Malton

Malton is a market town on the Derwent, and food shopping is the reason to go. The shops round the Market Place include a butcher and game dealer, a greengrocer and a deli, and the town has more butchers, bakers and fishmongers besides. Visit Malton describes it as a town of makers and independent businesses, and that is what a morning here is about: shopping for food from the people who produce it.

Saturday is the day to come. The traditional market fills the square every week, and on set Saturdays an arts and crafts market sets up alongside it. Through the year there are festivals on top, with the St Clement's Festival in November and a free food festival next on 29 and 30 May 2027.

From Tea Time Cafe at 87 Market Place, Malton is about 50 minutes by car to the east. Head for the Market Place, where parking is free for two hours.

Malton is one of the day trips you can make by train. The journey from Thirsk has one change, and the fastest trains take 53 minutes, with about 23 journeys a day. Connections vary widely and some journeys take far longer, so choose your trains in advance, both ways. Malton station is just south of the river from the town centre.

On a Saturday, start at the market in the Market Place, which runs from 9am to 2.30pm. Then work round the food shops on the square: the butcher and game dealer, the greengrocer and the deli.

From there, find Talbot Yard, a converted coaching yard that now holds six food producers. Among them are a butcher and deli, an artisan baker, a gelato maker and a chocolatier. It is the place to fill a bag with things to take home.

If your visit falls on a Tuesday or a Friday, the council lists livestock markets on those days. The Little Bird artisan market, which started in February 2026 with makers, bakers and cheese stalls, runs monthly on a Saturday; the next is on 21 November 2026, from 10am to 3pm.

Talbot Yard is the stop to remember, an old coaching yard turned over to food producers. The Saturday market keeps the square busy and gives a visit a fixed morning to plan around. The festivals are the other draw. The St Clement's Festival on Saturday 21 November 2026 runs from 10am to 6pm in the Market Place, free, with blacksmithing, food and drink, music and illuminated trees. The May food festival is the big one: in 2025 it had over 100 stalls, and the next listed is the Malton Food Festival on 29 and 30 May 2027.

Come on a Saturday for the market, and arrive in the morning, since it finishes at 2.30pm. Parking on the Market Place is free for two hours, so plan your shopping round that limit or move the car before it runs out. Bring a cool bag if you plan to buy meat or cheese for the drive home. St Michael's Christmas Fayre is on Saturday 14 November 2026, and the St Clement's Festival and the Little Bird market are both on Saturday 21 November. Eden Camp, 2 miles away, reopens on 8 February 2027 after its winter closure, and Castle Howard is close enough to pair with Malton for a full day out.