Swinton Park Ripon

A luxury castle hotel in the Yorkshire Dales, with fine dining, cookery school, country club and spa and extensive grounds. Owned by the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1880s, and the ancestral seat of the Earl of Swinton, guests at the hotel enjoy an authentic stately home experience.

Rooms are furnished with antiques and family portraits, with the warmth and grandeur of a traditional English house. There is a sense throughout the castle of it being more of a lavish country home than a hotel, with individually designed bedrooms, each with generously sized bathrooms and exceptional views.

Guests particularly enjoy the relaxed environment, and with the two hundred acres of parkland surrounding the hotel, its a perfect romantic retreat. Food plays an important role at the hotel – with our four-acre kitchen garden, award-winning restaurants and cookery school.

Yorkshire is the largest county in England offering visitors three beautiful National Parks including the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, a superb coastline and cultural cities such as York, Leeds and Bradford (UNESCO City of Film).

ROOMS & SUITES
There are forty-two beautifully appointed suites and bedrooms at the Swinton Park Hotel and the Coach House. The rooms are furnished to the highest standards with en-suite bathroom, spacious bedrooms with a contemporary historical aesthetic.

All of the rooms have views of the park-land and grounds of the Castle and the county’s daleside. Guests staying at the Swinton Park Hotel enjoy the comfort of our suites, the facility of the Country Club & Spa, our Estate and the hospitality service it is our metier to provide.

Swinton Hotel’s commitment is to the reduction of carbon emissions and the use of environmental power sources. Following the restoration of the walled garden and the installation of a wood-chip boiler and an eco-friendly laundry, the hotel’s achievement has been recognised at a national level.

THE TURRET SUITE
A well positioned suite located in the Castle tower on the top floor. Ideal for a romantic high-light and also very popular with families. The Turret is quirky, unique, with the rooms and some of the furniture circular. The suite is set-up as follows: Lounge (ground floor), bedroom (first floor) and bathroom (top floor).

RICHMOND SUITE
The Richmond Suite enjoys views over the gatehouse and stable block. Themed on the military town, the rooms are decorated with tartan fabrics and a campaign style bed canopy.

DUKES BEDROOMS
Very large bedrooms, with sitting area, contemporary bathrooms and stunning views. Choose from Bradford, Harrogate, Fountains Abbey, Thorp Perrow, Newby Hall, Middleham or Bolton Castle. Or Leighton, located in the Coach House, new for 2021!

All rooms are on the first or second floor, with double or twin accommodation, complimentary Raisthorpe Manor Sloe Gin and coffee/tea facilities. Each room includes mineral water, a hair dryer, robes, slippers, TV and phone. There is complimentary WiFi access throughout the hotel.

DINING
The elegance of Samuel’s fine-dining experience, with your choice of accompaniment. Relaxing in The Terrace Restaurant & Bar, al fresco or our Bivouac’s Cafe, as an interlude. You have the choice as to the enjoyment of the Estate and produce.

We pride ourselves on estate to plate governance and the limited food miles where possible. Using the best available Yorkshire produce from our exceptional suppliers.

SAMUEL’S RESTAURANT
A spacious and airy room with sweeping views over the gardens and home lake, the most distinctive features in Samuel’s are the ornate gold leaf ceiling and enormous mantelpiece.

The seasonal restaurant menus emphasise seasonal and local produce inspired by the fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in the hotel’s four acre walled garden (the largest hotel kitchen garden in the UK).

Surrounded by the 20,000 acre estate, stretching from Wensleydale’s River Ure up onto the Dales Estate, venison, rabbit, smoked trout and game are a few examples of the local ingredients sourced for the kitchen.  Samuel’s is renowned for providing some of the best Estate to Plate fine dining in the north of England.

The food on your plate is a reflection of the landscape you can see around you, a sweeping, romantic celebration of what Swinton Park and Yorkshire at large have always had in spades: a rich, deep connection to the land and a quiet, unshowy confidence in the produce which that land gives up.

SUNDAY LUNCH
Guests can dine in the elegant Samuel’s Restaurant, or the Private Dining Room for larger families or parties.

