Over Easter, I paid a visit to Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Dales with the bloke. Our last stop before we headed home was to the city of Ripon, which is officially a city but it is the size of a small town and one of the smallest cities in the UK. The city is close to the UNESCO world heritage sites Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens, and one of the main attractions is its large cathedral.
First, we parked the car behind the market square and had a quick wander around. However, not a lot was open in the town as the day was a Bank Holiday (Easter Monday). Market day is on Thursdays, and the city also holds a special parade with people in fancy dress and floats parading the area based on a tradition dating from the early 1100s.
The city also has a horn-blower tradition; a horn is blown every morning in the market square, and the horn is the symbol of the city.
We discovered an attractive street with nice views over Ripon Cathedral. There's also an attractive canal through the city.
Ripon Cathedral dates from the 7th century. The history of the cathedral can be read here: http://riponcathedral.info.
One of the features in the catacombs of the cathedral is a small shrine that is meant to represent the place in Bethleham where Jesus was born.
I took a few more photographs in the cathedral and had a look around before we had to rush off to go home so that we could get home at a decent time and ready for work the following day.
Have you ever visited Ripon?
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