The Cathedral City of Ripon is to be found in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside with the ruins of Fountains Abbey, one of the most historic sites in Europe, lying just outside its boundaries. The exact origins of the market town of Knaresborough are shrouded in mystery, but could well extend back to the Norman Conquest and possibly even to Roman times. Harrogate in beautiful North Yorkshire is renowned for its floral beauty and elegant spa buildings, which include the Royal Pump Room Museum, Mercer Gallery and Royal Baths. Masham is a historic town - a natural gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. A weekly market has been held here since 1393 and in December a special Victorian market is followed by a torchlight procession.
Distances shown are in a direct line.
Distances by road will be longer. Spend time in Ripon goal, a Victorian prison with cells now converted to displays of crime and punishment, imprisonment and law enforcement over recent centuries. Ripon Workhouse is the city's newest museum, with restored vagrants' wards from 1877 showing the treatment of paupers in Yorkshire workhouses and includes a Victorian Hard Times Gallery. Knaresborough's royal castle stands towering over the River Nidd, a symbol of the wealth and authority of Medieval Kings. Situated 100 yards from the entrance to the Valley Gardens and Royal Pump Room Museum, the Mercer Art Gallery is home to the District's superb collection of Fine Art.