Exploring Richmond on Foot

Visiting Richmond for just a couple of hours? We've got the perfect short walks for you, with two smartly produced leaflets in our new series, Exploring Richmond on Foot.

One, The River Swale, guides you down to the Foss, as we call the thundering waterfall below our castle. From there, you follow the river a short way upstream, crossing at Green Bridge. A grassy path takes you over Earls' Orchard (where knights are believed to have jousted) and over a couple of fields. Now (possibly after a drink and a snack at The Station) you re-cross the Swale at Mercury Bridge and enter the attractive green space known locally as The Batts, with the river running smoothly and swiftly beside you. An alleyway leads back up to the cobbles of the Market Place.

The other leaflet, Churches and Chapels, takes the visitor on a route which has fewer hills and is entirely on paved surfaces. This is a chance to see some of the varied and fascinating buildings of our old town. The architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described the carving on the Catholic church's tower as "naughty"; if anyone can tell us why, we'd be fascinated to know...

Each of these walks will take about an hour. The leaflets are priced at just £1 (ridiculously cheap!) and are only available from Richmond Information Centre in the Market Hall - which just happens to be the starting point for both walks. 

PS: rather go on a guided walk? We do those too. See here. 

PPS: visiting for a bit longer? We've got a couple of books of circular walks In Richmond and Swaledale, up to about 7 miles in length. You can get Richmond Walks and Pootling round Richmond in many shops in Richmond, or in the Information Centre, or you can find details and buy online here.

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