Grantley

Grantley is a small village and civil parish tucked into a well-wooded valley on the north bank of the River Skell, about five miles west of the cathedral city of Ripon in North Yorkshire. With a population of only around 130, it is more hamlet than town: a scatter of stone cottages, farmland and the handsome grounds of Grantley Hall, an 18th-century house built for the Norton family that is now a five-star hotel and spa on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

What Grantley lacks in size it makes up for in setting. It sits at the point where the flat farmland around Ripon gives way to the rising moorland of Nidderdale, one of England's designated National Landscapes (formerly Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The Skell itself flows on from Grantley into the grounds of Fountains Abbey, so a walk downstream from the village leads almost directly into one of the most celebrated monastic and garden landscapes in Europe. It is a quiet, green corner of Yorkshire, better known to walkers, cyclists and hotel guests than to passing tourists, which is part of its appeal.

Top things to do near Grantley

Grantley itself is residential, but it is exceptionally well placed for some of North Yorkshire's biggest attractions, several within a ten-minute drive.

• Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Garden — a National Trust and UNESCO World Heritage Site combining the largest ruined monastery in England with an 18th-century landscaped water garden, deer park and Jacobean hall; the Skell that runs through Grantley flows on into the abbey grounds.
• Ripon — a compact cathedral city five miles east, with a market place, independent shops and the nightly Ripon Hornblower ceremony, said to have been performed at the market cross every evening since the 9th century.
• Brimham Rocks — dramatic wind- and weather-carved gritstone formations on open moorland in Nidderdale, owned by the National Trust and popular for scrambling, bouldering and walking.
• Nidderdale National Landscape — the wider AONB stretching west and north from Ripon, taking in the Nidd valley, Pateley Bridge and reservoirs such as Gouthwaite and Scar House.
• Newby Hall & Gardens — a Georgian house with Robert Adam interiors and extensive gardens beside the River Ure, a short drive south-east of Grantley.
• Ripon Cathedral — dating in part to Saint Wilfrid's 7th-century crypt, one of the oldest structures of its kind still in use in England.

Getting to Grantley

Grantley lies just off minor roads a few miles west of the A61 Ripon to Harrogate road, with Ripon the nearest town for services, rail-connected buses and the A1(M), which passes a few miles to the east. The closest mainline railway stations are at Harrogate and Thirsk, both around 30 minutes' drive, with connections on to Leeds and York. Leeds Bradford Airport is roughly 40 minutes away by car. There is no direct rail service to Grantley or Ripon, so a car is the practical way to explore the surrounding villages, moorland and dales.

Best time to visit Grantley

Late spring and summer suit Grantley best, when the water gardens at Studley Royal and the moorland around Brimham Rocks are at their most colourful and the days are long enough for a proper walk. Autumn brings good colour along the Skell valley and around Fountains Abbey. Winter is quiet, with shorter opening hours at some attractions, but the abbey ruins and Ripon's cobbled streets have their own bleak charm under frost, and it is the season to see Grantley Hall's grounds at their most peaceful.

Where to stay near Grantley

Grantley Hall, the village's own 18th-century house set in 30 acres above the Skell, is now a five-star hotel and spa with several restaurants including one run by Michelin-starred chef Shaun Rankin. Beyond the village, Ripon has a range of inns, B&Bs and small hotels, while Nidderdale's villages, Pateley Bridge among them, offer traditional pubs with rooms. Camping and glamping options are scattered through the wider Nidderdale countryside for visitors who prefer to be closer to the moors.

Food and drink near Grantley

The Grantley Arms in the village is a traditional Yorkshire inn serving pub food and local ales. For a wider choice, Ripon's food scene has grown considerably, from Storehouse Bar & Eatery and The Portly Pig's real ale selection to Italian at Grazie Pasta Caffé and traditional home cooking at The One Eyed Rat. Grantley Hall's own restaurants add a fine-dining option on the doorstep, ranging from Shaun Rankin's tasting menus to more relaxed all-day dining.