Plan a day
Half-term days out near Thirsk
Apple Week at Ampleforth, trick or treat on the Moors Railway, pumpkins in Castle Howard and re-enactors at Fountains: October half term within an hour of Thirsk.
8 October 20264 min read
Thirsk market square
Travellers' Choice 2026Breakfast, Bakes and Afternoon Tea,on Thirsk market square
One room on the market square, full of homemade cake, and all of Thirsk still ahead of you.
- Flavours of Herriot 2022
- 5 star food hygiene rating
- Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice 2026
- Restaurant Guru 2025
- Arthur Haigh's of Dalton (4 miles)
- Doreen's black pudding (Yorkshire)
- Baltzersen's bakery (Harrogate)
- True Tea Co (Harrogate)
- Brymor ice cream (Masham)
- Longley Farm (Holmfirth)
- Wensleydale Creamery (Hawes)
- Fruity Kitchen (North Yorkshire)
- Appleby Creamery (Cumbria)
- Lonton Coffee Co (Teesdale)
- Fentimans (Hexham)
From the kitchen
Customer favourites
Full Yorkshire
14.9Butcher's sausage, Dalton bacon and Doreen's black pudding, with a free range egg and a hash brown.
Potato scone
8.9Two pieces of traditional potato scone fried in butter, with crispy bacon and a fried egg.
Toasted Reuben
10.9Peppery beef pastrami, homemade slaw and chunky gherkins, toasted in local sourdough.
Meet the Reuben ↗Loaded paprika fries
9.9Skin-on fries with paprika salt, smashed avocado, homemade salsa and red crunch cheese.
Sweet cream tea
8.9A warmed tea-soaked sultana scone, Fruity Kitchen strawberry jam, clotted cream, and tea or an americano.
Today's cakes
on the counterWhatever came out of the oven this morning, on the counter.
On the square and nearby
What's on in Thirsk
- Thu01Oct
SeasonalCastle Howard: Pesky Pumpkin TrailA pumpkin trail through Castle Howard's rooms all October, curator-led tours by candlelight on 23 and 24 October, and a fungi day at the Yorkshire Arboretum next door - Sat03OctSeasonalHalloween Trail at Thorp PerrowA Halloween trail through Thorp Perrow Arboretum near Bedale through half term to the first of November, at normal opening hours
- Wed07Oct
Around townThirlby Art Group exhibitionThe Old Courthouse on Westgate has a free art group exhibition until 17 October, with evening and day-long making workshops through the month - Fri09Oct
Music and stageAt the Ritz: Heart of the Beast (12A)The Ritz on Westgate, run by volunteers, shows a film each week at 7.30pm, seven pounds on the door - Fri09Oct
SeasonalFountains Abbey: dusk deer walkA guided dusk walk among the deer in the autumn rut, then costumed re-enactors and a family trail at Fountains Abbey for the first weekend of half term
From the lunch menu
Have you tried the Reuben?
Pastrami, homemade slaw, Emmental and chunky gherkins between two thick slices of toasted local sourdough. People ask for this one by name.
Rosa's story
It started with a van called Henrietta
In 2018 Rosa bought a 1967 Citroen H van, named her Henrietta, and spent two summers selling scones at Yorkshire festivals as The Rolling Scones. In 2019 she took on the old Arabica cafe at 87 Market Place, and Tea Time opened before the year was out.
Traditional afternoon tea
A proper afternoon tea in the market square
Finger sandwiches, a warm scone with jam and clotted cream, three of the day's cakes and as many hot drinks as you like, on vintage crockery.
Traditional Afternoon
Tea Time
- Selection of finger sandwiches
- Sweet scone, strawberry jam & clotted cream
- Three of today's homemade cakes
- Unlimited hot drinks, plus iced tea and iced coffee
24.9 per person
Minimum 2 guests · book any half hour from 12 to 3, or 12 to 2 on Sundays
Make a day of it
Start at ours,then see Thirsk properly
54 places worth your time, 18 of them close enough to walk. Load a ready-made day or build your own, check the weather, print it and go.
Map of the day out
Tea Time in gold, and 18 places within a walk of the door. Tap a pin for the walk time.
Walk Thirsk's stories
Twenty blue plaques, plus James Herriot's writing home
The original twenty-stop walk passes Alf Wight's former surgery at 23 Kirkgate. A new plaque marks Rowardennan, the Sowerby family home where he wrote much of the James Herriot books. Choose the town circuit, the original twenty, or continue to the new stop.
Begin at the World of James Herriot museum, then follow the plaques at your own pace.
Visit
Find us on the market square
87 Market Place, Thirsk, YO7 1ET. Market days are Monday and Saturday, when the square fills with stalls. Dogs welcome; treats behind the counter.
Journal
Latest from the market square
Plan a day
James Herriot's writing home gets its blue plaque
Rowardennan in Sowerby, where Alf Wight wrote the James Herriot books, has a blue plaque: the house, the man, Thirsk's other twenty plaques and the walk out.
8 October 20266 min readPlan a day
Bonfire Night near Thirsk
Four firework displays within half an hour of Thirsk this year: Monk Park Farm and Northallerton on Thursday 5 November, Bedale and Masham on Saturday 7 November.
5 October 20264 min read
On the socials
Follow the cake cabinet
Today's bakes and specials, as they come out of the oven.