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Things to do in Helmsley North Yorkshire

If you’re staying at the Lazy T and wondering about things to do in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, you’re in exactly the right place. Helmsley is our nearest market town – the place we nip to for coffee, a swim, a pub supper or picnic supplies – and it’s where most guests end up spending at least one slow, happy day.

Set on the edge of the North York Moors, Helmsley is small, walkable and full of good food, characterful pubs and proper Yorkshire shops. Cobblestones, castle, deli, lido, great restaurants. It’s very easy to fall for.

This guide gives you an overview of the best things to do in Helmsley, North Yorkshire: where to eat and drink, where to swim, where to walk and where to pick up treats to enjoy back at your cabin at the Lazy T.

Helmsley Market

Fresh Produce

Ryeburn Ice Cream

Fine food

An introduction to Helmsley

Helmsley is a working market town in North Yorkshire, not a stage set. The Market Place is ringed with stone buildings, independent shops and cafés, and still hosts regular markets on a Friday and events throughout the year. On one side, you’ll see the ruins of Helmsley Castle watching over the town; on another, lanes leading out towards Duncombe Park and the moors.

Just beyond the centre sits Helmsley Walled Garden – five acres of restored kitchen garden beneath the castle, now a calm mix of flower borders, orchards and glasshouses with the Vine House Café tucked inside.

From the Lazy T, Helmsley is close enough to feel like an extension of home: you drive in once, park up, and then do everything on foot.

Food and drink in Helmsley: pubs, cafés and breweries

Helmsley Brewing Company - Things to do in Helmsley

The Brew Tap – Helmsley Brewing Co.

If you like beer, start at The Brew Tap – Helmsley Brewing Co. This tiny brewery taproom sits just off the Market Place and brews its own beers on site.

Fresh draught beer, often the cheapest pint in town
Tasting flights so you can try a few styles
Takeaway bottles to bring back to the Lazy T

They don’t serve food, but they’re relaxed about you bringing your own in – classic Helmsley move is to grab Scotts fish and chips and take it to the Brew Tap for a pint and a chat. It’s dog friendly, informal and feels as local as it gets.

Things to do in Helmsley The Feathers Pub

The Feathers – traditional pub with Mousey Thompson carpentry

For a classic pub in Helmsley, head to The Feathers on the square. Think open fires, stone floors and beautiful carpentry by legendary local craftsman Mousey Thompson – he carved tiny mice into his work, so you can make a quiet game of seeing how many you can spot while you wait for your food.

Hearty pub fare with a Yorkshire tilt
Multiple vegan options
The famous “pudwich”: slices of roast beef served between two Yorkshire puddings, where the puddings are the bread

Dogs are generally welcome in the bar areas, and it’s a good choice if you’ve just rolled in from a long walk and want something substantial.

Things to do in Helmsley - The Black Sawn Hotel

The Black Swan – walk-in friendly and relaxed

A few doors along, The Black Swan has a similar “proper inn” feel: beams, fires and solid cooking. The building itself goes back to the 15th century and stitches together Tudor, Elizabethan and Georgian wings, so it’s all low ceilings, crooked staircases and snug corners – exactly what you want from a historic pub in Helmsley. Once a key stop on the old stagecoach route between Leeds and York, it still has that “arrive tired, leave restored” atmosphere.

These days, you can drop in for a pint by the fire, a comforting plate of pub food . This is often where we suggest guests try first for dinner when they’re choosing between pubs and restaurants near Helmsley.

Restaurants near Helmsley: pizza, fish and family favourites

La Trattoria – Italian restaurant in Helmsley

For something a touch more continental, La Trattoria brings a bit of Italy to Helmsley. Set on the Market Place, it’s an Italian bistro and pizzeria with a lively, buzzy feel, serving pizza, pasta and Mediterranean dishes from brunch through to dinner.

Inside you’ll find a contemporary cocktail bar and relaxed dining room rolled into one – the kind of Italian restaurant where you can just as easily pop in for a quick coffee and a slice of freshly baked focaccia as you can settle in for a long evening. There are dedicated brunch, lunch and dinner menus, plus cicchetti (Venetian-style small plates) if you’d rather share a few dishes with a bottle of wine. The cooking leans on good ingredients and authentic Italian flavours.