Experience the delights of salmon served to your taste and carved at the table; feel the heat of the flambe as your food is presented to you with a sense of theatre or enjoy a more traditional 3-course Sunday Lunch served with coffee.

Complete your Sunday Lunch with a stroll around the beautiful late 18th Century listed landscaped parkland and gardens. All guests are invited to visit the 4-acre Walled Garden, a working kitchen garden where you’ll often see Chefs wandering to collect ingredients for the day.

AN INTIMATE DINNER OR THE OCCASION
Our private dining room, located within the hotel, may accommodate as many as twenty guests. With a flavour of Samuel’s restaurant. The Chef’s bespoke seasonal menu tailored to suit, matched with a choice of wine, alongside patisserie and eau de vie. Before or afters.

A showcase is available, for up to a hundred and twenty invites, offering a decision between the formality of Samuel’s Restaurant or consideration of The Library. You may also have a personal request as well to emphasise your appreciation.

THE TERRACE RESTAURANT & BAR
The Terrace Restaurant is at the heart of eating and drinking at the Swinton Estate. From morning coffee and lunch to dinner and cocktails, food is served from the open kitchen, restaurant or the comfortable terraced gardens.

The seasonal menus are comprised of our produce and orchard fruit, with herbs and vegetables grown within the four-acre walled garden. Ever-changing, inspired and to suit any dietary preference, we endeavour to offer fresh, healthy and classic dishes.

AFTERNOON TEA
Afternoon Tea is served daily from 12 noon – 5.00pm and on Sundays from 3.00pm – 5.00pm. Please call to make a reservation in advance of your visit, as occasionally the hotel is fully booked with a private event.

We welcome party bookings for afternoon tea – ideal for family gatherings to celebrate christenings, birthdays and anniversaries – with private rooms available for larger gatherings.

You are welcome to enjoy our selection of afternoon teas in the Bar, Sitting Room and Drawing Room, or on the Lawn during summer months. They can also be served as room service for guests resident at the hotel. All cakes and scones are freshly baked in our kitchens and we use local artisan preserves.

SIT BACK, RELAX AND ENJOY THE CHEF’S TABLE
Relax and let our Chef serve, as he prepares a gourmet menu for you and your guests, passed at the kitchen counter. With a wealth of experience from all over the world, the Chef brings cooking to life with an array of skills and anecdotes that will fulfill anyone with a love for food.

GARDEN LUNCH
Join celebrated gardener Dame Susan Cunliffe-Lister for a two course lunch, garden talk over coffee and a guided tour of the grounds. Each lunch is themed on a different topic, whether it be on the parkland and lakes, or the walled garden.

Susan will give an insight into her gardening style, and guests will be given a tour up to the parkland to view the daffodils or rhododendrons and azaleas.

The menus for garden lunches will include several ingredients from the garden, with recipe cards from our chef. Susan will explain her choice of produce, with tips for cultivation and harvesting.

COOKERY SCHOOL
Swinton Cookery School is a relaxed, open demonstration kitchen housed in a converted Georgian stable wing adjacent to Swinton Park hotel, excellent for the preparation and skillful handling of great food and fine wine.

The Swinton Estate team, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, are passionate about using sustainable local produce throughout the four seasons.

The four-acre walled garden behind the hotel is planted with fruit, vegetables and herbs, providing a ready source of fresh seasonal ingredients for the cookery school kitchen, alongside estate venison, rabbit, smoked trout and game, a few examples of the local ingredients sourced from the wider estate.

The Cookery School runs a busy program of half day and full day hands-on, practical cookery classes throughout the year. Courses can be either residential or non residential and are available for all ages and ability levels, including children’s cookery lessons.

From classic baking and Sunday roasts to Sushi and Thai, there’s a course to suit everyone. So if you are beginner with a keen interest or a professional, broadening their knowledge, join us at Swinton and fall in love with cooking all over again.

WEDDINGS
The private, luxury hotel and parkland grounds of Swinton Park are lovingly curated in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

The splendour of an historic building provides the backdrop with a friendly and professional team who provide bespoke organisation to ensure every detail is delivered together with the service to ensure that your wedding is unique and the event is truly incredible.

