The cities of York and Ripon are both brimming with exciting things to do, from historical attractions to their vibrant retail and restaurant scenes. However, there are also some great locations waiting to be discovered in the surrounding countryside. Step aboard East Yorkshire Buses’ No. 82 service and you can stop to explore Boroughbridge’s High Street or enjoy a wintery walk around the pretty village of Green Hammerton. If we’ve inspired you to take a trip, here are some of the best places to visit between Ripon and York.
Hop off at Boroughbridge and go to Concrete & Cacti
With a meandering canal, quaint cobbles and handsome Georgian architecture, the market town of Boroughbridge is well worth a visit. If you’d like to explore it for an hour or two, the No.82 stops in St. James Square, close to the High Street and local business Concrete & Cacti. Here, you’ll find all kinds of interesting, unusual and low maintenance houseplants, from favourites like peace lilies, snake plants and string of hearts to the striking coral cactus and pink quill plant. It also sells handmade homeware and accessories, including beautiful concrete pots in neutral and pastel shades that will add the perfect finishing touch to your decor.
Next to Green Hammerton for Green Hammerton Post Office, Village Shop & Café
Nestled in the countryside less than eight miles from Boroughbridge is Green Hammerton: a traditional picture-postcard village that’s the perfect place to blow away the cobwebs with a January walk. Green Hammerton’s post office is combined with a café and a shop that sells everything you might need for a picnic, including sweet treats and Voakes pies to take away. The café, which resides in the same charming 18th-century building, is dog friendly and has both indoor and outdoor seating. Here, you can tuck into light bites such as French toast made with rustic farmhouse bread, soul warming soup or a full English breakfast. You can also get cosy with a hot drink before getting back aboard the bus to York.
Get off at York Railway Station and go to Brew & Brownie
York’s railway station is located in the heart of the city, close to the Roman walls and parks that come to life in the spring. If you’d like to spend some more time outdoors upon your arrival here, why not cross the Ouse and take a stroll through the Museum Gardens. You could then treat yourself to a bite to eat at Brew & Brownie. This all-day brunch restaurant shapes its menu around the best seasonally-available local produce, offering delicious dishes like crispy sweetcorn fritters topped with smashed avocado, halloumi and poached eggs, or a stack of four fluffy American-style pancakes with toppings including homemade apple compote, brown butter pecan crumble and mascarpone, or caramelised banana, nutella and salted caramel.
Stop at York Piccadilly and visit Florian Poirot on The Shambles
Alternatively, you can stay on the bus until you reach York Piccadilly. From here, the historic Shambles are only a five minute walk away. These characterful streets are filled with many great independent businesses, including recent newcomer Florian Poirot at number 19. The award-winning French pastry chef opened his first patisserie in Talbot Yard Food Court in Malton back in 2017. Now, his famous macarons can be sampled in York, along with other seasonal treats that look as good as they taste. His new shop even has a café, which serves coffee from Malton’s Roost to accompany your cakes with.
Images- @chef_florian_poirot, @concreteandcacti, Green Hammerton Post Office, Village Shop and Café Facebook Page
