Neighbourhood know-how, places and people
Location location
Richmond is a characterful Georgian market town in Swaledale, surrounded by its fair share of pretty villages. Founded by the Normans in 1071, the town developed around one of the oldest Norman stone fortresses in Britain, Richmond Castle, which was built on the 'riche-mont' or 'strong hill' that gave the town its name. Richmond features a broad cobbled marketplace and many interesting Georgian and Victorian buildings. This beautiful town has loads of great walking routes to explore along the river, plenty of great pubs, cafes and tearooms, as well as independent shops selling books, antiques, clothes and everything in between.
Richmond is four miles from Scotch Corner, the 'crossroads of the North' where the north/south trunk road (A1) and east/west trunk road (A66) converge. The nearest train station to Richmond is Darlington, 12 miles away, which is on the East Coast mainline. Richmond also has good bus services including Arriva X26, X27 and 26a from Darlington; 55 Hodgsons bus linking with Northallerton and the 159 Dales and District service from Ripon.
Bag a property
Property in Richmond and its neighbouring villages is in high demand with the average house price being £227,000. A five-bedroom detached new build on the town's outskirts costs £465,000 while a four-bedroom terraced property in the centre of Richmond is priced at £330,000 and a two-bedroom apartment, again in the town centre, is £180,000.
Head out to the villages and a four-bedroom detached 8-year-old house in Hudswell is £350,000 while a five-bedroom barn conversion in East Layton is £750,000.
Explore
Richmond's old train station has been lovingly restored by the Richmondshire Preservation Trust and now houses a cinema, restaurant, bar and artisan shops including a microbrewery and Archers ice cream, and features local artists' work on the walls.
There's a fabulous walk from The Station that takes you along the river to Easby Abbey via Drummer Boy Walk - look for the stone which explains the legend. Richmond Castle is well worth a visit, as are the Green Howards Regimental Museum and the Georgian Theatre, regarded as the oldest working theatre in its original form in Europe, built in 1788.
Cafes and cocktails
There are plenty of delightful, independently-owned coffee shops and tea rooms to sample, including Mocha, which offers a fabulous range of delicious handmade chocolates. The Kings Head and Fleece Hotel are beautiful places in which to hang out, the former puts out decking in the marketplace in the warmer months but you'll have to be quick to grab a seat!
Rustique is a fabulous French restaurant tucked away down Finkle Street. Number 29 Ale House and Gin Bar offers a wide choice of, yes, ale and gin, as well as plenty of other great drinks, and delicious tapas. A small drive to Gilling West and you'll be treated to fabulous food, including the best burgers, at The White Swan while The George and Dragon in Hudswell was Yorkshire's first community-owned pub, has won many awards including CAMRA National Pub of the Year and has even had a visit from HRH the Prince of Wales.
Retail therapy
Local convenience store, Ken Warne, is worth a visit with its fabulous deli at the back of the store. Acclaimed local artists Mackenzie Thorpe and Lucy Pittaway both have galleries on Finkle Street, while Grey's Interiors, on the same street, sells an abundance of beautiful pieces for the home.
You could lose hours in York House Antiques at the bottom of town which has endless rooms overflowing with furniture, Saris direct from India, cushions, jewellery, lanterns, clocks, you name it, you'll find it there. The market visits Richmond every Saturday. The Market Hall is open seven days a week while the Farmers' Market is held every third Saturday of the month in the lower market place.
