Naburn

Naburn is a small village of around 500 people on the eastern bank of the River Ouse, about four miles south of York city centre. It has stayed remarkably rural for somewhere so close to a major city, with farmland running down to the riverbank and the tower of St Matthew's church visible for miles across the flat Vale of York landscape.

For centuries the village was almost entirely owned by the Palmes family, whose hall still sits at its heart, and its fortunes were long tied to the river trade passing through Naburn Lock. That maritime history is still the reason most visitors come today, along with the old railway line that once ran through the village and is now a peaceful path for walkers and cyclists.

Top things to do near Naburn

Naburn rewards a slow pace. Most attractions are outdoors, following the river or the old rail line, which suits families, cyclists and anyone after a proper lungful of Yorkshire air.

• Naburn Lock — Built in 1757 and enlarged in 1888 (the new lock was opened by Prince Albert Victor, Queen Victoria's grandson), this marks the divide between the tidal and non-tidal Ouse. The lock island has a banqueting hall, old navigation offices, a sensory garden and riverside benches, and is free to visit with parking on site.
• River Ouse towpath — The riverbank at Naburn is a good stretch for a walk or a paddle, with views over to the opposite bank and plenty of birdlife. The stretch around the lock is home to the rare tansy beetle, found almost nowhere else in the country outside the Ouse and the East Anglian fens.
• The Trans Pennine Trail / old railway path — Naburn once had its own railway station on the line from York to Selby, closed in 1983 when the Selby Diversion opened. The old trackbed is now part of the Trans Pennine Trail (Sustrans Route 65), a flat, traffic-free route for walking and cycling that runs north into York and south towards Selby.
• York city centre — With the Minster, the Shambles and the city walls, York is only a few miles away and an easy cycle or short drive from Naburn, making the village a quieter alternative base for exploring it.
• Naburn village and St Matthew's Church — A short wander around the village takes in the parish church and Naburn Hall, plus the general feel of a working Yorkshire village that has kept its identity despite York's growth.

Getting to Naburn

Naburn sits just off the A19 south of York, making it a short and straightforward drive from the city or from the A64/A1(M). There is no railway station in the village itself since the line closed in 1983, so the nearest mainline station is York, about four miles away, from where a taxi or a ride along the old railway path on a bike will get you to Naburn easily. Local bus services also run between York and villages south along the Ouse.

Best time to visit Naburn

Late spring through to early autumn is the best window, when the towpaths are dry, the lock gardens are in bloom and days are long enough for a proper walk or cycle ride combined with time by the river. Summer weekends bring more visitors to the lock and the Trans Pennine Trail, so a weekday visit or an early start gives a quieter experience. Winter can be atmospheric but the riverside paths are often muddy and the Ouse is prone to flooding after heavy rain, so it is worth checking river levels before setting off.

Where to stay near Naburn

Naburn itself has very little in the way of formal accommodation, so most visitors base themselves in York, a short drive or cycle away, where the full range of hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs is available. For a quieter option closer to the village, small self-catering cottages and B&Bs can be found scattered through the surrounding Vale of York villages such as Acaster Malbis and Stillingfleet.

Food and drink near Naburn

The Blacksmiths Arms on Main Street is the village pub, a riverside spot popular with walkers and cyclists off the Trans Pennine Trail, serving pub food, Sunday carvery and cask ales, with a beer garden looking towards the Ouse. Beyond the pub, options in Naburn itself are limited, so most visitors combine a stop here with a wider trip into York, which is only a few minutes away by car and has a far broader choice of cafes and restaurants.