This priory and English country house is jointly owned by English Heritage and the National Trust…read more If you are members of either one, you can get in free. The house here is interesting but not as glamorous as many of the stately English mansions we toured. It was originally built in the 1600s as a guest house for the priory. It fell into disrepair and was restored and expanded in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was once again used as a guest house and as a boarding house but never as a primary home. All of the original furnishings are gone. It was raining so we did not stroll through the gardens. They looked nice but quite small from a distance. What was interesting, however, was the restored monk's cell in the ruined priory. The monks in this priory were well off compared to other priories. Their cells had multiple rooms, a private garden, covered walkways, running water and an inside toilet. We have seen many priories in England and this is the first restored one we have seen. It's worth a stop if you just see the monk's cell.

Having visited many EH properties of varying kinds this ranks up amongst the top. In essence 3…read moreplaces to investigate on the site. Our visit was on a nice sunny warm day so the walk around the gardens & lake was quite pleasant. Many of the flowers are labelled. Plenty of wildlife around, especially the Emperor Dragonfly darting around. The house is pretty basic but does house the entrance & the shop. The monastery ruins are pretty extensive with the church in the centre & cloistered areas to the side which housed the individual monk cells and gardens. One of which has been recreated. A small cafe is also located onsite which has a unisex single toilet, food is basically baguette or salads. Hot Tea/coffee available. The entrance lane is right off the A19 so signal early from the north, no access from south carriageway, also entrance lane is single track so be prepared to move to one side. Only one passing place. Staff very pleasant & welcoming.

5 miles SW of Malton, on a minor road off A64 stands the riverside ruins of an Augustinian priory,…read morepicturesquely set in the beautiful Derwent valley near the Yorkshire Wolds. Features include a gatehouse bedecked with the heraldry of the De Roos family of Helmsley Castle. It was sometime during the 1120s that Walter l'Espec founded Kirkham Priory with a community of Augustinian canons. As Lord of Helmsley he later established two houses of the Cistercian Order, the great Rievaulx Abbey close to his estate, and a smaller abbey in Bedfordshire. But, legend has it, that Kirkham Priory was founded in memory of l'Espec's only son who had died close to this site after a fall from his horse. Some accounts say he was startled by a boar and others that he was a wild teen horseman and was racing. A 13th century, twin-bayed lavatorium (for washing) is set in the west wall of the cloister. Despite the disappearance of the lead-lined water troughs, the arched bays contain some splendid decoration. The front wall of the late 13th century gatehouse remains as I said, still displaying several heraldic shields, and much of its figure sculpture. There is also a fine moulded Romanesque arch that was possibly the doorway from the cloister to the refectory.The riverside ruins of an Augustinian priory, picturesquely set in the beautiful Derwent valley near the Yorkshire Wolds. Features include a gatehouse bedecked with the heraldry of the De Roos family of Helmsley Castle The area was later used to test the D-Day landing vehicles, and was visited by Winston Churchill. It costs about £3 for entry and it is very lovely.

Hauntingly beautiful place, never one to be overrun with tourists but if you manage to visit on a…read morequiet day it really is a spectacular place to spend a few hours. An ideal place for a picnic and to wander around, there are benches to sit on near the river and there is a toilet provided. Not open in winter.

I fear this review is going to sound as if this place is incredibly poor but it really shouldn't…read moredeter you from visiting Ripley Castle, if you're in the area. It's a perfectly pleasant place to spend a day wandering around very nice gardens, especially if you can do so with great friends (as we did). BUT... It's not really my idea of a castle. It's like an old fashioned three-up/three-down tenement, but without neighbors who earn as much as you. That said, if you are of a particular temperament and don't have young children with you, the guided tour of the house is detailed, exacting, and informative. However, if you are not of that temperament (e.g. you suspect that the tour is somewhat designed to aggrandize the history of the family who have owned the house for 700 years, and that not every detail of their lives is as fascinating as the guides apparently believe), you may find yourself highly irritated and amused. And if you do have small children with you, avoid the hour+quarter tour altogether. The castle offers a children's tour on occasion -- it was at 1.30pm when we visited...and which we missed -- so it could be that this complaint can be well managed. The castle grounds are truly lovely, though, and make for an excellent walk. There is a deer park on one side of the castle and despite seeing much evidence of their existence ("Deer poo!" the children yelled happily), nary a deer made an appearance. Bah. Ripley Castle reminded me of many of the stately homes to which I was dragged as a child, replete as they were with historic import and puffed up self-importance. And that's not necessarily bad. England needs this kind of thing -- really. If it were gone, I should miss it horribly, and being able to visit -- and leave -- is a nice reminder of the things that the country has built, enjoyed, used, and left behind. Plus, there's a lovely ice cream shop just down the road!

This is a lovely place but, in as much as it encompasses several distinct businesses, it's hard to…read morereview. As an event venue it's picturesque and comfortable with good quality event space and a lovely courtyard for summer (perhaps even Autumn and Spring) evenings sipping wine. On our last visit we tried the cafe and really wished we hadn't as we experienced the worse coffee and tea we have encountered for many a year (and it certainly wasn't priced to reflect the poor quality). So my advice. If you are out that way it's a nice place to stop and relax but take a flask!