Whether you have an idea of your special day, or looking for some wedding inspiration to make your wedding day as wonderful and personalised as you have dreamed of, speak to our friendly wedding coordinators who would be delighted to guide you through your Swinton Park Wedding.

BUSINESS AT SWINTON ESTATE
Whether a board meeting in one our turret rooms to a company presentation in the library, we are able to offer top of the range facilities, within the opulence of our historical surroundings and superb location.

All rooms are situated within surrounding parkland and are light and airy, decorated in a quietly functional style. WiFi access to the internet is available in all areas of the hotel.

With 200 acres of parkland, a 20,000 acre estate and extensive on- site facilities including a cookery school and bird of prey centre, we are able to offer a bespoke corporate events.

COMFORT AND LEISURE
The ground floor consists of a suite of five south facing rooms overlooking the river and deer-park. The library, sitting room, private dining room, drawing room and the dining room.

The morning room and lower hall overlook the gatehouse and cookery school. There is also a bar, private cinema, snooker and billiards table with the children’s games-room for enjoyment and entertainment.

The Morning Room
An east-facing room, home to reception with our concierge to provide information and organise activity through-out your stay.

The Sitting Room
South-facing, with views over the terrace and Home Lake through two expansive Georgian windows. The Sitting Room is a private room for small gatherings and celebrations.

The Drawing Room
A beautiful Georgian room, designed by Carr of York in 1765, with large bay windows and grand piano, this is our most popular room for afternoon tea.

The Billiards Room
An ideal retreat for a rainy day or a late evening. An annexe to this room is also the children’s play area.

The Bar
Designed to house the Danby family’s artefacts, the bar was once a museum and more recently the family chapel. The bar is home to some of Yorkshire’s finest ales brewed in Masham.

The Lake House
Lake Island on Top Lake, a short walk from Coffin Pond and Quarry Gill in the Parkland, is a private retreat. Here you can hold an exclusive celebration or private event.

Take a hand-drawn cable ferry across to your own private kingdom, complete with a miniature Georgian-style summerhouse. The House can be transformed into a romantic setting with flowers, candles and twinkling fairy lights, creating the perfect venue for a proposal, winter picnic or anniversary celebration.

Alternatively, the peaceful and serene setting of the Lake House lends itself really well to solitude and quiet mindfulness. The island also has a stone table and fire pit for outdoor picnics in warmer months.

The Deer House
The Deer House is a unique, rural venue set on the Swinton Estate in the heart of North Yorkshire. A wonderful setting for a Deer House wedding, rural family get-together or a motivational location for corporate away day.

It’s part of the 200 acre parkland at Swinton Park, placed within the heart of the deer park that’s home to 200 Fallow Deer, overlooking Swinton Park and the rolling Yorkshire hills.

Allowing for the outside to be brought in, the Deer House gives you and your guests extra space to continue the party in the great outdoors. Whether it is the fun of a mini sports day or dancing the night away with a silent disco, the Deer House is idyllic for creating your perfect outdoor countryside wedding or event.

The Bothy Hut
For those wanting to escape, the Bothy Hut is a cosy getaway nestled within a rock formation high on the Swinton Estate moorland.

With sweeping views down into the valley below, it’s the perfect stop-off for hiking, a mountain bike cycling trip or for a family day on the moor where a picnic can be delivered to you whilst you sit and admire the views in the summer, or get warm by the fire in the winter months.

Spa Bathing
An 18-metre indoor pool offers swimming exercise and adjacent rest, whilst the hydrotherapy pool provides therapeutic relaxation with a choice of massage.

For outdoor enjoyment, our spa garden is equipped with a 10-metre natural pool, eco-friendly bathing in bio-filtered water, as well as an alfresco hot tub. The natural water is chemical free, ideal for anyone who suffers from sensitive skin and also oxygenated, which helps leave skin feeling refreshed and soft.

The Thermal Suite
The Thermal Suite, features an aroma steam-room with seasonal natural fragrance and 100% humidity for deep muscular relaxation; a salt room to ease congestion and stengthen the immune system, the Finnish sauna provides dry heat and a fragrant wood cabin.

Showers and foot spas are available if desired, to regulate your temperature throughout your thermal journey. Our pool garden, has an alfresco sauna to enjoy with friends, relax around the fire pit or heat up in the herbal sauna with produce from the garden.

