Thousands expected in Ripon for St Wilfrid’s Procession on Saturday

One of the most notable days in Ripon’s annual calendar occurs on Saturday with the St Wilfrid’s Procession and celebrations on Market Square.

Crowds line the streets and create a carnival atmosphere for the historic annual event, which is held in honour of Ripon’s patron saint and founder in 672 AD of the city’s iconic cathedral.

The procession’s origins date back to 1108 when King Henry I granted a royal charter to Ripon to hold an annual fair in celebration of Wilfrid’s life and work and the tradition has been maintained by a hard-working committee made up of volunteers.

Led by an actor on horseback, playing the role of St Wilfrid, the procession, which sets off from Studley Road at 1.30pm, will be accompanied by the award-winning Ripon City Band and will include 20 decorated floats with designs created by businesses and organisations.

A map showing the route.

The 26-stage procession, which covers 7.5 miles, will circle the city centre and outlying streets, before finishing at the cathedral, where a celebratory service will be held at 4.30pm.

The route, which will see numerous temporary road closures, can be seen by clicking here.

In addition to the procession, there will be free family-friendly activities on Market Square between 1pm and 6pm, followed by musical entertainment on Minster Gardens, where Time Machine and Alannah Creed will be among the performers.

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How to get around Harrogate during the Great Yorkshire Show

Harrogate BID logo

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID.

Anyone needing to get around Harrogate and the surrounding areas is being advised to plan ahead this week.

Tens of thousands of visitors are expected at the Great Yorkshire Show across its four days, and there will be changes on some routes to accommodate the additional traffic.

North Yorkshire Council’s highways area manager, Melisa Burnham, said:

“We work closely with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, its traffic management company and National Highways to agree a traffic management plan.

“We always ensure that roadworks on the main routes are kept to a minimum, with only emergency work permitted. Highways officers will monitor traffic on the routes and are available should they need to support the traffic management company.

“Whilst every effort is made to ensure that traffic flows efficiently, visitors to Harrogate should expect delays at peak times and plan their journeys accordingly.”

Here is your handy guide to the key points to remember from Tuesday, July 11 to Friday, July 15 – whether or not you’re going to the show.

Roads

A661 Wetherby Road: one way westbound from the Kestrel roundabout to Rudding Lane from 6.30am on each day of the show. This reverses in the afternoon from 2pm until 8pm, taking traffic away from the showground. If traffic eases earlier, the one-way system may be taken down before then.

A658: One way inbound towards the showground from Thistle Hill near Knaresborough to the Kestrel roundabout, from 6.30am for the mornings only. No one-way system during the afternoon.

B6164: Traffic arriving from the north via the A1(M) will be directed off at junction 46, before going through Kirk Deighton and on to North Deighton on the B6164. It will then turn right onto the A661 near Spofforth and follow the road to the showground.

A59 Skipton Road: Show visitors will be directed from the Curious Cow roundabout onto the B6161 to Beckwithshaw, where they will turn onto the B6162 Otley Road.

Parking

Traffic approaching from the west and north will follow the ‘blue zone’ directions to the car parks via Hookstone Drive.

Those coming from the east via the A661 will be directed down Rudding Lane into the ‘green zone’ car parks.

Traffic arriving from the south will follow ‘brown zone’ directions along the A658 towards Rudding Lane and into the car parks from there.

Public transport

A free shuttle bus operates every 10 minutes from the bus station in central Harrogate to the white gate at the showground. It begins at 7.20am and runs until 7pm.

Passengers arriving in Harrogate by train will be able to catch the shuttle bus. Those arriving at Hornbeam Park can follow a signposted walking route to the showground gates.

Walking and cycling

Pedestrians can follow signs from Hornbeam Park to the showground.

There is secure cycle parking at the blue and white gates for people arriving on two wheels.

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Road closures announced for Harrogate’s St George’s Day Parade

Traffic will be prohibited on several roads in Harrogate on Sunday afternoon for the annual St George’s Day parade.

The parade, which was held for the first time in three years last year, sees hundreds of Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Cubs and more join together in uniform to mark the occasion.

North Yorkshire Council, the highways authority, has issued temporary prohibition of traffic orders lasting from 1.30pm to 3pm.

It covers Victoria Avenue and parts of West Park, Beech Grove, Station Parade, Marlborough Road, Queen Parade, North Park Road, Coach Road and Christ Church track.

Victoria Avenue

Victoria Avenue is among the roads affected.

Alternative routes will be signposted.

The closures do not apply to emergency vehicles.

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Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district traffic roundup

Here is your traffic and travel update for Monday September 12 – sponsored by HACs.

