Situated on the banks of the River Rye, Helmsley is one of Yorkshire’s most popular market towns, offering a range of quality shops, cafes and hostelries, together with a busy market on Fridays. Buildings of mixed architectural styles surround a substantial market square, a simple market cross and Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s gothic memorial to the second Earl of Feversham.

Surrounded by spectacular earthworks, Helmsley Castle overlooks the town, and its story can now be traced at the new state-of-the-art visitor centre.

Set against the backdrop of the Castle, Helmsley Walled Garden, built in 1756, is home to 120 different varieties of Clematis, a large collection of Yorkshire apples and an elaborate orchid house.

A short walk from Helmsley to Rievaulx passes through one of Ryedale’s National Nature Reserves at Duncombe Park. Founded in 1132, Rievaulx Abbey gained a reputation as the most important Cistercian abbey in Britain.