The Water Rat Restaurant & Bar and The River Skell - Ripon - North Yorkshire

Greetings Travelers

The video above is a collection of footage shot on 3 separate days while staying in the city of Ripon in North Yorkshire.

The area highlighted here starts at the stone bridge which crosses the River Skell. This particular area of the city was a short stroll from the market square where my hotel was located and as such I found myself wandering down this beautiful riverside walk a few times during my week-long stay.

This is a shot taken on Bondgate Green,the road that crosses the bridge

A shot looking up the river from the top of the bridge.

As we walk under the bridge and along the riverside I stop to take some shots of the surrounding area.

The ducks seem to love this area, every time I passed there were many ducks frolicking in the river water.

These shots were all taken in the first week of April when the surrounding flora is blossoming and attracting the local wildlife.

Right next to the stone bridge lies the remains of what looks like an even older crossing. Much of what is left appears to have been washed away.

The people who own property here are truly blessed with their location. Take a minute to appreciate these shots of back gardens that have seating areas looking onto the river.

In the first garden, we can see this incredible piece of driftwood which I imagine has been pulled from the river. It almost looks like some sort of prehistoric avian creature or sea monster!

At many points on this stretch of the river, we are treated to stunning views of the nearby Ripon Cathedral. The presence of this Cathedral is what grants Ripon its status as a city.

Strolling along the riverside for a few more minutes we come to a more modern wooden bridge that offers more fantastic views of the Cathedral

When crossing the wooden bridge from the Cathedral side we see this rather inviting riverside eatery.

This wonderfully located little place is called The Water Rat Restaurant & Bar

The front room which looks out over the outdoor seating area has a beautiful little fireplace that instantly gives the whole building a wonderful feeling of coziness and homeliness, it is very welcoming indeed.

The decor inside adds to this warm and welcoming feeling, especially on a rainy day.

On my first visit here I only had a cup of tea , it was mid-afternoon and I wasn't all that hungry.

Its worth mentioning that I made the mistake of thinking this pot of white powder in a mason jar was sugar when it is in fact salt. When do you normally use a teaspoon to get salt out of a mason jar? I have a feeling Im, not the first person to make this mistake. I put salt in my tea and wondered why it tasted terrible,I had to get the waitress to add more water to the teapot after explaining what I had done.

-One could be forgiven for thinking this is white and brown sugar when its actually salt and pepper-

There is an assortment of baked goods on offer.

It really is a wonderful place to sit for an afternoon, relaxing with coffee and cake and watching life and the river flow by.

In the evening it's a great place to watch the sunset light up the sky during the magic hour.

On my second visit while waiting for our food to arrive I became fascinated with the magic hour light reflection in some windows on the other side of the river.

The menu is well-priced for most of the main courses and sides.

My Dad decided to try the Fish Pie with Parmesan Mash and Garden Peas which he felt was overpriced and not quite worth the £15.95

My mother went for the Fish & Chips which all 3 of us agreed is the best value of the 3 mains we tried. This dish cost a very respectable £12.95, the haddock was delicious, the batter was ridiculously crispy and tasty and it was served with a generous portion of hand-cut chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce. If you are ever in the area this dish is certainly worth stopping by to check out.


Just look at those devilishly good chunky chips!

I decided to try the Gourmet Burger which is served with Monterey Jack Cheese, Bacon, and fries for £13.95

Although a little on the expensive side I did enjoy the burger here.I did however feel it would have been better with some ketchup, mustard and mayo as it was a little on the dry side due to how thick the beef pattie is.

Still on presentation and the sheer size of this thing I have to give it a solid score of 8/10.

An Italian Morretti beer will always be my go-to accompaniment of such a nice burger.

As we were finishing our meal and getting ready to leave ,the sunset lit up the sky over the cathedral which I ran out to get footage and pictures of.

The Cathedral looked so pretty bathed in the pink and orange skies , almost like something out of a fairytale.

Well folks , that is the end of this chapter of our adventures in North Yorkshire. Stay tuned for more Ripon adventures real soon.I shot around 16 gigabytes worth of footage and photographs which I will be working through over the coming weeks.