Northallerton

Northallerton is the county town of North Yorkshire, one stop up the railway from Thirsk. It is a straightforward half day out: a long, wide High Street with a market twice a week, a cinema in the old prison, a community arts venue with a busy programme, and enough indoor options to make it a good choice when the weather turns.

The market is the reason to time your visit. It fills the High Street every Wednesday and Saturday from 8.30am, with stalls selling fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, cheese, cakes, and locally made pies and reared meat. It runs every week of the year apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

By car, Northallerton is about 8 miles north of Thirsk and roughly a 15-minute drive. Parking charges in the town centre vary, so check the signs when you arrive.

The train is the easy car-free route. Direct trains from Thirsk take about 10 minutes, run by Grand Central and TransPennine Express. Grand Central requires a seat reservation, so book one with your ticket. Thirsk station is about 1.4 miles west of the Market Place, so allow for the walk or a taxi at the Thirsk end. Hodgsons' 70 and X70 buses also run between Ripon and Northallerton through Thirsk, though the published timetable dates from 2024, so check current times before you set off.

Start with the market if it is a Wednesday or Saturday, then walk the length of the High Street. Treadmills, the town's newest quarter, is built on the site of Northallerton's prison. The jail opened in 1788, to a design by John Carr, and held prisoners until 2013. Five listed buildings survive within the redevelopment, and the site now holds a four-screen, 276-seat Everyman cinema that opened in May 2023, along with Lidl, Iceland, restaurants and Campus@Northallerton, run by the University of Sunderland and York College.

The Forum on Bullamoor Road is the town's community venue, with film, event cinema, comedy, theatre and live music. In late 2026 its programme includes the Allerton Players in Bleak Expectations from 19 to 21 November, Sense and Sensibility on screen from 27 to 29 November, and a Royal Ballet and Opera screening of The Nutcracker on 1 December. Ring 01609 776230 or check its website for tickets.

With children, Crazy Kingdom on Standard Way is a soft play centre listed for ages up to 12. Ring ahead for its hours.

The market gives the town its rhythm, filling the High Street twice a week all year. Treadmills is the most interesting stop for anyone curious about the town's past, because the prison buildings are still standing around you while you go to the cinema or the shops. The ten-minute train ride is the other big plus: Northallerton is an easy place to reach from Thirsk without a car.

Go on a Wednesday or Saturday for the market, and arrive in the morning, as the market runs from 8.30am until mid-afternoon. If you take a Grand Central train, reserve a seat when you buy the ticket, because it is a requirement on their services. Check the bus times before relying on the 70, as the timetable online is old. Look at the Forum's programme before you go, since a matinee or event screening can turn a market morning into a full day. For a longer outing, the Wensleydale Railway at Leeming Bar and Kiplin Hall are both a short onward trip from Northallerton. Lunch back in Thirsk on the Market Place rounds off the half day.