We found a North Yorkshire town that has everything and could be considered the most ‘perfect’ place for a day trip for all ages.
You may think that nowhere is perfect, but I think I can change your mind after my own trip to Pateley Bridge near Ripon. The location has everything imaginable and is suited to everyone’s needs and has a lot of friendly faces – what more could you want?
The first thing that makes Pateley Bridge perfect is the parking. You can park in either long or short stay car parks for very little charge for a generous length of time.
There are plenty of spaces at either car park, as well as right next to the high street. This is perfect, because you can pop back any time to put your shopping in the car and go to another shop, attraction or restaurant.
We loved our visit to Pateley Bridge
There was no need for Google Maps as the businesses were set across each other on the side of the road and everything was easy to spot due to plenty of signage.
For those looking for fun things to do, you can visit The Oldest Sweet Shop which you could spend a fortune in, try the ‘country’s best hot chocolate’ at Cocoa Joes, visit the Nidderdale Museum and have a look in The Tordoff gallery that has movie posters ranging from £50 to £170,000.
The Tordoff gallery
This amazing gallery is the only one outside London that sells authentic posters from films – no wonder the owners were laughing when we asked about insurance being high and how many fire extinguishers were placed around the room.
Further down the hill, there were a range of different takeaways such as a fish and chip shop and pancake house. There was also a ‘secret area’ of more shops and more places to eat with seating areas surrounded by beautiful historic buildings.
(Image: YL)
Another thing that is great about Pateley Bridge, is that everything is local and it is celebrated. The Crown Inn use their own butchers for burgers and other produce and I found it be the same everywhere else. The butchers also celebrate their own items and designed a Pateley pasty that competes with a Cornish pasty.
Pateley Pasty for our tea
Classic Crown Burgers at The Crown Inn, Pateley Bridge
It really is a place where you can visit in all weathers as it has everything you could possibly need. I cannot say a bad thing about the beautiful North Yorkshire village as there were no litter on the streets, everyone was friendly and we were able to get a full day of fun before heading back home.
The next we will come will be during the summer, so we can tick off things that we did not get to do!
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