The Gym
The gym combines static machines with functional fitness for maximum results with a high level of individual support. The group exercise studio, with a programme including high energy spin and circuits, features the latest and most up to date workshops including yoga and pilates.

Our bodywork room is perfect for one-to-one mindful movement practice, personal training is also available for additional fitness support with motivation and personal exercise plan.

Fitness & Wellbeing
Making use of the beautiful surroundings, if you like. We run a series of parkland programmes with boot-camps, mindfulness-walking, running and hiking.
Please join us on sunday’s, for a morning for stroll. This is a great opportunity to discover the Estate and meet other people.

Relaxation & Beauty
On the first-floor, the treatment suite includes; three zone-relaxation rooms, eight treatment rooms and two couple’s suites with a welcome lounge and home-care advice centre. When it comes to personal spa therapy, we have a combination of wellness, beauty or gratifying to suit.

Our trusted spa brand, Bamford, work with us to create amazing and memorable treatments to enjoy. The beauty cottage includes a treatment room, manicure, pedicure and blow-dry bar.

WELLNESS
The Country Club & Spa on the Swinton Estate combines the tranquility of the gardens and surrounding countryside with a bespoke combination of treatment, exercise, diet and relaxation.

Here your wellness is unique to you and your needs, and our core themes of detox, de-stress and recover can be adapted to suit all the symptoms of the stresses and strains of modern living. The spa facilities include a Wellness Suite for complementary therapies and one to one yoga and pilates sessions.

In addition to the lap pool and hot tub, there is an outdoor naturally filtered, oxygenated and chemical free Natural Pool, along with the Thermal Suite with foot spas, sauna & steam rooms and hydrotherapy pool.

There is also an outdoor relaxation space with sheepskins, blankets, hot water bottles and hand knitted slippers to ensure peaceful cosiness all year round.

Our recommended wellness massages use the Bamford range of products, which use natural and essential oil blends with both shiatsu and traditional massage techniques.

The treatment journey includes a choice of three relaxation rooms, including slumber pods and deep sleep on heated water beds. A reviving herbal tea is then served in the treatment lounge.

Our commitment to your wellbeing extends to the environment that surrounds you and the Swinton Estate woodchip boiler creates all the hot water we need for the indoor lap and hydrotherapy pools and also the outdoor hot tub and natural pool.

This source of heat is carbon neutral, using waste timber from the Estate forestry which is a renewable source. Swinton was one of the first hotels in the country to swap from oil to biomass in 2006, and remains a pioneer in this field.

Guests can visit the spa for A Day of Wellness, with accommodation available on the Estate at the Swinton Park castle hotel, One High Swinton cottage or in the yurts and tree lodges at the Swinton Bivouac glamping site.

For a more extensive wellness break, the overnight Wellness Retreat combines A Day of Wellness with an overnight stay at Swinton Park and the benefit of additional complementary therapy. Please note that both the Day of Wellness and Wellness Retreat are available mid-week only.

RIVER FISHING
Swinton Estate has fishing for salmon, wild brown trout and grayling along its 4 miles of single bank fishing on the River Ure, and the River Burn has over 6 miles of double bank fishing.

For many years the rivers have been fished by family and friends, without annual records. Water quality in the River Ure has improved dramatically over the last 35 years and this has led to a rapid increase in salmon numbers.

Significant work has been recently carried out by the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust in association with the Swinton Estate. The resulting habitat improvement and a smolt release program means that juvenile densities of salmon at some sites on the River Ure have now increased to rival those of the UK’s best salmon rivers

The River Burn flows through the heart of the Estate, rising on Masham Moor and flowing down through Colsterdale, past the villages of Healey and Fearby and joining the River Ure just south of Masham. It offers a truly wild fishing experience.

To book Salmon or Grayling day fishing tickets on the Nutwith stretch of the Ure, please book via FishPal. Trout fishing day tickets are not available on-line and need to be booked by special arrangement with Fishpal or Swinton Estate.

FALCONRY 
A number of falconry experiences for families, groups and individuals are on offer at the aviary and surrounding parkland at Swinton Estate.

