I’m not really one for describing historic buildings or places, so you’ll have to put up with my gushing about the way it looks instead! If you do want a more comprehensive historic background about Fountains Abbey, check out the National Trust website!

As soon as we stepped into view of the Abbey, I was completely arrested by its imposing size and captivating charm; I couldn’t believe that something so truly beautiful is less than an hour’s drive from us!

Wandering around, I was somewhat reminded of the Angkor Wat Temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia, but on a much more British history scale.

One of the inside sections of the Abbey reminded me so much of Harry Potter, so much so, that I pretty much convinced myself I was actually inside Hogwarts!

Walking around, it’s honestly hard to believe just how old the Abbey is and while there are obviously many ruins, a lot of it still feels pretty much intact.

I was completely obsessed with taking pictures of it (as I’m sure you can tell from the dozens featured in this post!) because I couldn’t quite believe something this magnificent had a home in the UK.

Sure, we’re famed for our castles and churches and generally old buildings, but I never knew something as grand as Fountains Abbey resided in my home country, never mind just a short drive away from where I live!

Please note that during the Covid-19 pandemic, you will need to book tickets online in advance of your visit. As of September 1st, the Abbey, visitor centre, water gardens, shop, restaurant, tearooms and more are all fully back open.

Tickets:

Free entry for National Trust members.

Adults: £13

Children: £6.50

Families: £32.50

Opening times:

Abbey: Daily, 10 am-5 pm

Visitor Centre & car park: 10 am-5 pm

Water garden: 10 am-6 pm

Address: Fountains, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3DY

2. Studley Royal Water Garden

The grounds of Fountains Abbey are also home to the beatific Studley Royal Water Gardens.

Here you’ll find picturesque canals, moon ponds and cascades, all easily accessible by walking from the Abbey itself.

The Water Garden reminded me somewhat of the National Mall in Washington D.C. as it stretches out right before you as you walk towards it.

It’s a decent walk from the Fountains Abbey ruins to the Water Garden but it’s well worth it once it comes into view.

Unfortunately on our visit to the Studley Royal Gardens, a number of attractions and things to do there were still closed due to the Covid pandemic so I’m not really in a position right now to recommend certain things.

However, the National Trust website contains plenty of must-see things in the gardens to help inspire your time there.

3. Ripon Cathedral – best Ripon attractions

The Cathedral is undoubtedly the number one thing to see/do in Ripon itself.

It’s thought to date all the way back to the 660s when it was founded as a monastery by Scottish Monks and then later re-founded as a Benedictine monastery in 672.

While it’s not quite as big or imposing as the York Minster, Ripon Cathedral is still breathtakingly beautiful from all angles, both inside and out.

As we visited Ripon while the Covid pandemic was still quite prevalent, the whole city was relatively quiet, the Cathedral included, so we had the luxury of enjoying views of it while it was relatively people-free.

I’m not sure if this is a constant display, but when we were there, the roof of the Cathedral was ornately decorated with spectacular paper cranes.

It was absolutely remarkable and so beautiful.

If you’re a fan of archaic buildings and fascinating churches, you’ll certainly adore visiting the Cathedral while in Ripon.

4. Eat yummy food at Claro Lounge – the best places to eat in Ripon

On our second visit to Ripon when we spent a week staying at The Unicorn Hotel, we ventured out to try some food other than the meals served at Wetherspoon which we’d been living on for days and we came across Claro Lounge which was located just over the road from our hotel.

Claro Lounge reminded me an awful lot of one of my favourite restaurants in York; Cosy Club. Everything from the decor to the menu to the food itself was very similar to the Cosy Club chain restaurant we have back in York and as it’s one of my very favourite places to eat in York, I couldn’t wait to try out Claro Lounge to see how it compared.

We conveniently timed our visit to Claro Lounge on a Tuesday when the restaurant offers its ‘Tapas Tuesday’ deal; three tapas dishes with a glass of house wine for £11.50. Both Matt and I are huge fans of tapas and as soon as we checked the menu, we headed inside and ordered six tapas dishes to share between us.

We went for the patatas bravas (one of my favourite tapas dishes of all time!), salt and pepper squid, mini pulled brisket chilli, beef and pork meatballs, halloumi and sweetcorn fritters and buffalo chicken wings. It was also served with a hearty helping of ciabatta and of course, the house wine as part of the deal.

The buffalo chicken wings and the patatas bravas were my favourite dishes of the evening, but everything else was so yummy as well and the whole meal cost us just £23, including two glasses of wine, so we were both very happy with the value of the meal, as well as the yummy food!

If you’re looking for a slightly fancier place to eat in Ripon, I’d highly recommend Claro Lounge!

5. Ripon Market Place

Ripon Market Place is conveniently located just a two-minute walk from the St. Marygate carpark so it’s really not far at all.

Here you’ll find market stalls from local vendors selling everything from local produce to clothes, shoes and more.

It’s also home to the Ripon Obelisk, which is a monument that’s used as the central meeting point of the Ripon Hornblower; an 800-year-old tradition where the Hornblower ‘sets the watch’ in the market square on every corner of the Obelisk at 9 pm every night.

6. Ripon Spa Gardens

This adorable little park is home to plenty of cutesy attractions including a tree sculpture of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland which I personally found a little creepy but it’s still cool nonetheless!

The Spa Gardens are also home to a Victorian bandstand where local bands still play on Sunday afternoons in the summer months.

There’s also a bowling green, an 18-hole putting green, numerous tennis courts, plus so much more.

Even if you don’t plan on engaging in any activities in the park, it’s still a truly lovely place to wander through.

7. Walk along the Canal – Ripon things to do

Another great place to stroll around in the city is along the canal. Along the way, you’ll find adorable families of ducks and swans, quaint little bridges and even brief views of the Cathedral peeking through the trees.

8. Ripon Spa Baths

The Ripon Spa Baths are the city’s local swimming baths set in the grandest building dating back to 1905.

While they were unfortunately closed when we were there due to You Know What, you can usually find them bustling with families and locals enjoying the wood sauna and sizeable swimming pool.

9. Eat a takeaway roast dinner

We timed our visit in Ripon over lunchtime so just before we headed off on our next adventure to Fountains Abbey, we stopped off at The Yorkshire Roast Inn food truck to pick up something yummy to eat.

And something yummy to eat it was indeed. I opted for the roast pork dinner box which consisted of pork, the crispiest and most scrumptious roast potatoes, stuffing and piping hot gravy. To say it came in a takeaway box and was cooked up in a little van, my goodness was it amazing.

Matt went for the roast pork, stuffing and apple sauce sandwich which was smothered in gravy. It was absolutely bloody delicious.

For £5.50 for my roast dinner box, and £4.40 for Matt’s sandwich, we were presented with very sizeable portions and I’d highly recommend stopping here for lunch if you’re in Ripon. Be warned though; the queues can get incredibly long, especially over the lunchtime rush hour as it’s such a popular place for locals and tourists alike.

So there you have it! A thorough to-do list in Ripon! I’m so glad we added it to our AtoZ UK road trip itinerary as it’s a place that really took me by surprise.

10. Lightwater Valley

Lightwater Valley is just a 10-minute drive from Ripon, so it’s one of the best places to visit near Ripon if you’re looking for thrills and excitement!

It’s not my favourite theme park in the UK, but it is one of the best days out near Ripon for families and thrill-seekers.

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