Five Fun Historical Outings in and around the Ryedale area.
Ryedale is packed with fantastic places to visit. We've hand selected five, fun historical outings, for you to visit with a friend or loved one!
Ryedale with its rural location in North Yorkshire, has a landscape full of picturesque towns and villages dating back many centuries. There are many fine historical buildings still standing in Ryedale and open to the public, along with museums packed with information and interest. Here we will look at five of these places of interest to help you plan a fun – and maybe even educational – day out!
Castle Howard
Built between 1701 to 1801 and decorated in the Baroque style, the Howard family have welcomed visitors to Castle Howard for over 300 years. With its extensive gardens and grounds which are open to the public, you can enjoy the fabulous views, take in the Temple of the Four Winds, the Mausoleum and wander through the beautiful rose and flower gardens.
Castle Howard is open most of the year round, a guided tour is available by pre-booking which will enable you to take a peek behind the scenes and you can even have a private tour of the house and gardens. There are refreshments available in the tea rooms and a delightful little gift shop too.
The nearby market town of Malton is just a few miles to the east of Castle Howard and York less than fifteen miles south. Both offer a huge range of retail experiences from tiny vintage shops in cobbled streets to modern retail parks. Castle Howard is easy to access from all major roads and affords peace and solitude allowing you a relaxing day out.
Byland Abbey
Byland Abbey is a ruined early 12th Century abbey located in the small village of the same name at the foot of the Hambleton Hills. Nearby is Sutton Bank, a very steep but major road between Thirsk and Helmsley with a National Trust Visitor Centre. If you opt for the less steep Caravan Route from the west travelling towards Helmsley in the east – taking in the pretty little villages of Kilburn and Coxwold – you will suddenly behold Byland Abbey as you turn a corner! It is fun and free to explore, boasting medieval floor tile pavements and a rose window. There is also a museum giving an insight into medieval monastic life.
The Stapylton Arms in the nearby village of Wass is highly recommended for a bite to eat; television chef James Martin said that “the best scampi you will ever taste” is served here!
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey was one of the Great Cistercian Abbeys of England until King Henry VIII of England seized it in 1538 during the dissolution of the monasteries. Its extensive ruins remain in the tiny village of Rievaulx near Helmsley in the North York Moors National Park.
There is an indoor museum which tells the rise and fall of this, one of the wealthiest Cistercian abbeys in England, once home to 140 monks and many more lay brothers. The village of Rievaulx itself is beautiful comprised of many stone and thatched cottages with lovely gardens to admire.
Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton le Hole
Set in over six acres in the picturesque village of Hutton le Hole, Ryedale Folk Museum is the ideal location to explore the region’s history and stories. It is open mid- March to mid-November, is wheelchair accessible and has 40,000 objects which tell the many stories of life through the ages in this rural part of England.
There’s lots to see and do in the open-air museum, visit the Manor House and the Iron-Age Roundhouse. There’s an area dedicated to farming and a pretty heritage orchard where you can picnic if the weather is fine.
Hutton le Hole itself is a lovely place to spend a couple of hours with its tea rooms, craft shops and a country pub serving home cooked meals. The sheep roam freely in the village and the surrounding areas – something that hasn’t changed throughout the centuries!
Beck Isle Museum
Beck Isle Museum in the market town of Pickering was established in 1967 and the collection grew through the generous donations of local people. Now the museum looks after a collection of around 50,000 items including photographs, costumes and textiles. The collection is an interesting and informative glimpse into the lives of those who worked the land through farming. You can examine the tools of their trades and peek back into the history of their domestic lives.
The Museum also has shops from the past which you can step into, a printing press with demonstration days and even a blacksmith!
There are special events and family activities throughout the year, including Heritage Crafts, Costume and Fashion Gallery, Special Interest Collections and local photographers exhibitions to name just a few.
The Museum is open April to October, Mondays to Saturdays.
As you can see, Ryedale has an array of different options available for a fun historical day out. Whether you like roaming the grounds of grand country estates or learning about events from Ryedale years gone by at one of it’s museums, there’s sure to be something that suits your taste!