Birds of Prey at the Swinton Estate offers educational and fun experiences, available to visitors upon arrangement. We seek to provide as much hands on interaction with our guests as possible, and to enjoy the personalities and behaviour our large variety of friendly owls, hawks and falcons.

Hawk Walk
A Hawk Walk involves the flying of Harris hawks around the splendour of the castle grounds. This is a unique experience lasting approximately an hour, involving a short instruction on safely handling your hawk, before taking it out under supervision into the grounds of Swinton Park where it will follow you through the trees and return to your gloved fist in spectacular style.

The 200 acre parkland is a perfect location for the experience and also allows close up encounters of the fallow deer and other various wildlife.

PONY TREKKING
Swinton Estate offers pony trekking and lessons at the Trekking Centre adjacent to the Swinton Park Hotel.

Guests at the hotel are also able to enjoy Racing Breaks which include accommodation, a trip to the races (nearby racecourses being Ripon, Thirsk and York) and a morning visit to the stables and gallops at Middleham please enquire with when making a reservation.

20,000 ACRES TO EXPLORE
We have a vast area of beautiful countryside to explore at Swinton Estate, a true walkers and runners paradise. The parkland is divided from the castle by the serpentine stretch of water, Home Lake, designed to give the impression of a river.

It supports a herd of approximately 100 fallow deer, including 10 stags. Some of these are very pale in colour – commonly mistaken for albino! The moorland Dales comprise 8,000 acres of heather on the Estate, and rise up to a height of 540 metres above sea level.

The scenery is breath taking, and from here you can see east to the North Sea and North Yorkshire Moors to the east, and westward the moorland landscape continues across the Pennines.

There are 665 hectares of mixed woodland on the Estate, which is managed commercially for timber, conservation, green energy and for the Estate’s sporting interests. All the timber is Forestry Stewardship Council accredited and is certified as being from a renewable source under the UK Woodland Assurance Scheme.

The River Ure runs along the boundary of Swinton Estate, and flows the length of Wensleydale. It is 74 miles long, and feeds into the River Ouse which flows through York, draining into the Humber Estuary where it reaches the North Sea.

The bridge at Masham was built in 1754, and there are records of an earlier ford further downstream. The River Burn flows through the heart of the Estate, rising on Masham Moor and flowing down through Colsterdale, past the villages of Healey and Fearby and joining the River Ure just south of Masham.

MOUNTAIN BIKING
For those that like an adrenaline rush there’s our mountain bike trail in the Druids Woodland. There are 8km of off-road natural trails through the woodland and across surrounding fields, with plenty of options from family friendly gentle green routes to the thrills and spills of a black run.

These range from wide, flat tracks to steep downhill descents with jumps and bridges. Take a look at the video below, giving you a glimpse of the tracks at Swinton Bivouac.

The trails do not follow any rights of way and are open to public by kind permission of the Swinton Estate. There is a charge for using the trails, payable at the car park charge box in the Swinton Bivouac car park: £3.00/car and £2.00/bike.

Mountain bikes are available to hire from the café at Swinton Bivouac, and we recommend you book in advance for these, please contact us for rates. Please note the green bike route is shared with walkers, so please take particular in those sections.

The Bistro Café at Swinton Bivouac serves snacks and refreshments throughout the day, and there are hose down facilities nearby. Please note that during winter months (outside of school holidays) there is a limited menu available.

If you would like to enjoy a glamping experience on the Swinton Estate, Swinton Bivouac also has accommodation available in its barn, Yurts and Tree Lodges.

ROAD CYCLING AT SWINTON ESTATE
Following on from the Tour de France’s Grand Depart in Yorkshire, cycling in this part of the world has never been more popular. Several of the Tour de France, Tour de Yorkshire and World Championship routes run through Swinton Estate, an area know for its challenging elevation and beautiful scenery.

With 20,000 acres of farmland and moorland, Swinton Estate provides a wonderful base for a cycling trip, whether for a day, weekend or a short break. It offers a variety of inclines and terrain, from steep moorland ascents to winding country lanes, all with incredible views across rolling Dales countryside.