Road :

Ripon Road – multi-way lights in the New Park area of Harrogate as Yorkshire Water carries out essential work this week.

Oakdale and Kent Road in the Duchy – road closures and diversions in this area from today until September 23 for gas main replacement work.

Just outside the district Sutton Bank on the A170 between Helmsley and Thirsk is set to undergo an extensive maintenance programme.

Due to the scale of the scheme, a full road closure will be in place from until 7pm on Sunday, 2 October.

Bus Cancellations

The following bus services are cancelled today – go to the transdev website for updates

The 1A
Aspin to Harrogate 8.06am

The 1C
Carmires to Starbeck 9.16am
Carimires to Harrogate 6.59am
Harrogate to Carmires 8.51am

#The 7
Weatherby to Harrogate 6.50am
Harrogate to Leeds 7.25am
Leeds to Harrogate 9.25am

#The36
Starbeck to Leeds 6.23am
Leeds to Harrogate 7.40am, 8.55am, 9.55am, 10.25am, 11.55am
Harrogate to Leeds 7.35am, 9am, 9.25am, 10.55am

Rail 

Rail services are running to time this morning on the Harrogate line. Check for further updates with Northern Rail. 

Planned strike action for the 15 and 17 September has been suspended due to the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning, it’s Al with you this morning, here to update you with any travel alerts to keep your journey moving.

I’ll let you know about roadworks, delayed trains and any traffic hotspots that could cause you delays.

If you spot anything, and it is safe to do so, give me a call on 01423 276197 and we can help other commuters too.

These blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is slow in these areas:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8:30am – Full Update 

Roads

Traffic is moving more slowly in these areas:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

There are a number of new road closures and temporary lights today, so do check the list below as delays will likely increase as more people get out and about.

Some traffic is starting to build in some areas:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7:30am – Full Update 

Roads

Most roads seem to be clear so far this morning. There are a number of new road closures and temporary lights today though, so do check the list below as delays will likely increase as more people get out and about.

Some traffic is starting to build around the Flaxby junction of the A1(M), and on Otley Road around Killinghall.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning, with no build ups of traffic yet.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning, with no build ups of traffic yet.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

LIVE: Temperatures remain low as more snow fell overnight

Snow returned once again to the Harrogate district, will temperatures falling as low as -2 degrees overnight.

The Met Office has a yellow warning for snow in place for the district. Further snowfall is forecast and temperatures could feel as low as -5 degrees this afternoon.

The Harrogate district is covered in a light layer of snow this morning with more forecasted to fall around 11am.

North Yorkshire County Council sent the gritters out last night to keep the roads as safe as possible.

I’m up early this morning to offer you regular updates. Please do get in touch, if it is safe, with any road updates on social media or on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

9.00am – Full Update

8.30am – Full Update 

8.00am – Full Update

7.30am – Full Update

7.15am – Full Update 

7.10am – County Council reiterates that travel must be essential 

North Yorkshire County Council has said people should continue following lockdown rules and only travel if essential.

With the yellow warning of snow in place, the council has told people to take extra care on the roads if they choose to travel.

A @metoffice yellow #weatherwarning for #snow is in place for #NorthYorkshire until midnight on Wednesday. #StormDarcy

Please only travel if your journey is essential and take extra care if you do travel.

Find out more ⬇️https://t.co/aHtMwGvyEP pic.twitter.com/lZ32bTibfb

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) February 9, 2021

7.00am – Full Update 

6.45am – Full Update 

6.30am – Full Update 

 

Alert motorist averts double road closure travel chaos

Road users in the Ripon and Boroughbridge areas have been spared potential travel mayhem today thanks to a sharp-eyed motorist.

Paul Stockburn, who lives with his wife Sandra in Copt Hewick, noticed both North Yorkshire County Council and Yorkshire Water were due to have diversions in place on the same day.

Copt Hewick is located on the outskirts of Ripon between the Dishforth and Boroughbridge roads.

Mr Stockburn told the Stray Ferret:

“Every household in the village received a letter from Yorkshire Water giving advance notice of an eight-week programme of pipe replacement work that would close a section of Dishforth Road between New Road and Strait Lane. That work started last week.

“Enclosed with the letter, was a diversion map showing Boroughbridge Road as the crucial alternative route for Copt Hewick road users to follow.

“Then I saw yellow signs put in place at both ends of the bridge on Boroughbridge Road that crosses the River Ure near Ripon Racecourse, saying that the bridge would be closed for a day on 19 January, so that inspection works could be carried out.

