We met this friendly cat in the woodland part of the grounds. It would have liked us to play with it much longer, no doubt, and came hurrying after us when we left. We were relieved when a couple of people came up the path in the cat's direction to provide fresh entertainment:
At the far end of the grounds, a "Foodie Festival" was taking place. Lots of cars, people, music and general noise there; not what we were looking for. There was hardly anyone about outside the festival area, and we enjoyed the walk which offers beautiful views of Ripley castle from nearly every spot, with or without water:
Back in the village. The neo-gothic building was originally meant to be Ripley's "town hall" (not that it ever was a town!). It looked empty, with renovation works going on. I'd love to explore inside - doesn't it look like a house harbouring a dark secret, or the residence of a gentleman Vampire?
What a pretty place to sit and have a cup of tea!
See the starfish above the arch?
Nevertheless, it had been a great day out, and we were ready for the bus to take us back to Ripon.
I don't know Ripley, but it looks super; will add it to the list! I'm a sucker for neo-Gothic houses that look like vampire residences...
ReplyDeleteThis one would have looked even better without the car in front of it! But cars spoil the best pictures more often than not, unfortunately.
DeleteLicking chilled lard! That just sounds.....gross! But I enjoyed reading about the rest of your time in Ripley. The town hall is intriguing and I had to smile at your phrase "gentleman vampire". You were very expressive in your descriptions of Ripley!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kristi! Well, the "chilled lard" ice cream really didn't taste good. I do love creamy, fatty stuff, but that was too fatty even for me.
DeleteI am sure you can picture the gentleman vampire in your mind!
A most enjoyable tour with my breakfast. Thank you. I loved the cottage with the table outside: it looked like a perfect place to which to retire. I thought the rooster was artificial for a second: lovely and plump. The starfish fascinated me: what, I wonder, does it represent hanging over the doorway like that?
ReplyDeleteGraham, the starfish is part of the Ingilby family's coat of arms. They have been owning Ripley (the village) and Ripley castle for 700 years. It is certainly not your usual coat of arms animal - mostly, they are wild, strong creatures such as lions, eagles, bears, stags and boars. I've had a quick look at the Ingilby family history's website but could not find an explanation as to why a starfish of all things was incorporated.
DeleteYes, that cottage with the table outside looked so very inviting to us, too.
Sorry that the Yorkshire ice cream at the end was not to your taste. Lard is one of my favourite flavours along with Yorkshire pudding and gravy flavour of course!
ReplyDeleteI guess we are more used to the Italian make of ice creams over here... As for Yorkshire pudding and gravy, I love that taste too - just not when my tastebuds are prepared for coconut.
DeleteHaving strolled (scrolled!) through all your holiday posts now, I'd love to sit down for a while at the table outside that cottage and have a cup of tea... :)
ReplyDeleteAnd well deserved it would be, too, after such a long blog-reading session :-)
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