Ripley, North Yorkshire
Ripley is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire in England, a few miles north of Harrogate on the A61 road towards Ripon. The village name derives from Old English and is believed to mean wood of the Hrype or Ripon people.
A castle dating from the 15th century, Ripley Castle, has been the home of the Ingilby family for 700 years. The present owner is Sir Thomas Ingilby, 6th Baronet, the 28th generation. The castle, which has a priest hole, is open for public tours. The landscaped castle grounds and ornamental lakes are also open to the public.
A 19th century Ingilby tore down the old village and modelled it after an Alsatian village with an "hôtel de ville" style town hall. The castle and the parish church were not affected by the reconstruction.
In 2014, the Tour de France came past Ripley on its way to Harrogate. There is a cycle path between Ripley and Harrogate called the Nidderdale Greenway which is part of the National Cycle Route 67.
In March 2017, the village was named number 17 out of the 20 Best Villages in Britain to live in. The listing describes it as a popular satellite village of Harrogate and that families from London having been moving here and commuting to London twice-weekly.
