Richmond Castle
Riverside Road Richmond North Yorkshire DL10 4QW
Towering over the attractive town of Richmond, its medieval castle is a simply magnificent construction, built by the Normans who took one look at the elevated hilltop location and dubbed their town and castle Riche-Mont, or "noble hill". A soaring keep, and a circle of walls, towers and battlements, lord it over town and River Swale, while gardens, lawns and pathways offer sweeping local views. As a family visit it can't be beaten, especially if you coincide with one of the school-holiday events staged here – what right-thinking child isn't going to love the idea of encamped armies, medieval knights and poleaxe competitions? There's also tons of room to run around and plenty of panoramic picnic places. The only drawback is that there's no parking – you have to walk up from handsome Market Place, though that's no great hardship.
