North Yorkshire city named one of the best to visit in the UK in new study

Ripon has been named in The Telegraph's UK list of the best places to visit in the UK. <i>(Image: VISIT RIPON/[PA MEDIA/NORTHERN ECO)</i>
Ripon has been named in The Telegraph's UK list of the best places to visit in the UK. (Image: VISIT RIPON/[PA MEDIA/NORTHERN ECO)

A North Yorkshire city has been named amongst the best places to live in the UK in a new study.

Ripon has been listed in a new study by The Telegraph which has ranked cities which are the best to worst to visit based on a scientific study with 25 criteria in four categories.

The study ranked cities across the UK as the best and worst based on hospitality and amenities, culture and heritage, transport and nature and green spaces - including weather.

With all categories combined, Ripon scored 208 points, narrowly behind cities including Cambridge, Edinburgh and Bath which claimed the top spot with 248 points.

Of Ripon, The Telegraph report said: "Yorkshire's smallest city is nigh-on perfect, especially for heritage buffs. Medieval cathedral? Tick. Ancient marketplace? Tick.

"There are also independent shops, courteous traffic and thee rivers looping around its edges to frame the loveliness."

Visitor highlights include quirky museums and the nearby Fountains Abbey.

Ripon scored highest in the hospitality and amenities category with 67 points - but was only able to score 19 points for transport.

Compared to other cities in the North East, Sunderland received the lowest rank and scored 89 points overall.

Durham trumped Sunderland in the rankings with a total of 186 points - with its highest score of 60 coming from the culture and heritage category.

Durham, which is renowned for its historic cathedral and cobbled streets also beat Newcastle, which came in just behind them with 179 points.

Here's the full ranking of cities across the UK:


Recommended:

Get more content including the stories that matter to your community from The Northern Echo for just £5 for 5 months for a limited time only here.


Topping the list was Bath, which racked up 248 points overall.

Of Bath, the study reads: "Bath has Unesco World Heritage Site status not once but twice. One inscription covers the entire city – a rare honour that reflects its unique history and character; the other applies to Bath’s membership of the exclusive Great Towns of Europe club.

"The overall winner, as you’ll see, is a beautiful, rather gracious city that has long been regarded fondly – but which also has cultural clout."