Ripon

Ripon is small for a cathedral city, which is part of its charm, and three separate things make the trip worth it. The cathedral has an Anglo-Saxon crypt built by St Wilfrid in 672, a low stone chamber under the floor that the cathedral's own heritage page describes as the oldest built structure still in use in any English cathedral. You go down steps into it and the noise of the church above disappears. Upstairs, the misericords and carvings are the ones said to have inspired Alice in Wonderland. A short walk away, the Workhouse Museum reopened in July 2026 after a redevelopment costing 2.8 million and is one of the most complete Victorian workhouses left standing in Britain. And on a Thursday the market fills the square, as it has in some form since the eleventh century, opened at eleven o'clock by the Ripon Bellman. Three very different hours of history in one small city.

From Tea Time Cafe at 87 Market Place, take the A61 southwest and you are in Ripon in 25 to 30 minutes. Park at St Marygate or in the cathedral car park behind Sainsbury's, both about 150 yards from the west front. On a Thursday the car parks fill early, so give yourself extra time or leave the car at home.

Ripon is one of the few big days out from Thirsk that works without a car. The Hodgsons 70 leaves Thirsk Market Place for Ripon Bus Station Monday to Saturday at 10.35am, 1pm, 3.55pm and 6.22pm and takes about 45 minutes. A quicker X70 leaves at 8.31am; check the timetable that it runs on your day. Everything below is walkable from the bus station. The last bus back to Thirsk leaves Ripon at 4.45pm, earlier than most people assume, so plan the afternoon round it.

Start at the cathedral. Go straight down to the crypt before the rest of it distracts you, then come back up for the misericords, the carvings and the quire. Guided tours run and are worth joining if the timing suits. From there walk to the Workhouse Museum on Allhallowgate, where the route takes you from the Gatehouse through the receiving wards and on to the vagrants' cells, with the 1860s kitchen garden restored outside. If you want the Prison and Police Museum and the Courthouse as well, buy the annual pass for all three at the first desk, because a Workhouse ticket covers the Workhouse only. If it is Thursday, do the market between the two: produce, cheese, clothing and the usual market-day noise, with the Bellman opening proceedings at eleven.

The crypt is the one people remember, a low stone room that has been under that floor since 672. The Workhouse is the surprise, particularly since the redevelopment, and the honest, uncomfortable detail of it lands hard with older children. The market gives the city a different character altogether on a Thursday. All three sit within walking distance of the square, which makes this a rare heritage day with almost no driving between stops.

Come on a Thursday if you want the full market, and accept that parking will be tighter for it. The crypt is down stairs and cannot be reached with a wheelchair, though the main cathedral has a level entrance with automatic doors. Photography inside the cathedral needs a permit, which costs a small amount at the desk. The museums open every day until Sunday 22 November 2026 and then close for the winter, so a December visit is the cathedral and the market only. Do the Workhouse in the morning, since the Courthouse Museum does not open until 1pm. Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks are both a short run on from here, so Ripon slots neatly into the front or back half of a bigger day.