While you are on the road and fancy a refreshment, we can recommend the Terrace coffee shop & restaurant at the Swinton Country Club & Spa, with bike racks and lovely garden seating area.

A few miles up the hill from there is the Café Bistro at Swinton Bivouac, where the beautiful views over the moorland Dales are well worth the climb!

Bespoke Tours of Yorkshire
The Yorkshire Tour Guide offer chauffeur guided tours of Yorkshire. Discover the Yorkshire Dales, picturesque villages, the North York Moors, stately homes and gardens, the stunning coast line, traditional market towns, the lovely spa town of Harrogate, spectacular castles and abbeys or the historic city of York – the choice is yours.

A range of luxury vehicles are available including saloon cars and multi seat vehicles. A bespoke chauffeur service is also available for airport / rail transfers, weddings, other special occasions and shoot parties – a flexible service tailored all to your individual travel requirements.

Thorp Perrow
The arboretum at Thorp Perrow is one of the finest private collections of trees and shrubs in the country. This 85 acre arboretum is unique to Britain, if not Europe, in that it was the creation of one man, Colonel Sir Leonard Ropner (1895 – 1977). There is also a Bird of Prey and Mammal Centre.

Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey is a UNESCO World Heritage site which recognises it as “a masterpiece of human creative genius” and “an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates significant stages in human history”.

It dates from 1132, and during the following 400 years various additions and alterations were carried out to the site; by the time of the Dissolution it was the richest Cistercian abbey in the country.

Whilst a ruin, the scale of the building is still very impressive. As well as the abbey, The National Trust also own Fountains Hall and Studley Royal Park, which form part of the same site.

Middleham Castle
Middleham Castle dates from 1170 and boasts one of the largest keeps in England with twelve foot thick walls and three floors.

It was home to Richard III, and many years later passed into the Cunliffe-Lister family in 1889. It is now owned by English Heritage, who run events there during the summer months. Although a castle is now a ruin, is still a spectacular site to visit.

Ripley Castle
Ripley Castle has been lived in by the Ingilby family for over 700 years and there is a rich history of intrigue that can be traced back over the centuries. The castle and gardens are open to the public throughout the year.

Nidderdale Museum
Nidderdale Museum is situated in the dales town of Pateley Bridge (a lovely drive from the hotel over the moors) and shows how ordinary people lived and worked in the Yorkshire Dales.

The majority of the items on display have come from the homes of local people over the years. Highlights of the museum are the village store, the Victorian Parlour and the cobbler’s workshop.

The World of James Herriot
The World of James Herriot pays a unique tribute to the life and times of the author Alf Wight, otherwise known as the world renowned vet James Herriot. The original veterinary surgery and home has been restored to the 1940’s, with original props from the BBC series “All Creatures Great and Small”.

Kiplin Hall
Kiplin Hall was built in the early 1620s as a Hunting Lodge for George Calvert, Secretary of State to James I, later 1st Lord Baltimore and founder of Maryland, USA. Its design was unique in Jacobean architecture, with central domed towers on each side of a tall symmetrical pavilion in mellow red brick.

Following a period of decline, the gardens and grounds are now undergoing major restoration, bringing new interpretations based on the framework of the designs of the last 400 years.

Bolton Castle
Bolton Castle is one of the best preserved mediaeval castles in the UK and enjoys a fabulous setting, in the heart of Wensleydale.

Dating from 1399 by Richard le Scrope (Chancellor of England to Richard II), the castle is still in the ownership of his direct descendants. Mary Queen of Scots was also imprisoned here, and there are many features still intact.

National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum displays a collection of over 100 locomotives and nearly 200 other items of rolling stock, virtually all of which either ran on the railways of Great Britain or were built here.

The permanent display includes the Royal Train saloons and The Flying Scotsman. It is the largest museum of its type in Britain and has more visitors than any other British museum outside London

Castle Howard
Known to most as the backdrop to Brideshead Revisited, Castle Howard is one of England’s finest historic houses.

Designed by Sir John Vanbrugh for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, its creation spanned the lifetime of three Earls and numerous craftsmen. There are also extensive gardens, boating on the lake, a farm shop and adventure playground.

Website: www.swintonestate.com

Rooms: 42

Price: from 281 EUR per night