Through The Kissing Gate

A day out in Ripon (10 minutes’ drive) could look different depending on what sort of thing you enjoy… there’s the racecourse for race days (and another in Thirsk, 25 minutes’ drive away), the cathedral for some awesome architecture or the police and workhouse museums for those of you who fancy playing the role of a Victorian judge, constable or schoolteacher for a little while. Kids with you? Lightwater Valley Theme Park (15 minutes) is all about rides for under 12s, so the smaller ones in your group will be well tended to. Playtime is maze-style at The Forbidden Corner (40 minutes) instead - the four-acre garden is made up of tunnels, follies and other challenges for children. There’s a peaceful place or two around here, that's for sure, whether that's a cruise down the river at Newby Hall & Gardens (15 minutes), shopping down the Shambles in York (45 minutes) or wandering around the Victorian spa town of Harrogate (25 minutes). For more of the old stuff, there are guided geology walks around the cool rock formations at Brimham Rocks (10 minutes) or archery, canoeing or bushcraft in the grounds of the 14th-century Ripley Castle (15 minutes).