“I thought, does this mean that an extra one day diversion for diverted traffic would need to be put in place – and where would it be diverted to?”

Photos of the respective road closure signs

The Yorkshire Water road closure sign on Dishforth Road (above) and the North Yorkshire County Council sign, which has now been removed

“What made this confusing situation even more ridiculous was a paragraph in the Yorkshire Water letter about the Dishforth Road closure, which read: ‘We understand that these works will be inconvenient, which is why we’ve liaised closely with North Yorkshire County Council highways department regarding every aspect of this essential scheme.'”

Read more:

The Stray Ferret raised Mr Stockburn’s concerns about the confusing and apparently contradictory advice on the Yorkshire Water and NYCC’s respective road closure signs.

Yorkshire Water said it would look into the matter — then diverted the Stray Ferret to NYCC.

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager, for North Yorkshire County Council, said:

“As Yorkshire Water is undertaking an eight week programme of works on Dishforth Road our contractors have agreed to reschedule the one-day bridge inspection. We will remove the advance warning sign as soon as possible. We apologise for the concerns this caused.”

When told the potential double diversion road closure chaos had been averted, Mr Stockburn, said:

“I have let as many people as possible in the village know the good news – including one gentleman in his 80s, who was wondering how he was going to get to Harrogate for his covid vaccination.”

 

Portable cabin removal restores Ripon festive cheer

A portable cabin parked near Ripon’s Christmas tree on Market Square has been removed.

The cabin appeared two days after the city’s biggest ever display of Christmas lights was switched on and somewhat spoiled the view.

Councillor Stuart Martin told Monday’s virtual meeting of Ripon City Council the cabin had been moved following a request to Yorkshire Water, which ordered the cabin as part of sewer repair works at the junction of Market Square East and Kirkgate.

Cllr Martin, who is also a district and county councillor, said:

“If, as expected, the lockdown is lifted on December 2, the works will be halted until the New Year.”

Ripon spent an extra £65,000 on Christmas lights this year, with the tree in the market place the centrepiece of the attraction.

The Market Square has been a major focal point in Ripon since the 12th century and is one of the most famous landmarks in the Harrogate district.

When the sewer works began, cllr Martin told the Stray Ferret:

“It is not right to put this slap bang in front of a Grade II* listed building, next to the Christmas tree. This has obviously caused a lot of upset.

“The positioning could have been better.”

Photo of on-going sewer repairs at Market Place East

Work on the sewer repairs at the junction of Market Place East and Kirkgate

Following Cllr Martin’s intervention, Harrogate Borough Council asked Yorkshire Water to find a more appropriate place for the cabins.

Read more:

In the spirit of making the best of a bad situation, people on an online Ripon community group suggested decorating the cabins as giant presents or as Santa’s sleigh.

Another wrote:

“We have so little to look forward to this year. Surely it’s not too much to ask to be able to take a photo of our beautiful square!”

End in sight for Kirkby Malzeard closure

The £19,000 reconstruction and repair of the church wall at St Andrew’s Kirkby Malzeard will move a step closer today.

A 10-metre section of wall collapsed onto Church Street on February 19, causing the closure of the principal route between Kirkby Malzeard and Masham.

A diversion has been in place for more than eight months.

Planning permission is required for reconstruction of the collapsed section and repair of a further 30-metre length of the wall.

Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) has responsibility for the structure bordering the graveyard of the 12th century church, which was registered as a Grade I Listed Building in March 1967.

Read more:

At a planning committee meeting today councillors will be asked to approve an application for reconstruction and repair of the stone wall.

Approval by members of the committee would be subject to conditions and if supported, final consent will be deferred to the executive officer for development management and building control.

HBC had initially hoped to have the wall reconstructed and repaired and the carriageway reopened to through traffic by the end of June.

However, timescales had to be reviewed because of the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.

Photograph of St Andrew's Church in Kirkby Malzeard

St Andrew’s Church

Before work can proceed, further discussions need to be completed with Historic England, which has raised concerns about the proposed method of reconstructing the wall.

In a letter to HBC, the heritage watchdog, said:

“The church complex, including the churchyard and wall is considered to have exceptional heritage significance which derives from its architectural styles, legible plan-form, good surviving historical fabric and its continued focal point for rural community life.”

A report to councillors, says:

“Negotiations are ongoing with regards to the technical details, but the scheme is considered to be acceptable in principle.

“The principle of rebuilding the wall is accepted and whilst any stabilisation works will lead to ‘less than substantial harm’ to the structure it is considered that subject to agreeing a suitable method of construction and stabilisation, the public benefits of rebuilding the wall outweigh this harm.”