Sunday afternoon stroll over Hell Wath, which forms a link between Ripon and Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. The name derives from Old Norse words for flat stone ford, used to cross the River Skell. From 1865 Ripon Racecourse occupied part of the site and the grandstand still stands. When the racecourse moved 40 years later, the grandstand was used by the Royal Engineers as offices within a vast army camp. During World War 1 Hell Wath was the location of the largest army camp in the country, housing over 30,000 soldiers, one of the most famous being the war poet Wilfred Owen. The army camp was a thriving community, serviced by railway lines, roads, sewage works and reservoirs. Today, it’s a nature reserve and we’re incredibly fortunate to have it right on our doorstep.