The City of Ripon & The Glorious Yorkshire Dales

We depart from Sussex and make our north via the Dartford Tunnel. Having made a suitable comfort stop we arrive in lovely market town of Stamford, a favourite lunch stop for us. We then continue on to Ripon and our hotel.

This morning we make our way to Harewood House one of the Great Treasure houses of England. The House was built in the 1760’s for Edwin Lascelles, is renowned for its magnificent Robert Adam interiors. It is also home to many wonderful pieces of Chippendale furniture and a world class collection of paintigs by amongst others JMW Turner, Joshua Reynolds and Titian. A wonderful Italianate Terrace stretches along the southern aspect of the House and provides stunning views over Yorkshire’s most beautiful landscape and lake. Crafted by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, Harewood’s landscape encompasses over 1000 acres and represents one of Brown’s most famous vistas.  Away from the formal gardens, Harewood also boasts the naturalistic Himalayan Garden which was redeveloped by Head Gardener, Trevor Nicholson. Harewood’s Himalayan Garden, a redevelopment of the ‘Rock Garden’ nurtured by Princess Mary and her husband the 6th Earl of Harewood in the 1930s, is this extraordinary world in miniature, a plant-hunter’s paradise.  A far cry from the formality of the Terrace, this space includes rare and exotic plants from Himalayan region.  We have arranged a tour of the house prior to it opening to the public and there will be plenty of time to explore at your leisure. Refreshment options available. Later in the day we return to our hotel

This morning we are joined by a blue badge guide for a full day exploring the stunning countryside and some of the historic sights of the  beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

A leisurely day today as we make the short journey to Newby Hall and Gardens. Newby Hall is one of Britain’s finest Adam Houses, the family home of Mr & Mrs Richard Compton, is one of England’s renowned Adam houses and an exceptional example of 18th century interior decoration. The original house was built in the 1690s by Sir Christopher Wren and was later enlarged and adapted by John Carr and subsequently Robert Adam.  Art lovers will admire treasures like Gobelins tapestries, fine Chippendale furniture, and one of the UK’s largest private collections of ancient Roman statues.  There is also a spectacular collection of over 70 dollshouses. In the 25 acres of  gardens highlights include a rock garden, autumn garden, water garden, and the National Collection of Cornus (climate permitting these should be flowering around the time of our visit) making it a must-visit for garden lovers We enjoy a guided tour of the house before spending time in the gardens.

Today is a free day for you to explore the third smallest city in England with 1300 years of history to explore and today is also market day and the Market Place will be full of artisan sellers selling a range of local produce. You could start with the magnificent Gothic cathedral with a 7th-century origin and a beautiful Anglo-Saxon crypt. There are three museums you could visit, The Workhouse, The Police & Prison and The Courthouse Museums for a hands-on look at life during Victorian Times. There are many independent shops to browse and a good choice of cafes. The hotel is only a 10 minute walk to the city centre.

This evening might be the time to venture back to The Market Place at 21.00 to see the Ripon Hornblower carry out the ancient tradition of blowing a horn at the four points of the Hawksmoor designed obelisk to ‘set the watch’

After breakfast we depart Ripon and commence our journey southwards, having made a suitable comfort stop we arrive in the charming riverside town of St Ives with its unique 15c bridge complete with built in chapel. Time for lunch here before we continue our journey. One more comfort stop before we arrive back in the Maresfield area by about 18.30.