Our ride from Ripon to Richmond – 39 kilometres – was short but we had some challenges with weather! It’s been cooler and greyer, and we ran into some wild, face-slicing sleet. However, as we rounded a corner out of a forest and came upon a spectacular vista, the sun came out: Richmond, and its ancient castle, were just across the valley from us. Here’s a 360 video showing Richmond Castle over the valley and our very steep climbs into town. Grap the video with your mouse to look around.
Encouraged, we pushed on into town, made note of a busy little butcher shop doing a brisk business in sausage rolls – a perfect picnic lunch for next day? – and checked into our gorgeous hotel, The Fleece Hotel. (“Fleece“, a nod to a major source of income.)
Our room wasn’t ready so we changed into dry clothes in the hotel’s restaurant’s washroom and set out on foot to see what was in town. We toured the ruins of the castle, climbed to the top of its tower, watched storm clouds dump rain on the hills around Richmond, then walked through the streets.
John spied a barbershop that was open and had a highly entertaining and educational haircut from an enterprising young Kurdish barber. We made it to the Georgian Theatre Royal – steps away from our hotel – just in time to avoid the next onslaught of sleet. Built in 1788, The Georgian Theatre Royal is the UK’s oldest working theatre in its original form. We enjoyed an hour long tour, then went back to the hotel to finish our check in, eat dinner, and crawl under warm sheets.
Ripon to Richmond 39 kilometres + 4100 steps