Car-free aroundMaltonYorkshire
Explore the wooded wolds and the Howardian hills; take a mini train ride through landscaped gardens, a boat trip round the lake from a vine-fringed veranda, or a stroll by the flowery River Derwent. Malton, Yorkshire’s self-styled Food Capital, has some idyllic car-free trips to offer. Arrive by train or bus and enjoy culinary delights in this colourful , bunting-strung market town before setting off westwards by bus to stately Castle Howard. Or east towards the sea on the regular Coastliner service to visit the unusual gardens at Scampston or to walk along the panoramic Wolds Way. Here are just three great day trips from Malton, which makes an idyllic base for a staycation - scroll to the bottom for a couple of tips about buses and places to stay.
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1. Castle Howard by bus
Wander through rolling eighteenth-century landscapes, dotted with temples and pyramids; take a boat trip on the Great Lake or follow a trail through shady Ray Wood, past blazing rhododendrons and dappled glades of roses.
- How to get to Castle Howard: It’s just a short ride away from Malton on the CastleLine bus (Mon-Sat). See Good Journey’s directions.
- The bus ticket gets you a money off the inclusive house and gardens tickets.
- Among the maze of woodland walkways, walled gardens, lakes and lawns, there are numerous options for tea at Castle Howard: choose a simple cardboard cuppa on the wooden veranda of the Boat House, with a vine-framed view of the lake, pre-book a sumptuous spread in the Grecian Hall or anything in between.
- A land-train (included in the entry ticket) collects wanderers from beside the lake every twenty minutes and takes them back up to the gates.
- A short walk from Castle Howard is the colourful Yorkshire Aboretum. Follow Good Journey’s directions.
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2. Scampston Gardens by Coastliner
Capability Brown’s park is full of classic eighteenth-century features: cascading lakes and reflected summerhouses. But inside tranquil, tree-lined brick walls, Piet Oudolf’s contemporary garden rooms are more unusual: geometric hedges, artfully naturalised perennials, and shady seats among rust-tinted, waving grasses.
- Scampston Park and Gardens are open seasonally and are well worth a visit
- How to get to Scampston: The smart blue double decker 843 Coastliner bus leaves Malton bus station (Stand 1; two minutes from train station) hourly, heading for the seaside.
- After ten minutes, hop off at Scampston Lane End just after Rillington village and stroll half a mile up Sands Lane to arrive at Scampston Hall. See Good Journey’s directions.
- Have lunch in the Garden Café – food doesn’t come much fresher or tastier than this. The “gardener’s lunch” includes a generous salad with local ham, cheddar and pork pie; there’s delicious coffee from Roost in Malton and Wold Top Beers, brewed down the road near Hunmanby.
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3. Walk the Yorkshire Wolds Way
There’s lovely countryside all round Malton. You can stock up at the bakery in Talbot Yard and head off beside the River Derwent for a picnic in the flowery meadows, or set off on a more ambitious hike…
- A weekend’s walk away from the sea, Malton makes a fabulous base for sampling the Yorkshire Wolds Way, an 80-mile long-distance route from the Humber Bridge near Hull to the coast at Filey.
- From Wintringham Lane End (next stop on the 843 Coastliner after Scampston), ¾ mile gets you to the Wolds Way Lavender Farm, where you can sample gingery slabs of lavender cake and Yorvale ice creams in the café.
- Joining the Wolds Way, ½ mile further on, admire the carvings in Wintringham Church
- And climb up through the woods to an atmospheric hilltop artwork, drawing on the area’s bronze age past: red posts, a dew pond, a wildflower meadow and rows of carved, white figures.
- The well-waymarked path runs, with staggering views, parallel with the Coastliner route. So, when you’re tired, simply head for a village in the valley and hop on the bus.
- Sherburn and Ganton make good stopping points, with leafy pub gardens to drink in while you’re waiting.
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Buses and places to stay and eat.
Here are a few more tips if you’re planning a staycation in the Malton area.
- If you’re planning a lot of bus journeys, especially if you’re catching the bus all the way from York, there are Daytripper Plus tickets that give you unlimited travel. They are particularly good value for groups.
- There are several good places to stay in Malton. The smell of roasting coffee and baking bread fill the brick-walled yard opposite the Talbot Hotel in Malton, an old coaching inn with log fires, riverside gardens. The Talbot’s restaurant serves seasonal, local produce, including beef from Water Edge farm and tangy sorbet from Groovy Moo Gelato over the road.
- For a cheaper option, the Wentworth Arms has twins rooms. It’s a half hour stroll through town from the station but is right next to the Old Malton School bus stop, where bus 840 stops so very handy if you’re walking the Wolds Way.
