ancient ruins
Fountains Abbey
Largest and best-preserved Cistercian monastery ruins in England, set within the elegant Studley Royal Water Garden UNESCO World Heritage Site.
5 km · about 10 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Ripon
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Ripon
Ripon works well as a base: 20 minutes from Boroughbridge, 12km from Brimham Rocks.
Ripon is in England, United Kingdom, with about 16,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Boroughbridge, about 10 km away.
Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell.
The city was originally known as Inhrypum. Bede records that Alhfrith, king of the Southern Northumbrian kingdom of Deira, gave land at Ripon to Eata ofRead more
Hexham to build a monastery and the abbot transferred some of his monks there, including a young Saint Cuthbert who was guest-master at Ripon abbey. Both Bede in his Life of Cuthbert and Eddius Stephanus in his Life of Wilfred state that when Eata was subsequently driven out by Alhfrith, the abbey was given to Saint Wilfrid who replaced the timber church with a stone built church. This was during the time of the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria, a period during which it enjoyed prominence in religious importance in Great Britain. It was for a period under Viking control, and later suffered under the Normans. After a brief period of building projects under the Plantagenets, the city emerged with a prominent wool and cloth industry. Ripon became well known for its production of spurs during the 16th and 17th centuries, but would later remain largely unaffected by the Industrial Revolution.
Ripon is the third-smallest city in England and the smallest in Yorkshire, by population. At the 2021 United Kingdom census it had a population of 16,589, a decrease from the 2011 population of 16,702.
It is located 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Thirsk, 16 miles (26 km) south of Northallerton and 12 miles (19 km) north of Harrogate. As well as its racecourse and cathedral, Ripon is a tourist destination because of its proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of the Studley Royal Park and Fountains Abbey.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Ripon?
Within an hour or so of Ripon: Fountains Abbey (5 km), Brimham Rocks (12 km), Bettys Café Tea Rooms, Harrogate (16 km), How Stean Gorge (22 km).
Are there any good drives near Ripon?
The nearest famous roads are B6270 Swaledale, A684 Wensleydale (Sedbergh to Leyburn) and Rosedale Chimney Bank.
Where is Ripon?
Ripon is in England, United Kingdom, about 10 km from Boroughbridge.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 16,363
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 54.1358, -1.5283
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Ripon
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
natural wonder
Brimham Rocks
Wind-carved millstone grit outcrops on a Nidderdale moor, a natural playground of balanced boulders.
12 km · about 25 min drive
cafe
Bettys Café Tea Rooms, Harrogate
Yorkshire tea-room institution founded by Swiss confectioner Frederick Belmont in 1919, still family-owned and famous for Fat Rascals and its art-deco interior inspired by the Queen Mary liner.
16 km · about 30 min drive
natural wonder
How Stean Gorge
A narrow limestone ravine in Nidderdale with walkways above the water, caves and a via ferrata course.
22 km · about 25 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Sutton Bank
A steep escarpment with a 1-in-4 hairpin climb and a view James Herriot called 'the finest in England', looking over the Vale of York.
23 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Kilburn White Horse
A 97 m turf-cut horse carved into the Hambleton escarpment in 1857, visible for miles across the Vale of York.
23 km · about 25 min drive
castle
Middleham Castle
The Yorkshire stronghold of Richard III, with one of the largest keeps in England, above a village now known for racehorse training.
25 km · about 30 min drive
racetrack
Harewood Speed Hillclimb
The longest hillclimb course in England at 1,598 yards, climbing Yorkshire moorland on the Harewood estate with sweeping open views over Wharfedale from the spectator banks.
26 km · about 30 min drive
Driving roads near Ripon
- 23 kmSutton BankA steep escarpment with a 1-in-4 hairpin climb and a view James Herriot called 'the finest in England', looking over the Vale of York.
- 45 kmB6270 SwaledaleThe narrow dale road from Richmond to Nateby past Gunnerside and Keld, drystone walls and barns the whole way.
- 47 kmA684 Wensleydale (Sedbergh to Leyburn)A flowing dales road along the Ure past Hawes, linking to Buttertubs and the Ribblehead country.
- 47 kmPen-y-ghentThe most distinctive of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, a 694 m stepped ridge above Horton in Ribblesdale.
- 48 kmRosedale Chimney BankOne of England's steepest roads, hitting 1-in-3 (33%) as it climbs from Rosedale Abbey onto the North York Moors past old ironstone kilns. A rite of passage for drivers and cyclists; caravans are banned.
- 50 kmButtertubs PassA high, narrow Dales road over the moors, named for deep limestone potholes and ranked among Britain's best drives.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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