Malton

Malton sits on the north bank of the River Derwent in North Yorkshire, with its sister town of Norton-on-Derwent facing it across the water. Built on the site of a Roman fort, the town's cobbled market place and Georgian frontages still trace the old street pattern, and its position roughly halfway between York and the coast has made it a natural stopping point for centuries. Today Malton is best known for something rather more modern: food. In 2011 the Italian chef and food writer Antonio Carluccio visited, tasted his way around the town's butchers, bakers and producers, and declared it "Yorkshire's food capital" — a title Malton has worn proudly ever since.

The town is compact and walkable, its market place ringed by independent shops, cafés and pubs rather than chain stores, and it makes an easy base for exploring the Howardian Hills and the southern edge of the North York Moors. The Derwent runs quietly along the town's edge, popular with anglers and walkers, while the surrounding farmland and the wooded Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty give Malton a genuinely rural, unhurried feel despite its useful location on the York to Scarborough railway line.

Top things to do in Malton

Malton rewards a slow visit. Beyond its food credentials, there's Roman and wartime history, a grand stately home on the doorstep, and plenty of green space along the river.

• Malton Monthly Food Market — held on the second Saturday of every month in the Market Place, with more than 35 specialist food and drink producers, chef demonstrations and live music.
• Malton Museum — a small archaeological museum on Yorkersgate housing Roman finds unearthed locally, a reminder that Malton began life as a Roman fort and civilian settlement.
• Eden Camp Modern History Museum — a former Second World War prisoner-of-war camp just outside town, now a museum with more than 30 huts covering the Blitz, rationing, the Home Guard and wartime life on the home front.
• Castle Howard — the vast Baroque stately home designed by Vanbrugh, around seven miles west of Malton, famous as the setting for Brideshead Revisited and set in sweeping gardens and parkland open all year.
• Malton Cookery School — classes covering game, seafood, baking and Yorkshire produce, run from the heart of the food-capital town it calls home.
• The Food Lovers Festival — a three-day celebration each May of everything Malton does best, drawing producers and visitors from across Yorkshire and beyond.
• Riverside walks along the Derwent — gentle, well-used paths along the river between Malton and Norton, good for a stretch of the legs after lunch in town.

Getting to Malton

Malton railway station sits just south of the Derwent, technically in Norton, and is served by the York to Scarborough line, putting York around 30 minutes away and Scarborough beyond it on the coast. By road, Malton is just off the A64, the main route between York and Scarborough, roughly 18 miles northeast of York and around 40 minutes' drive from York city centre. Leeds Bradford Airport is the nearest major airport, about an hour and a half away by car, with York providing the easiest rail connections onward to the rest of the country.

Best time to visit Malton

Malton is a genuine year-round destination, but timing a visit around its food calendar pays off: the Food Lovers Festival in May and the monthly food markets on the second Saturday of each month are when the town is at its busiest and best. Summer brings warm weather for walking along the Derwent and visiting Castle Howard's gardens, while a crisp autumn day suits the harvest food festival in September. Winter is quieter, with cosy pubs and restaurants coming into their own, though some attractions, including Eden Camp, run reduced hours or close outside the April to October season, so it's worth checking opening times before travelling.

Where to stay in Malton

Malton's compact centre has a handful of independent inns and B&Bs within walking distance of the market place, ideal for a food-focused weekend without needing a car once you've arrived. Just outside town, farmhouses and converted barns across the Howardian Hills and the Vale of Pickering offer a quieter, more rural base, often with views towards Castle Howard or the moors. For families or groups, self-catering cottages in the surrounding villages give more space and flexibility, while the countryside around Malton also has a growing number of glamping sites for those who want to combine the town's food scene with a night or two under canvas.

Food and drink in Malton

This is, after all, Yorkshire's Food Capital, and Malton backs up the claim. The town is home to Florian, chef Andrew Pern's Talbot Yard-based restaurant, alongside other independent producers clustered in the same Talbot Yard Food Court, including Roost Coffee, Bluebird Bakery, Groovy Moo ice cream and Rare Bird Distillers. The Wednesday and Saturday street markets bring farm produce, cheese and baked goods into the Market Place, while pubs such as The New Malton and The Wentworth Arms serve food built on the same local ingredients the town is known for. For something to take home, Yorkshire-made cheeses, charcuterie and baked goods from Malton's specialist shops make the trip worthwhile on their own.