22 MINUTES FROM PATELEY BRIDGE
Ripley Castle
A fortified medieval and Tudor castle that has been home to the Ingilby family for more than 700 years, set beside a 60-acre deer park and walled gardens famous for their spring hyacinths. Easy to combine with Harrogate or Harlow Carr on the same day out.
Visit information
- Address
- Ripley Castle, Ripley, Harrogate HG3 3AY
- From Pateley Bridge
- 22 minutes via the B6165
- Open
- Deer park and gardens open most of the year; castle tours run on selected days - check website for the current programme
- Entry
- Separate tickets for the gardens/deer park and the guided castle tour
- Dogs
- Welcome on leads in the grounds and deer park
- Facilities
- Tea room, gift shop and courtyard parking
700 years with one family
Ripley Castle has been the home of the Ingilby family since the 14th century, making it one of the longest continuously family-owned houses in England. The current building is a mix of medieval, Tudor and Georgian additions, each generation leaving its own mark on the castle and its grounds.
The deer park dates back even further, to a time when parks like this were kept by noble families both for grazing and for the prestige of owning one. Red and fallow deer still graze it today, much as they have for centuries.
The Ingilbys also rebuilt the neighbouring village of Ripley in the 1820s in a French style, inspired by a visit to Alsace-Lorraine, giving the village its distinctive market cross and continental feel.
Making the most of your visit
Allow half a day for the gardens and deer park alone, or a full day if you take the guided castle tour as well. The walled gardens are at their best in late spring when the hyacinths are out, but the kitchen garden and herbaceous borders are worth seeing through summer too.
The tea room in the old hayloft is a good spot for lunch or a cream tea, and the gift shop sells produce from the estate. Park in the castle's own courtyard car park, just a short walk from the village green.
It works well combined with Harrogate or RHS Garden Harlow Carr on the same day, since both are a short drive away.
What to see
The Castle Tour
A guided tour through the castle's state rooms, taking in the library, the armoury and a priest's hiding hole built during a time when Catholic worship was outlawed. Local legend has it that Lady Ingilby once held Oliver Cromwell at gunpoint overnight during the Civil War.
The Deer Park
Sixty acres of parkland grazed by red and fallow deer, one of the oldest deer parks in Yorkshire and still managed much as it always has been. A peaceful spot for a walk whether or not you take the castle tour.
The Walled Gardens
Home to a National Collection of hyacinths, spectacular in a great sweeping display each spring, alongside a working kitchen garden, herbaceous borders and a Victorian rock garden.
Ripley Village
The castle sits right beside Ripley itself, an estate village rebuilt in a French style by the Ingilby family in the 1820s, complete with a market cross, stocks on the green and the Boar's Head Hotel.
About 22 minutes away
Ripley Castle is around 22 minutes from Pateley Bridge by car. Check the website before you travel, as castle tour days vary through the year.
