A POPULAR tourist attraction has scooped a top prize in this year’s Yorkshire in Bloom Awards.

The Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park at Grewelthorpe, near Ripon, is celebrating after being announced as Yorkshire in Bloom Best Visitor Attraction and Gold Award Winner.

The gardens won joint first place with Brodsworth Hall in Doncaster. The judges described the Himalayan Garden as ‘quite something to behold’ and said it is one of Yorkshire’s hidden horticultural gems.

A spokesman for the Himalayan Gardens said: “The garden re-opens in October for the autumn, when the landscape is ablaze with colour. “Yellows, oranges and reds paint a breath-taking picture across the hillsides with the cornus, azaleas and acers taking centre stage.

“The views around the lakes, looking up into the garden are a real spectacle as the deciduous trees begin to lose their leaves and prepare for winter.”

The autumn opening is between October 6 to November 4.

Other gardens across North Yorkshire also achieved notable results in the Awards. These include at Ripon’s Workhouse Museum which was graded as outstanding and the Friends of Filey Gardens who won their category with a Platinum award.