{"id":294832,"date":"2025-07-27T02:51:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T02:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/294832\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T02:51:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T02:51:19","slug":"we-visited-one-of-the-uks-prettiest-market-towns-everyone-should-go-once-in-their-lifetime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/294832\/","title":{"rendered":"We visited one of the UK’s prettiest market towns ‘everyone should go once in their lifetime’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Described as a ‘breath of fresh air’, its stunning features make it a perfect day out\"Emma<\/p>\n

Emma is the parents editor for the Manchester Evening News. She covers news and events for families across Greater Manchester.<\/p>\n

\"HelmsleyHelmsley market town, North Yorkshire(Image: Manchester Family \/ MEN)<\/p>\n

It’s not that we don’t have pretty places on our doorstep in Greater Manchester, but sometimes it’s nice to venture further afield.<\/p>\n

With day trips aplenty in the summer, or the chance to stop off at new places during longer journeys, the opportunities are endless.<\/p>\n

But some places are more worthy of a visit than others and the Yorkshire market town of Helmsley is up there among the very best.<\/p>\n

We came across it by chance, on a recent trip to the nearby Yorkshire Spa Retreat<\/a> and after catching a glimpse of it on our way there, couldn’t resist the chance to stop by for a few hours on a sunny Saturday in July.<\/p>\n

For the best ideas on days out, shopping and parenting issues, get the Manchester Family newsletter here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"It'sIt’s packed with independent shops(Image: Manchester Family \/ MEN)<\/p>\n

Hailed ‘a breath of fresh air’ by Visit North Yorkshire, it’s previously won the Great British High Street Award’s best market town category and is apparently ‘somewhere everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime’.<\/p>\n

There are numerous scenic walks and cycling routes from the town – taking you through the North York Moors National Park – and the town even has its own castle, which boasts impressive stonework defences, including the striking east tower that still dominates Helmsley’s skyline.<\/p>\n

But we were there mostly to have a relaxing mooch around the many shops and grab a bite to eat.<\/p>\n

\"NumberNumber Twelve cafe(Image: Manchester Family \/ MEN)<\/p>\n

With so many cafes and coffee shops lining the streets, we were spoilt for choice, but decided on an outdoor table at the pretty Number Twelve tearoom, in the shadow of the castle in the town’s Castlegate.<\/p>\n

After a very tasty breakfast – a full English, a sausage and hash brown sandwich and drinks, coming in a reasonable \u00a328 – it was time to hit the shops.<\/p>\n

It’s more independent shops here than anything else, but that’s what makes it so unique.<\/p>\n

\"WeWe stopped for breakfast at Number Twelve(Image: Manchester Family \/ MEN)<\/p>\n

There’s a picturesque market square – which hosts a regular market and is a popular meeting point for motorcyclists – with a number of streets running off it, lined with stone buildings and beautiful floral displays.<\/p>\n

Hunters of Helmsley, a family business selling food and drink for 30 years, looked so stunning in fact that people were stopping to take photographs of the shop front, us included.<\/p>\n

\"HuntersHunters of Helmsley(Image: Manchester Family \/ MEN)<\/p>\n

There are lots of shops worth visiting, from the Traditional Sweet Shop to the more unusual The Ginger Bear, a unique looking shop selling all sorts of gifts and accessories and some rather adorable little tin men guarding the front.<\/p>\n

Join our Family WhatsApp group HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

With bakers and delicatessens galore, there’s no shortage of places to pick up a treat or two and on our way back to the car we stopped off at Auntie Anne’s Bakery, which attracts customers from miles around wanting to sample its speciality steak pies.<\/p>\n

We picked up a selection of its sweeter treats including a handmade custard tart and triple chocolate shortbread.<\/p>\n

\"AuntieAuntie Anne’s Bakery(Image: Manchester Family \/ MEN)<\/p>\n

If you throw in a trip to the castle, there’s certainly enough to make a day of it here. Beer tours are on offer at the local craft brewery Helmsley Brewing Co if that’s your thing.<\/p>\n

And just down the road is Beadlam Grange Farm Shop, which has its own butchery, delicatessen, greengrocery and a two-floor bistro as well as a dog friendly seating area and a toddler play area in its undercover fold yard.<\/p>\n

\"BeadlamBeadlam Grange Farm Shop(Image: Manchester Family \/ MEN)<\/p>\n

According to Visit North Yorkshire, ‘picturesque Helmsley ‘has so much going on’ that ‘if you go once, you are likely to go back time and time again’. I wouldn’t disagree.<\/p>\n

Helmsley is located at the point where Ryedale leaves the moorland and joins the flat Vale of Pickering. Long stay parking can be found at Cleveland Way Car Park, YO62 5AZ.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Described as a ‘breath of fresh air’, its stunning features make it a perfect day out Emma is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294833,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,12232,393,4884,8829,2465,485,10968,16,15,2302],"class_list":{"0":"post-294832","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-days-out","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-m-e-n-explore","13":"tag-manchester","14":"tag-manchester-family","15":"tag-things-to-do-manchester","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-yorkshire"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114922933017898235","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}