Bed & BreakfastBox Tree Cottages

My sister and I had decided on Ripon for our short break and for us money was an issue. However, for the three nights we wanted, all the cheaper Bed & Breakfasts had been booked, so I had to go up a notch price wise and was fairly relieved to get a room with the first one I called, Box Tree Cottages. Off season, this Bed & Breakfast actually matches the prices of the cheaper ones, but the prices go up between Easter and the end of September to £60 per room per night with an extra £10 for Saturday nights. All told that came to £190 for three nights, which between two of us wasn't too bad really and I was pretty confident that it would be good because it has a 4 star guesthouse rating from the English Tourism Council.

I booked over the phone and found the woman friendly and helpful. I expected to be asked for a cheque for a deposit or a credit card number to confirm the booking, but was asked for nothing other than my name and when we expected to arrive.

My sister had got directions to Box Tree Cottages from AA Routefinder and we found the it very easily. Both the Cottages and the car park were well marked. The car park itself was only small with space for six cars, one for each room, which was all that was needed really. There were three doors at the front of the property, remnants from when it used to be three cottages. You are directed to the centre door for the main entrance.

We were greeted upon arrival by one of the proprietors, a friendly chap who made no mention of the fact that we were late and asked us what we wanted for breakfast in the morning. You could choose your cooked breakfast from a nice little list, which in my opinion wasn't too long or short. As I was carrying an envelope full of cash, I asked if I could pay then rather than carry it about with me for the weekend. My sister also paid at this point with a cheque.

As we were shown to our room, I couldn't help noticing the age of the property with its mellow antique smell and low doorways. For me it had a very homely feel to it and brought back memories of an old house my grandma used to live in. According to the website, the property dates from about 1800, but when I asked one of the owners about it she seemed to think it was more towards the mid 18th century. The doorways probably stood about 5' 10" high and I never really thought about them as I went through, but I'm sure somebody taller would have had to duck through them. I can't imagine that the building would be very wheelchair friendly with all the stairs and steps around.

Our room was a fair size as was the bathroom. The cleanliness was quite good, although I did spot the odd bit of dust in the bathroom in places which you may not always think of cleaning. The decor was probably what you might call cottagey (slightly floral) and although not personally to my taste it was nice, neat looking and well maintained. The matress was firm but not overly so and the sheets and covers were so soft to the touch that I had no trouble dropping off to sleep. Unfortunately I am not a deep sleeper so new noises wake me and I have to admit to waking quite often. The original sash windows opened and closed easily, but not being double glazed it meant that they did not shut out the noises from outside very well. Thankfully it wasn't a busy road on the front and was generally quite quiet.

There were two views from our accomodation; one from the bathroom which overlooked the back garden. From the bedroom window you could see over the front garden and between the trees we could see the lovely, medieval Catholic Church.

The bathroom accomodated a shower, but no bath. The shower was lovely and powerful though and the proprietors seemed to have thought of just about everything that you might need, but perhaps forgot to bring with you. They provided thick white towels with matching bath mats and flannels, which put my little grey thing to shame. There was shower gel, soap, beakers, cotton buds, sanitary bags and in a little chest of drawers above the toilet there were even cotton wool balls and a pair of nail scissors. The mirror above the sink was a little low, but there was also a free standing one. Back in the bedroom there was a portable size television, a radio alarm clock, a box of tissues, a tray with kettle, mugs, teabags, coffee, hot chocolate, milk, biscuits and on the first night there was even a bag of jelly beans as a gift from Barbara and Sue, the female proprietors. By the door there was a small book case full of various books.

I found the breakfast room quite homely. You helped yourself to cereals, milk and fruit and in a small fridge there was fresh orange juice and yoghurts. One of the proprietors was always quick to make an appearance and ask if we wanted tea or coffee. They would then get straight to work on whatever it was you had previously ordered for breakfast without needing to ask or check who you were. My sister had scrambled egg and mushrooms on toast and she would get a thick slice of toast piled high with scrambled eggs and plenty of mushrooms on top. She said it was good and she managed to clear her plate every day. I stuck to cereals and toast most mornings and they would always bring a small rack with thick sliced toast, one granary and one white, cut into triangles. This was delicious spread with the butter they provided in little individual pots, but there were also jams and marmalade.

We ventured out for a quick look around the area the first evening. It was just a couple of minutes walk to get to the main shopping and nightlife area. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes and we got some good recommendations from the guesthouse owners for dinner. Also close by are some museums, the cathdral and several old churches.