Fountains Hall

The ruins of Fountains Hall sit on the banks of the River Skell, about three miles south of Ripon, and they're genuinely worth the detour if you're staying at either Woodhouse Farm or Riverside Meadows. Built in 1598 by a merchant named Stephen Proctor using stone plundered from the nearby Fountains Abbey, the manor is an odd sort of building - part Tudor mansion, part architectural theft.

What you get is a substantial ruin that actually tells its story rather well. The main elevation still stands to full height in places, and you can pick out the mullioned windows, fireplaces, and chimneys that would've made this a proper comfortable home for its day. Unlike some ruins that feel like stony silhouettes, Fountains Hall gives you genuine room to room detail. The ground floor layout is legible enough that you start imagining where people actually sat and ate.

Historically minded visitors will find it fascinating - the fact that Proctor literally recycled stone from the abbey makes it a physical record of post-Reformation pragmatism. Kids under ten might get bored within twenty minutes, but older children and walkers will appreciate the riverside setting and the easy connection to the broader Fountains Abbey complex nearby.

You'll want a good hour if you're thorough, less if you're just passing through. It's free to wander the grounds. Spring and autumn are best - summer gets warm in the open, and winter can be muddy. Park at Fountains Abbey visitor centre and walk down; it's genuinely lovely terrain.