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The view over Richmond from the Castle. Photo by Eleanor Morton. |
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The historic market town of Richmond, in the heart of North Yorkshire, is a pleasant place to visit and explore. A hillside town, situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Richmond has much to offer from cobbled streets and Georgian architecture to a busy market and restaurants.
The town is built around a domineering Norman castle. It is now English Heritage owned and really is worth seeing. It contains many nooks and crannys to explore, a pretty garden and a large tower that remains intact and offers stunning views from the top, of the town and miles around.
The River Swale flows through the town, and provides some pleasant riverside walks and picnic areas along its route and by its waterfall. The Drummer Boy Walk takes a riverside path to nearby Easby Abbey, or there is the Round Howe Nature Trail which is signposted from the bridge at the Yorke Square car park. From May to September, Sundays 2.15pm and Wednesdays 11am (Sundays only in May) you can take part in a free guided town walk, run by volunteer guides. Starting at the Tourist Information Centre, it takes about an hour. During the summer months there are other themed walks such as a ghost walk, and details of these and all the walks are available form the Tourist Information Centre. For a longer countryside walk, the nearby National Park has miles of stunning countryside to trek across, and the Coast to Coast walk also passes close by. |
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There are a variety of high street and gift shops, plenty of places to eat and drink, and a busy outdoor market every Saturday as well as an indoor market Monday to Saturday and a Farmers Market on the third Saturday of every month.
If an injection of culture is required, the Georgian Theatre Royal and Museum is a wonderful example of theatrical history – it is the oldest working theatre still in its original form in the UK, and is Grade 1 listed. A tour of the theatre is highly recommended, even if there isn't a show on that takes your fancy.
Past the theatre you'll find the Franciscan Friary and gardens. Little remains of the Friary, other than the fifteenth century tower, which is remarkably well preserved, but it gives an interesting glimpse into the area's religious history. In the spring and summer particularly, the well-kept Friary gardens are beautiful.
An excellent indoor retreat to go is the Station. It is Richmond's award-winnig old railway terminus, that now contains a variety of businesses such as a restaurant, craft bakery, cheese-maker, fudge-maker, art gallery, cinema and Heritage Centre. The magnificent victorian building was sympathetically restored in 2007 and is now a hub of activity for all the family.
The town of Richmond is a delight to wander around, with cobbled streets, ancient alley ways and hidden corners, spread amongst museums, monuments, art galleries and interesting buildings, making it a treasure trove for people of all ages to explore and enjoy.
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