Celebrating the Underdog...

Six months back I had a moan about a poll which gave a list of Britain's 'Least Visited' (i.e. Worst) towns.  I pointed out that I'd visited several of these towns already, and found them wonderful, and that I had plans to tick off a few more.

Well, I can now add another to the list - Ripon, which came in at #9 in the list. 

I've wanted to visit Ripon for years, but until last week I hadn't got around to it.  The lure was partly the cathedral, but most of all I wanted to witness the Wakeman in action.  The Wakeman's wonderful - he'll be getting a post in his own right tomorrow!

Unfortunately, Ripon's in a miserable state.  It's suffering the contemporary malaise of the small town (though in this case, it's technically a city!) - loads of empty commercial properties, and a surfeit of pubs and nightclubs.  It's not exactly tourist-friendly.  But the Italian  restaurant we visited was very pleasant, and the bands of marauding young males we encountered were polite and restrained in their manner.  Small wonder - they were probably all squaddies gearing up for a tour in  Afghanistan.  If anyone's entitled to letting their (very short!) hair down and getting blootered, it's them!  (NB: even though a lot of properties were run down, and miserable, and in dire need of a lick of paint, there wasn't much sign of vandalism or smashed windows or whatever.)

Evidently, Ripon's lost a lot of trade to nearby Harrogate, which is the 'trendy' place to shop and visit.  It harbours a few town planning disasters in its huge central market place, but there are still a few lovely Georgian (and earlier!) buildings to admire there.

Here's the town hall, which is very Georgian, and which celebrates the tradition of the Wakeman:-

 

And the obelisk in the middle of the square is again an integral part of the town's traditions (but more of that tomorrow!):-

 

Some of the streets are very picturesque:-

And there are a few nice 19th century hotels and inns overlooking the market square, too:-

 

And last but by no means least, there's a very splendid cathedral, which dominates the skyline:-

 

My verdict?   Ripon's lovely.  We stayed there one night, and we will definitely be making a return visit.  For all those cathedral-holics out there, Ripon Cathedral's definitely one for the Must Visit List - put it up there in your North of England Ecclesiastical Sites Tour along with York Minster, Durham and Lindisfarne.  I'll give you a guided tour later in the week - and don't forget, Ripon Needs YOU!!!!

Celebrating the Underdog...

Six months back I had a moan about a poll which gave a list of Britain's 'Least Visited' (i.e. Worst) towns.  I pointed out that I'd visited several of these towns already, and found them wonderful, and that I had plans to tick off a few more.

Well, I can now add another to the list - Ripon, which came in at #9 in the list. 

I've wanted to visit Ripon for years, but until last week I hadn't got around to it.  The lure was partly the cathedral, but most of all I wanted to witness the Wakeman in action.  The Wakeman's wonderful - he'll be getting a post in his own right tomorrow!

Unfortunately, Ripon's in a miserable state.  It's suffering the contemporary malaise of the small town (though in this case, it's technically a city!) - loads of empty commercial properties, and a surfeit of pubs and nightclubs.  It's not exactly tourist-friendly.  But the Italian  restaurant we visited was very pleasant, and the bands of marauding young males we encountered were polite and restrained in their manner.  Small wonder - they were probably all squaddies gearing up for a tour in  Afghanistan.  If anyone's entitled to letting their (very short!) hair down and getting blootered, it's them!  (NB: even though a lot of properties were run down, and miserable, and in dire need of a lick of paint, there wasn't much sign of vandalism or smashed windows or whatever.)

Evidently, Ripon's lost a lot of trade to nearby Harrogate, which is the 'trendy' place to shop and visit.  It harbours a few town planning disasters in its huge central market place, but there are still a few lovely Georgian (and earlier!) buildings to admire there.

Here's the town hall, which is very Georgian, and which celebrates the tradition of the Wakeman:-

 

And the obelisk in the middle of the square is again an integral part of the town's traditions (but more of that tomorrow!):-

 

Some of the streets are very picturesque:-

And there are a few nice 19th century hotels and inns overlooking the market square, too:-

 

And last but by no means least, there's a very splendid cathedral, which dominates the skyline:-

 

My verdict?   Ripon's lovely.  We stayed there one night, and we will definitely be making a return visit.  For all those cathedral-holics out there, Ripon Cathedral's definitely one for the Must Visit List - put it up there in your North of England Ecclesiastical Sites Tour along with York Minster, Durham and Lindisfarne.  I'll give you a guided tour later in the week - and don't forget, Ripon Needs YOU!!!!