The Holmes

The Holmes is the stretch of open riverside green that runs along Cod Beck on the Norby side of town, and it is where Thirsk goes to sit on the grass. Five minutes from the Market Place you get willows over the water, room for a football and somewhere for children to burn off a morning of museums. It costs nothing, it is open whenever you want it, and on a warm afternoon half the town seems to end up here.

The willows are not decorative accident. This ground was once a working willowgarth, a managed plantation whose tall stems were cut for basket weaving, and the trees are what is left of the trade. They also make the best shade in Thirsk when the sun is out.

From Tea Time Cafe at 87 Market Place, take Millgate down from the corner of the square and carry on to the beck at the bottom, which takes about two minutes. Turn right along the water and follow it north towards Norby. The green opens out on your left after a few hundred yards. Five minutes door to grass, flat all the way, on pavement then a firm riverside path.

There is no car park at the green. If you have driven into Thirsk, leave the car in a town centre car park and walk down, which is quicker than hunting for a space nearer the water. There is a step-free entrance from the beckside path for anyone using wheels.

Less than you would expect, which is the point. This is a green for sitting on, and the ordinary version of a visit is a blanket, a takeaway lunch and an hour of doing nothing while the beck slides past. For children there is a playground, a trim trail through the willows, and the old trees themselves, which are the best climbing in Thirsk. Ducks handle the rest.

Beyond that, it works as the middle section of a longer walk. Come down Millgate, cross the green, and either carry on north into the lanes towards Norby or turn back along the opposite bank for a gentle forty-minute loop. Herons work this stretch of the beck early in the morning, so the first hour of daylight is the one to pick if you want the place to yourself.

Space and quiet, both within five minutes of a busy market square. The willows give proper shade in summer, which matters on the handful of hot days Yorkshire allows. The riverside path through the green connects the town loop to the walks north and south, so it is a natural stop rather than a dead end. Best of all, it is free at a point in the day when everything else has cost something.

Buy your lunch before you set off, because there is nothing to buy at the green and nothing on the way back until you reach the square again. The ground is river meadow and holds water, so after heavy rain the grass is soft and the lowest corners can flood; a rug and boots beat a picnic blanket and trainers in winter. Bins are limited, so plan on carrying your rubbish home. Dogs are welcome and there are plenty of them, worth knowing if yours is nervous. Mid-afternoon on a fine Saturday is the busiest it gets, which by Thirsk standards is still fairly peaceful.