Richmond

Stay

Accommodation in and around Richmond includes branded and independent hotels, self-catering cottages, B&B’s, camping, glamping and caravan sites all with high standards and to suit many different pockets.

Attractions

Founded by the Normans in 1071, Richmond is a vibrant market town. It’s the Original Richmond, with 56 other Richmonds around the world named after it. It’s making a name for itself as the Cultural Capital of the Yorkshire Dales.

Food & Drink

The largest cobbled market square in the country has many cafes, pubs with food, restaurants and takeaway shops offering a vast range of eating out options in Richmond. Menus with local ingredients and quality local retailers – there’s a definite taste of Herriot Country in the town.

Richmond

Richmond’s impressive Norman castle dominates the skyline of the town, which was shaped by the prosperity of the Georgian era.  

You’ll find a clutch of cultural attractions nearby. The Green Howards Museum, Richmondshire Museum and The Georgian Theatre Royal are all in and around the vast cobbled market place, whilst a short stroll down to the river, with its impressive waterfall, leads to the Victorian railway station; now a destination in its own right and home to food, film and art. 

Follow the former railway track along the river to the impressive ruins of Easby Abbey, founded by the Order of Premonstratensian monks and suppressed in 1536 at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The ruins were a favourite subject for artists, including JMW Turner. 

 Next door is the Church of St. Agatha, which has rare 13th century wall paintings of Old and New Testament subjects. Not to be missed is a plaster replica of the carved stone Easby Cross. The original dates from the late 7th or early 8th century and is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. 

Continue the circular walk back to The Station and pause at the Drummer Boy Stone. Listen carefully to hear the sound of distant drumming from the hapless Drummer Boy who, in the 18th century, had been lowered below ground to find a hidden tunnel that led from the castle keep. (Richmond was the base for the filming of the BBC TV Series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’.)

Photography Credit: Guy Carpenter, Gullwing Photography

Video by Trimble Productions for Richmond Town Council and Original Richmond and Business Tourism Association (ORBTA)

Bedale

Directions:

Train: The nearest railway station is 12 miles away at Darlington, the home of the railways.

Road: Four miles from Scotch Corner where the north/south trunk road (A1) and east west trunk road (A66) converge.

Air: Durham Tees Valley airport is less than 18 miles away.

Bus: X26, X27, 26a. Arriva North East: Hodgsons. Richmond · Gilling West · Melsonby · Aldbrough St John · Manfield · Cleasby · Darlington; Little White Bus. Richmond · Hudswell · Downholme · Grinton · Reeth · Gunnerside · Muker · Thwaite · Keld. … 31A, 31B. NYCC. … 32, RR1, RR2, X26, 34. …

MayFest, first held in 2022 on the first May bank holiday weekend is Richmond’s new annual festival, which is a community event bringing together professional musicians and community groups in this perfect setting of medieval and Georgian heritage. Historical and traditional music are at its heart with music from nine centuries. 

The three-day programme includes 

  • A ceilidh at the Town Hall on Sunday with Blind Panic playing ceilidh music in a driving, contemporary style 
  • Local ensembles Trouvere and Pellingman’s Sarabande 
  • Local community groups including Richmondshire Orchestra and Richmond Choral Society 
  • Maypole dancing 
  • GreenMatthews, the folk/historical duo from Coventry 
  • Historical duo, Hautbois, giving performances of Great War music 
  • Durham’s folk/historical duo The Ran Tanners  
  • Hilarious jester, Tom Fool

The main venues are Richmond Market Place, Richmond Castle and the Town Hall.