The market town between two valleys that’s a gateway to the Yorkshire Dales
At the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales, Masham (pronounced “Massam”) has a Georgian market square ringed by stone houses, with the spire of a Norman church peeking into view.
There is a strong sense of community here, evident in the collection of stalls that fill the square on Wednesdays and Saturdays and in the eclectic mix of annual events such as the Steam Engine Fair & Organ Rally (19–20 July) and the Sheep Fair (27–28 September).
Masham’s traditional stone buildings add to its appeal (Photo: Getty)
Masham is known as the home of Yorkshire beer: Theakston and Black Sheep were both founded here. But there is plenty else besides, including Masham Gallery and Michelin Guide 2024 restaurant Where There’s Smoke.
The town borders two valleys within the Yorkshire Dales: Nidderdale, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and Wensleydale, of the eponymous cheese. For more information see visitnorthyorkshire.com.
How to get there and around
Masham is an hour’s drive from Leeds and York, and 20 minutes from the A1. If you are taking the train, Thirsk and Northallerton are the nearest stations. To get to Masham from the stations takes a 25-minute taxi ride, or there are three bus routes: the 138, 159 and 144.
Where to stay
Swinton Estate is a luxurious base for a mini break in Masham (Photo: Wojciech Sukiennik)
Within the Swinton Estate is Swinton Park Hotel, in a Grade II listed castle. It is the ancestral estate of the Earl of Swinton and has been in the same family since the 1880s: the hotel is filled with portraits of previous generations, and antiques.
The castle’s bedrooms include four suites with plush furnishings, such as roll-top baths, a chaise lounge and deep armchairs. There is other accommodation on site: “tree lodge” cabins, yurts, a bivouac and self-catering cottages.
Guests have complimentary access to the hotel’s Country Club, which has a spa and pools. There are also two restaurants.
B&B doubles from £360 per night. Accessible room available.
In the town, The White Bear Masham has doubles from £180 a night and Garden House B&B has rooms from £100.
Where to shop
Masham is a butcher-baker-and-candlestick-maker sort of town, except the latter is replaced by The Curious Merchant, an upmarket Aladdin’s cave of handmade ceramics, glassware, linens and other goodies.
Peacock and Verity, meanwhile, is the subject of Channel 4 show Our Yorkshire Shop. It is a work in progress, but will restore its heritage as a greengrocer and tearoom, adding in a Post Office and flats to rent.
Where to go for lunch
Johnny Baghdad’s Café on the Square and Bordar House Teas both have stone patios spilling out on to Masham’s market square.
At Johnny’s, the 18th-century cottage has Middle Eastern style interiors. It serves breakfast, lunch and cakes and has an East-meets-West specials board.
Across the square, Bordar House Teas has a £5.50 lunch for children, and, for adults, paninis, burgers and other hot lunches, as well as homemade scones, cakes and Yorkshire tea.
What to see and do
Black Sheep Brewery, a six-minute walk from Masham’s centre, is a champion of independent brewing in Yorkshire and a story of defiance. It was founded in 1992 by Paul Theakston, a self-proclaimed “black sheep” who walked away from a family company of five generations after its sale to a national chain. Tours of the brewhouse, with tastings, are £12pp and run from Thursday to Sunday. The brewery’s Baa…r area has eight cask ales and 10 keg beers. There is also an on-site shop.
Stop for a pint or two in Black Sheep Brewery’s bar
Where to go for a drink
The Bruce Arms is a homely pub a five-minute drive from Masham, in West Tanfield. It is set in a 19th-century coaching inn and has an outdoor terrace. Dogs and children are welcome, and, if you’re hungry for more than a couple of rounds, there’s lunch, evening and Sunday food menus. too.
Where to go for dinner
The Terrace Restaurant and Bar, on the Swinton Estate, looks out on terraced gardens. Produce comes from the four-acre walled garden on site. There are sharing feasts and meals from the grill, classic dishes and small plates, such as beignets made with salt cod and Scarborough Wave cheddar (its ingredient of difference being seaweed), which are served with smoked cod roe and celeriac foam. For pudding, there are knock-out options, such as the Yorkshire rhubarb warm doughnut.
The best summer walks
‘Pineapple Disc’ by Subodh Kerkar at the Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park
Hackfall Woods, along the banks of the River Ure, has follies, castle ruins, a waterfall and Druid’s Temple, built some 200 years ago in the middle of a pine forest and based on Stonehenge.
The Himalayan Gardens & Sculpture Park, a 10-minute drive from Masham, has 90 sculptures, 200,000 plants and three lakes. There is a tearoom and children’s play areas, regular plant sales, and a gift shop. The park is open from March to November (adults £15, children £5, under-fours free).
Swinton Estate’s expansive grounds feature the tranquil Coffin Lake, where you can wild swim, along with four other lakes, a walled garden, aviary and “wellbeing space”. For non-guests, entry is £10 for adults and free for under-16s.
Three things you might not know about Masham…
1) Sometime between the 13th and 16th centuries, Masham was designated a “peculier” by the Archbishop of York – a medieval self-governing shire under a Church. The Church took a percentage of the town’s lucrative trade in sheep.
2) JMW Turner sketched Masham’s grade II listed stone bridge over the River Ure in 1816.
3) The market cross was called a butter cross because butter and cheese were kept cool on the stone steps on market days.