Coopers – family-run restaurant with local ingredients

Tucked away from the main square, Coopers is the sort of place you recommend to people you like. It’s family run and serves traditional restaurant fare done properly: think beautifully sourced local beef, seasonal fish dishes (often from Whitby) and carefully put-together plates rather than fussy food.

The head chef – also mum to the next generation – is serious about ingredients, which you can taste in the detail rather than flashy presentation. It’s a good bet for a slower, sit-down evening.

Things to do in Helmsley - eat at Scotts Fish and Chip restaurant

Scotts Fish and Chips – for takeaway or eat-in

Sometimes the best thing to do in Helmsley is very simple: Scotts fish and chips. You can eat in, but many people grab a takeaway and either wander to the square or back to the Brew Tap. Crisp batter, proper chips, very little ceremony.

Scotts is more than just a chippy, though – it’s an award-winning fish and chip restaurant in Helmsley, run by owner Tony Webster and a well-trained local team. The shop has been refurbished and re-branded in recent years, and now has around 75 covers inside. They’ve earned the National Federation of Fish Friers’ Quality Award and offer a separate menu for common allergies and intolerances, so most guests can find something that works for them.

Feversham Arms & Verbena Spa places to visit in Helmsley North Yorkshire

Feversham Arms and Verbena Spa

If you fancy something softer and more spa-like, the Feversham Arms and Verbena Spa sits just off the main square and brings a touch of “Costa del Yorkshire” energy on a sunny day. You don’t need to book a full spa day to enjoy it: you can simply go for a glass of fizz or a cocktail by the pool and soak up the holiday atmosphere.

This hotel and spa has a long history as a coaching inn, later rebuilt by the Earl of Feversham and gradually transformed into today’s hideaway. Inside you’ll find lounges with deep sofas, low lighting and that “somewhere to retreat” feel – more sanctuary than showy country house. It’s a lovely way to end a Helmsley day before heading back to the quiet of the valley.

Cafés and coffee shops in Helmsley

Mannion & Co – bistro dining and serious coffee

For many of our guests, Mannion and Co is the answer to “best coffee shops in Helmsley”. This daytime bistro-style eatery has a cosy, cottage-meets-coffee-house feel inside, a little courtyard for warm days, and an ever-changing specials board that puts a lot of bigger-city cafés to shame.

– Hand-roasted coffee that’s arguably the best in town

– Superb home-baked cakes and patisserie

– A daily chalked-up menu of light lunches and hearty plates

– Vegetarian and vegan options

Auntie Anne’s Bakery – sausage rolls & curd tart

If you want something more traditional, Auntie Anne’s Bakery is as old-school as it sounds. This is where you go for:

Still-warm sausage rolls
A proper curd tart – a very local speciality, sitting somewhere between a crumbly cheesecake and a custard tart

It’s simple, honest and very Helmsley.

The Vinehouse Cafe Helmsley North Yorkshire

Vine House Café – garden views at Helmsley Walled Garden

Inside Helmsley Walled Garden, the Vine House Café is very much a destination in its own right. The old Victorian glasshouses have been turned into a light-filled, slightly quirky space with tables tucked among vines and vintage furniture, plus a big outdoor terrace that looks straight onto the borders and up to Helmsley Castle.

The café is independent and family-run by a sister-and-brother team, with a strong “cook from scratch” ethos. Menus change with the seasons, but you can expect fresh, home-cooked dishes rather than generic café fare – frittatas, melts and flatbreads piled with salads in summer, then stews, pies and soup when the weather turns.

Helmsley open air swimming pool

Things to do in Helmsley - Go Swimming in Helmsley outdoor pool

On warmer days, one of the most joyful things to do in Helmsley is to go for a swim at Helmsley open air swimming pool. This 25-metre heated open-air pool is community-run, usually heated to a very comfortable temperature and set just outside the town centre with countryside views.

Book sessions online (they often sell out on sunny days)
Turn up with a towel and a costume
Swim under big Yorkshire skies while swallows skim the surface

It doesn’t feel like a standard leisure centre swim – more like a little lido that the locals happen to share with visitors who’ve done their research.

