Garton-on-the-Wolds

Garton-on-the-Wolds is a genuinely small village, so formal hotel accommodation right on the doorstep is limited - most visitors base themselves either in a village B&B or farmhouse, or in Driffield, just two miles away, which has a wider choice of traditional inns and guesthouses serving both business travellers and Wolds Way walkers. Driffield's compact market-town centre makes it an easy, well-connected base, with road and rail links onward to Hull, York, Beverley and the coast.

For a broader range of hotels, the East Yorkshire coast is close enough to combine easily with a Wolds trip: Bridlington and Filey are both under half an hour's drive from Garton and offer everything from budget seaside guesthouses to larger hotels with sea views, making them a practical option if you want beach time alongside the countryside. York, around 40 minutes away, is the obvious choice for a wider selection still, from boutique townhouse hotels to major chains, and works well as a base if the Wolds are just one stop on a longer East Yorkshire itinerary. Wherever you stay, Garton's position just off the A166 means it's rarely more than a short, scenic drive away.

Garton is a village to slow down in. Its single outstanding attraction is remarkable enough to justify the detour alone, and the surrounding Wolds offer some of the best quiet walking and cycling in East Yorkshire.

• St Michael and All Angels Church — A plain Norman exterior gives no hint of what's inside: every wall and ceiling of this Grade I listed church is covered in vivid biblical murals, from the Creation to the Last Judgement, painted in 1865 by the celebrated decorative artists Clayton and Bell under the direction of Sir Tatton Sykes of nearby Sledmere House and architect George Edmund Street. Painstakingly restored between 1987 and 1995 after decades of decay, it's one of the most complete schemes of Victorian church painting anywhere in the country.
• Yorkshire Wolds Way — The 79-mile national trail runs across the high Wolds within easy reach of the village, threading through chalk dry valleys, wheat fields and small flint villages between Hessle and Filey. Short circular walks from Garton link onto the route for a taste of the wider trail without committing to the whole thing.
• Sledmere House and Gardens — Home to the Sykes family for over 250 years, this Grade I listed stately home a few miles north of Garton has an octagonal walled garden, parkland, a farm shop and a café, plus the very same family connection responsible for Garton's painted church.
• Driffield — Known as the "Capital of the Wolds," this handsome market town two miles away has a Thursday and Saturday market, independent shops, and useful road and rail links for exploring the wider East Riding.
• Garton Hill and the Sledmere Monument — A 120-foot memorial tower to Sir Tatton Sykes, built in 1865, stands on high ground a short drive north-east and makes a good target for a longer walk with views back across the Wolds.
• Kirkham Priory — The ruined medieval priory that once held the gift of Garton's church sits in a beautiful spot beside the River Derwent, roughly half an hour's drive to the west, and is well worth combining with a day exploring the Wolds' religious history.

The Venture Inn on Main Street is the village's own pub, a traditional local serving the community and passing walkers and cyclists. For a wider choice, Driffield has a good spread of pubs, cafés and restaurants around its market square, while Sledmere House's Coach House Café, a short drive north, serves locally sourced food in a handsome estate setting and is a popular stop for visitors touring the Wolds. Farm shops are a strength of this part of Yorkshire, with Sledmere's own farm shop among the best places nearby to pick up local produce, meat and baked goods.

Camping in and around Garton-on-the-Wolds means genuine Yorkshire Wolds countryside: rolling chalk hills, big skies, and a landscape that's quiet even in peak season. There's a small campsite in the heart of the village itself, offering a tranquil base with views over the surrounding farmland and Driffield just a couple of miles away, and further options are scattered through nearby Wolds villages, including sites with separate adult-only and family fields for those who want a bit more peace. As with wild camping anywhere in England, pitching up without the landowner's permission on the open Wolds is not legal, however tempting the empty hillsides look - stick to a licensed campsite or arrange permission directly with a farmer in advance.

The terrain here is gentler than the Yorkshire Dales or North York Moors, but it isn't flat: expect chalk dry valleys, exposed ridge tops and a fair bit of up and down if you're walking or cycling in from a pitch, particularly if you're linking into the Yorkshire Wolds Way. Ground can be firm and free-draining even after rain thanks to the chalk geology, which makes this a reasonably reliable part of the country for camping outside the height of summer, though the open, hedge-sparse fields do mean more exposure to wind than in a sheltered valley campsite. Late spring through early autumn is the best window, when long days suit the walking and cycling this area is made for and the surrounding fields are at their most colourful, from rapeseed yellow in May to golden stubble after harvest.

For those who'd rather skip the tent, glamping has taken off across the Wolds in recent years, with pods, shepherd's huts and even hot-tub cabins available within a short drive of Garton, some handily placed for exploring both the Wolds villages and the East Yorkshire coast around Bridlington. It's a good way to get the same sense of space and quiet that makes this landscape special, without needing your own kit or a forecast you can rely on.