UK’s ‘best’ market town has so few tourists because everyone visits the seaside instead
Malton, Yorkshire, has a buzzing food scene that has seen it crowned the Food Capital of Yorkshire and welcome King Charles into one of its venues.
A pretty market town named one of the UK's best had hardly any tourists, because everyone is visiting a seaside town nearby instead.
At this time of year, as the days get longer and temperatures get warmer, thousands of Britons are planning where to go for a weekend getaway. One potential option for visitors may be the market town of Malton, Yorkshire. Considered one of the UK’s top market towns, it has been enticing visitors to its little lanes and market fairs for decades.
According to one local guide, part of its attraction is that it is not a place geared towards mass tourism and therefore retains some of its more traditional characteristics. However, it has very few tourists compared to a nearby coastal resort.
The traditional riverside market town is practically unheard of outside of northeast Yorkshire - but it still has a thriving market place on Saturdays.
Despite the cattle market now being a shadow of its former self, the slow and sleepy town of Malton is jam-packed with old-fashioned independent businesses.
But Bradt Guide reports that many tourists miss out on Malton because they only drive close by on the way to resorts in places such as Scarborough, Filey, and Whitby.
While many tourists miss out on Malton by simply driving past it, the town has a rich history and was once reportedly declared the food capital of Yorkshire by Antonio Carluccio.
As a result, it is a town which is proud of its cuisine. The Visit Malton website says that it is a town “passionate about artisan producers, independent shops & great places to taste the delicious food & drink”.
There are plenty of places to sample the food and drink Malton has to offer such as Market Place, Talbot Yard, The Shambles, Wheelgate, and Saville Street.
Like many parts of Yorkshire, Market Street has undergone a revival in recent years as a greater number of people have discovered the joy of staycations.
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Visit Malton explained: “This once forgotten street is now one of the most loved destinations in Malton, packed with quirky, beautiful and buzzing shops & cafes.
“With a specialist gin & whisky shop, a vegan cafe, interiors boutiques and more. Market Street is packed with character and style.”
For those arriving in the morning, they recommended one of the many buzzing cafes in the town, one just down the road from a popular whisky shop.
If neither of these is to your taste, then Malton’s variety means there are a bevvy of places to satiate a visitor’s culinary needs.
