This time we have come to the idyllic village of Thornton le Dale. Charming Cottages that you've
seen in many calendars. River walks and quaint shops to keep you occupied for a few hours in
this delightful popular Yorkshire Village. Join us for a walk around, ice cream and some history.
The village is on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, three miles east of the market town of
Pickering and 26 miles from the historic medieval city of York. You can get here by bus from Leeds
or York or Whitby using the Coastliner 840 or 843 service every 30 minutes. We'll put a link
in the description for timetables. There's no station, that closed many years ago. For drivers,
there's a huge car park cleverly hidden from the village right in the centre. It looks like
you're driving away from the village but it loops back into the center. Parking costs £2 an hour,
£4.80 for over four hours and there are toilets here as well. You walk from the car park through
a short wooded path and cross the Thornton Beck that weaves its way through the village.
We pop up out at the square in the centre, where you'll find the market cross where weekly markets
were held from 1281 when King Edward I granted one. Sadly it's no longer used for markets but is the
focal centre of the village and used for Sunday band concerts at various times in the summer.
Around the square are wonderful stone cottages,
used now as tea rooms and enticing stores like the lavender shop and the chocolate factory.
On the corner of the square is The New Inn, a delightful Georgian coaching house dating back
to the 1720s with a limestone facade where you can get a pint and some food if you're hungry.
Heading up Pickering Road and opposite the village hall you will find the home of Mathewson's Classic
Car Auctions known for the popular UK TV programme "Bangers and Cash". Auctioning
classic cars and automotive memorabilia for 50 years, they now have a cult following on
television after a number of series following the family. I'm sure this programme is shown
in many other countries as well. They have a small car museum which was closed during our
Sunday visit so we were only able to browse the original auction house come shop where
you can buy all sorts of things related to the programme along with viewing a few vehicles.
Heading back to the square we cross the road at Whitby
Gate and continue our walk on Chestnut Avenue.
More pretty stone cottages have been converted to shops and Balderson's Cafe and Tea Garden
has quite a queue. I can see why, the cakes and treats on display look very enticing.
The Balderson family name can be seen on a number
of shops in this area serving the community and tourists since 1895.
We were most interested in the ice cream parlour and couldn't
resist a scoop of the New York cheesecake flavour!
Along with the shops are the pretty Alms Houses which have been renovated in recent
years. Elizabeth Lady Lumley, a local widow with no children bequeathed her estate for
the creation of the school and these Alms Houses. The charity built a row of 12 and
a grammar school that you can see at the end here. This is now a local meeting hall.
The Alms Houses are still in use and supported by Lady Lumley's Charitable Trust.
Alms Houses were set up all over the country to
support and accommodate the poor and needy in the local community.
Besides the grammar school is Brook Lane. Let's just check out a few of the cute cottages down
this road before we head to the most photographed cottage in the village.
Back on Chestnut Avenue, the Thornton Beck passes under the road heading into
the village. On the bridge is where we need to take a left for a rather stunning view.
This picture postcard cottage that attracts thousands of tourists each
year is the "Beck Isle Cottage" also known as just "The Thatched Cottage".
It is one of the most photographed homes in the country.
It was built in the 17th century with a crook frame meaning, curved timber. It's very pretty.
I'm sure many of you have seen it appear on chocolate boxes, jigsaws and calendars.
Following the path along the beck, this area is lovely for a walk,
more peaceful and away from the through traffic in the village. A nice spot for a picnic.
Take a stroll down Priestman's Lane continuing to follow the beck and see more delightful homes.
From the 13th century, the Beck was powering industry
in the village with a number of mills in the area processing wool and flour.
Standing alongside the beck, on Priestman's Lane is the mill that Squire,
GFG Hill rebuilt and enlarged in 1919 calling it "Victory Mill". In 1921 the Burgess family
moved from Kirby Fleetham and became famous for making "gold medal" plain flour. In 1963 the mill
was adapted for the manufacture of animal feed and has now been converted into office space.
Let's now head to the local church.
At the other end of Priestman's Lane on Church Hill is All Saints Church.
There has been a church on this site since Norman times;
Indeed the bowl of the font is 12th century the only reminder of that era.
A newer church was built in the 14th century with many alterations around 1681 and then again
in 1885 due to disrepair. The Archbishop of York would reconsecrate the site in a service in 1866.
Apparently in the churchyard is a memorial to Matthew Grimes, a soldier who was one
of Napoleon's guards on Saint Helena. It was a brief stop and we didn't find it.
Back at the Square, it's time to explore Malton Gate, passing as we've done for most
of this journey the Thornton Beck heading for the river Derwent a few miles away.
There are a number of shops and tea rooms on either side of the road to
explore before the road gives way to residential cottages.
This is the Hill Memorial Institute which I believe acts as the Village Hall,
built in 1897 from public subscription to commemorate John Richard Hill of
Thornton Mill the one we showed you earlier before it was renamed Victory Mill in 1919.
A few doors down is the Methodist Church,
built in 1909, able to seat 180 people, there is also an adjoining Hall at the rear for events.
What a lovely time we have had walking around this charming village we hope you visit yourselves one day. We have
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