On our way south we stopped by the Easby Abbey. And it was a surprisingly great place to visit. A…read morelot bigger than it looked online. Parking is very limited on the carpark - park elsewhere or wait to get lucky. We waited...and got lucky after around 15-20mins. Easby is one of the best preserved monasteries of the Premonstratensian 'white canons'. Founded in 1152, Easby Abbey was suppressed in 1536 and within two years most of its buildings had been stripped and demolished. And the remains still stand here today. And there are lot of them to explore. The whole grounds are free to roam around with only few restrictions. And it's quite a large area. Dogs are welcome as well. We enjoyed our visit very much - and lots of signs giving interesting insights in the history of the Abbey. There was a good number of visitors, but didn't feel crowded, because of the grounds size. Many times we tried to imagine how big and impressive it must have been when it was still standing in all its glory. Because the ruins are already impressive. It must have been an amazing sight back then. A really enjoyable visit. And it's even free to enter. Surprisingly. For the carpark there's an honesty box, a donation is appreciated.

Atmospheric ruined Abbey - what's not to like. There were no other visitors and we got some great…read moreshots of the buildings, some of us climbing and lounging on steps and nooks and cranny. I could imagine myself a Canon in another life, contemplating in the sun. The only masonry on the site which can be dated to the mid-12th century is a reused doorway in the west range of the cloister. The surviving fragments of the abbey church probably date to the 1170s or 1180s. Easby seems to have prospered in the later 12th and early 13th centuries, as the number of canons increased.

Nunnington Hall is just near York, and it's a lovely place to visit. Think it costs about £6 to…read morevisit which is worth it for an occasional day out-wouldn't go too often though I think it would get boring. The building itself is like a big manor house/stately home with beautiful gardens all around it. They have different events on at different times and there are various activities to do such as play giant chess. They also do lovely food and there's a nice gift shop. Nice day out for a sunny day.

Helmsley Castle is a ruin overlooking the market town of Helmsley. It was built in the 12th…read morecentury. The entrance and gift shop are just off one of the town parking lots and a short walk from the main lot. It isn't a huge site but it is nice to visit. You can actually walk inside the remnants of the castle. There are both an audio tour and a guide book available. If you are up for a walk, there is a scenic walk from Helmsley Castle to Rievaulx Abbey. The abbey is definitely worth a visit, whether you walk or drive. I reccomend both.

This castle is in the centre of helmlsey and has a car park next to it. English heritage has…read morerecently upgraded the visitors centre here and there is now more information about the castle. There is a good shop here as well The walk onto the castle is guarded by statues of soilders and is impressive. There is a tower left but the main part of the castle remaning is the manor house inside the elizabethen house are displays of how castle life would have been A good castle to have a walk around though it probably wont take more than half an hour

I loved the place. Very commercialised because of the filming of Heartbeat in this area but well…read moreworth a visit. You HAVE to sit in the Aidensfield Arms (in fact the Goathland Hotel) and have a pint. With Scripps garage opposite and many of the old Ford Anglia Police cars on display. Even the Anglia used in the Harry Potter films. And as the last reviewer stated.grab the steam train (North Yorkshire Railway) from Pickering to get there.

Having been these locations many times, it's never boring. This time I arrived at Grosmont by car…read more A fairly large car park (£4.50 all day)in the woods to the rear of the station with walking access over a foot bridge right into the heart of the station between the main rail line and the NYMR line. The platform has toilets, a small cafe serving fresh cooked food and small shop. After a quick look around, we set off on a walk along the rail trail towards Goathland. The sign says 1.5 miles but felt longer. Overall the path is flat and of a cinder construction. A small hill has to be climbed at the start, which has a good view over the engine sheds of the NYMR. There are some nice views along the Esk Valley. Near to Goathland the track ascend's up towards the village, a bit of a pull. On reaching Goathland there are a number of Tat shops selling memorabilia from the 50/60's regarding to the TV program Heart Beat. Just out side the village is the station (Harry Potter Fame) where you can get the 15 minute train ride back to Grosmont. £7.80 single, this gets you a nostalgic ride in 1960' rail carriages. Yes complete with those terribly sprung seats. If you are lucky you may have your train pulled buy a steam locomotive, which we saw, but ours was a Diesel engine. If you fancy a walk and short train ride, which might excite the kids then this is the ticket. It can be done in either direction.

A National Trust property, so admission is free for members, and adult entry is £8 for non members…read more The first thing to see is the walled garden, which hosts a variety of plants and flowers. The house has the normal paraphernalia associated with stately homes. They also have a large gallery holding approximate 100 paintings. And they're are some 'hands on' galleries where people can interact with the different activities. For example you can put your face into a variety of different portraits and email the results to yourself. They have installed a lift to make access to the upper floors much easier.