North Yorkshire Tourist Attractions, Information and Guide, photographs and Places to Visit

North Yorkshire Castles

Castle Howard

Not a Castle but a stately style home

Location: 15 miles from York

Bolton Castle Wensleydale

On a minor road to the North of the A684 between Aysgarth and Leyburn.
There are breathtaking views to be seen in Wensleydale especially further west.
Bolton Castle was where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned.
Displays recreate a medieval household.
Limited access for less able visitors.
Refreshments available in the Tea Room located in the Guest Hall
Hawk Walk

Clifford's Tower

Clifford's Tower York
The original Clifford's Tower was a wooden keep built on top of the Motte for William the Conqueror.

In 1190 the site of a mass suicide by many of the Jews who had taken refuge in the tower from a local mob. The remaining Jews were slaughtered by the mob. The wooden keep was set on fire.
Rebuilt in stone in the latter part of the 13^th-century in an unusual arrangement of 4 circular towers. The square gatehouse was added later.
Roger de Clifford, was hanged there in 1322. .The tower was named Clifford's Tower after this event.

Helmsley Castle

Helmsley castle has double earthworks, and an impressive stone keep. See the exhibition and tableau of the castle's varied history.

Middleham Castle

The favourite home of King Richard III which was his childhood palace.
Enjoy the view from the massive keeps battlements, one of the tallest keeps in Britain.
The castle was built 300 years before Richard III as a Norman earthwork castle.
The present castle is an imposing 12^thcentury.

Pickering Castle

Pickering castle was built on William the Conqueror's orders.
Used as a royal hunting lodge

Ripley Castle

Ripley Castle was and is the home of the Ingilby family for the last 700 years.
Henry Ingilby collected taxes for Edward III and helped the king to finance the construction of Windsor Castle.
His brother Thomas Ingilby saved the king’s life and was knighted for his courage.
Looks more like a fortified stately home than a castle.
Deer Park & The Castle Grounds
Activities - Live For Today Adventures
- Body zorbing
- Archery
- Survival Bush Craft
- Canoes or Kayaks
- Orienteering
Besides visiting the castle see the walled gardens and the stocks in the village of Ripley.
Ripley Castle is situated in the village of Ripley on the A61 north of Harrogate

Scarborough Castle

Scarborough castle has had a very long history around 2500 years as a defensive position going back to Viking raid era.
The castle withstood 2 sieges in the Civil war.
It has also served as a prison and later as barracks until it was shelled by a German warship in 1914.

Sheriff Hutton Castle

Sheriff Hutton Castle, built in the early 15th-century. It was a residence of King Richard III.

Currently being shown on TV in the Restoration program

Knaresborough Castle

Knaresborough Castle

Located in the town centre

Knaresborough- Hotels

Distance from Leeds: Shortest and Quickest 18 miles

Via: Harewood. Add 1 mile if you also wish to go via Harrogate

Knaresborough- Hotels

Richmond Castle

A formidable fortress with a massive 30 metre keep set high above the river Swale. Started in 1071 by William the Conqueror to subdue the rebellious North. The present stone keep was built in the 12^thcentury. The view from the keep are stunning

Richmond Hotels

Richmond

The Market Square has one of England's largest and historic cobbled market places. Surrounded by Georgian buildings
3 Museums The Richmondshire, Green Howard's Regimen and the Georgian Theatre Museum
Award winning gardens at Millgate House
Easby Abbey ruins (2 miles away)

Scarborough

Scarborough Hotels

Skipton Castle

900 years of history in this most complete and best preserved medieval castle in England, founded by Robert de Romille, one of William the Conquerors Barons around 1090. The castle was restored in the 1650's after a 3 year siege 1642 5 by Parliamentary forces. The siege ended

During the Wars of the Roses Skipton Castle was defended by theRoyalists who were besiged for 3 years.

This Royalist bastion in the North, yielded only after after a negotiated surrender in 1645.

Cromwell had the castle demolished..

Lady Anne Clifford had the castle restored.

Location: At the top end of the High Street, Skipton. The town grew around the 11^th-century Castle

Telephone: (01756) 792442

Website: www.skiptoncastle.co.uk

Skipton

Distance from Leeds: Shortest 27 miles. Quickest 30 miles.

Via: Otley and Ilkley

Skipton is an attractive market town and known as "The Gateway to the Dales". Situated in the River Aire gap between the Craven Limestone hills to the North and the Millstone grit Moors to the South