Ripon is perfect for exploring on foot to discover its many points of historical interest or using it as a base for a longer walk to enjoy the surrounding Yorkshire countryside.

Explore Ripon's History

For an enjoyable Ripon walk, you do not even need to step outside the city centre. Ripon’s medieval street layout of hidden snickets and historical buildings include a trio of buildings originally used for the purposes of law and order that are now museums.

There are nearly 60 commemorative plaques across the city of Ripon that tell the story of how this city came to be and some of the people who have called Ripon home over the centuries.

You can also walk the boundary of the city’s area of sanctuary as created in the 7^th century, to encompass the monastery founded many years earlier.

Go Big from Ripon

Ripon also has a long distance loop, the Ripon Rowel walk, a way marked tour of the countryside that surrounds Ripon taking in rolling hills, pretty villages and magnificent historical sites. The Ripon Rowel walking route reaches all the way to Masham, and includes the country park of Studley Royal, beginning and ending at Ripon Cathedral.