May 2026. Richmond. North Yorkshire.
Every fourth year Richmond gets a new Beer Guide pub demanding my attention, and every fourth year I leave a Yorkshire tiwn considered one of the country’s best wondering what the fuss is about.
This time, I have myself a whole two hours and asked ChatGPT for the essential sights.
“The falls,
the walk around the castle (if not in it),
and an amble in the market place.” says ChatGPT.
And I realise it’s the cobbled market place that’s the issue, the appeal dulled by a sea of gentlefolk’s cars.
I took a walk up the lanes away from the car park, and it started to make sense,
more so when I returned to join the queue for pork pies.
“A couple of warm ones please“.
“What flavour ?“
“Dunno, you got black pudding ?”
“No sorry“
“What flavour have you got ? I’ll have two of those, long as they’re warm“.
They were tremendous; one straight away by the church, the other an hour later at Boroughbridge. Sorry, Mrs RM, they’re no good cold.
But I did buy Mrs RM something she’d like,
a can of Brew Station imperial stout from their “station” brewery*.
Unbelievably, it’s still in the fridge.
retiredmartin 
I’ve only been to that Richmond ten years ago this month, walking the Coast to Coast path.
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Pie looks decent 🙂
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I thought so, Paul, though I’ve seen complaints on the Pork Pie Facebook page Rich got me to join. Yorkie whingers.
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Haha!!! Blooming whingers… 😀
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My dad said that there was a great American-style hamburger place in Richmond back in the early 70s.
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I was a bit disappointed with Richmond too on my one and only visit. However, I did stick mainly to the market square/car park. And I didn’t have a pie.
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Recommend you go again Bill! Climb up for the views.
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My climbing opportunities are limited these days on account of my dodgy knee, which I don’t like to talk about.
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The main disappointment of Richmond (NY) is that the railway station has no lines leading to it, so trains don’t arrive there with any frequency.
(I assume this is why there is an asterisk next to the word “station” towards the end of your piece. So succinct. So eloquent.)
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Yes, but trains from Willesden Junction and back to Waterloo worked well for me two months ago with staying in the Dukes Head.
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Yes. It’s a special * that allows you to add your own words, a feature only my patronised readers get.
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Hey Martin, how’s the gammy leg? Mavis thinks it’s time you had it amputated and she should know what with her having no teeth!
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Funny you should ask as I get twinges, especially since the fall at Leeds station last year. But they’d probably amputate the wrong one.
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Lovely place. I cannot believe Franc missed the pork pie shop – I know he would have been in like a shot. It was throwing it down with rain last time, maybe heads were down more than up.
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Went to Richmond yesterday. Few cars in market place (which was full of fairground vehicles setting up for the Bank Holiday). Saw the pie shop but had other plans including tour of the Georgian Theatre Royal (amazing). Staying at the George in Piercebridge (reasonable price, as you have noted). Passed a dozen travellers’ horses with their traditional wooden caravans, then ate at the Fox Hole where the food was excellent.
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Sounds a great day.
I was surprised how good the George was. We are there (parmo !) as Fox Hole again fully booked.
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Richmond is a lovely town. The streets are made for strolling and the castle is impressive with amazing views. The walk by the River Swale to Easby Abbey with the return on the old railway trackbed is pretty. The locals are friendly too. What’s not to like.
Charlie
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I think I said as much, Charlie. And yes, the people are really friendly.
What’s not to like ? Just the volume of vehicles in the market square, which in some towns would be well out of the town (or underground!).
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