Shops in Helmsley town centre, delis and sweet treats

Things to do in Helmsley Visit Hunters of Helmsley

Hunters of Helmsley – deli and picnic heaven

For picnic supplies, treats and “picky bits” to take back to your cabin, Hunters of Helmsley is non-negotiable. This award-winning deli lines its counters with:

A serious cheese selection
Home-cooked cold meats and salads
Deep-filled pies and pasties
Homemade cakes
Generously filled made-to-order sandwiches – the roast beef and horseradish (using medium-rare topside from the owner’s family farm) is a favourite

Upstairs feels like an Aladdin’s cave of gifts and treats. It’s also where we can source hampers for Lazy T guests upon request.

Ryeburn of Helmsley – ice cream made in town

Next on the “don’t miss” list: Ryeburn of Helmsley, an ice-cream shop run by the same local family for generations. The Otterburns started as dairy farmers, then diversified into ice cream, and they still make everything on site.

You’ll find:

Multi-award-winning flavours
Classics alongside more unusual scoops – liquorice and fruits of the forest get a lot of love here

The Baker’s House Helmsley

The Baker’s house in Helmsley is one for people who plan ahead. Emma bakes all week and then opens just three mornings – usually 10am–1pm, Thursday to Saturday. Everything that comes out of the kitchen is ridiculously good, from pastries to loaves, so it’s worth timing a visit if you’re in town on the right day. Step inside and you’ll see why people queue down Borogate for this little bakery in Helmsley. The long wooden table in the middle of the shop is usually covered in loaves and pastries: crackling sourdough, tins of seeded rye, and rustic breads made with older grains like spelt and emmer. Many of the flours are organic and milled locally, and Emma is unapologetically fussy about her ingredients – Yorkshire butter, good eggs, fair-trade sugar and produce from small suppliers wherever she can.

Helmsley Traditional sweet shop and other independents

For your inner child, Helmsley Traditional Sweet Shop is hard to beat. Tucked just off the square, it’s a proper traditional sweet shop in Helmsley: rows of big glass jars, a shopkeeper with a scoop, and paper bags rustling as you choose “a quarter” (or a bit more). The owners grew up in York with family working at Rowntrees, Terry’s and Cravens, and you can feel that history in the way they talk about their stock. They’ve tracked down long-standing makers from across Yorkshire, so favourites like Yorkshire Mix still taste the way people remember.

Things to do around Helmsley - Visit Bedlam Grange farm shop

Beadlam Grange

If you’re really into a good barbecue, it’s worth driving a few miles out to Beadlam Grange Farm Shop on the far side of Helmsley for an excellent meat counter and their own beef. This is a proper farm shop near Helmsley, run by the Rooke family, with a state-of-the-art butchery, deli and food hall built into old stone farm buildings. They rear their own Limousin cattle on the farm, so the steaks, burgers and roasting joints are genuinely “farm to fork” – 100% traceable, lean and full of flavour.

As well as the butchery, there’s a two-storey bistro, dog-friendly seating in the covered fold yard and a small play area for toddlers, so it works just as well for lunch out as it does for stocking up.

Walks, castles and heritage near Helmsley

Food aside, there’s plenty more to do when you head into Helmsley, England.

Helmsley Castle – explore the ruins, climb the earthworks and take in the town from above.
Helmsley Walled Garden – wander the five acres of borders, orchards and glasshouses, then pause at the Vine House Café.
National Centre for Birds of Prey at Duncombe Park – watch eagles, owls and falcons fly against a backdrop of ancient parkland.
Rievaulx Abbey – a short drive or a fine walk out of town, this ruined Cistercian abbey sits in a quiet valley and rewards slow exploring.

If you’re looking for things to do near Helmsley that connect everything together, the walk between Helmsley and Rievaulx Abbey along part of the Cleveland Way is a classic.

Planning a trip to Helmsley?

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FAQs

Frequently asked questions

What are the best things to do in Helmsley, North Yorkshire?

Some of the best things to do in Helmsley, North Yorkshire include exploring Helmsley Castle and the Walled Garden, visiting the National Centre for Birds of Prey at Duncombe Park, swimming at Helmsley open air pool, wandering the independent shops in Helmsley town centre and taking a walk or short drive out to Rievaulx Abbey.

Are there dog friendly pubs in Helmsley?

Yes. Several dog friendly pubs in Helmsley welcome muddy paws in the bar or garden, including long-established inns such as the Feathers Hotel and the Royal Oak, which pride themselves on warm, relaxed atmospheres for walkers and their dogs. It’s always worth checking the latest policies, but Helmsley as a whole is very used to walkers with four-legged companions.

Where can I find cafés and coffee shops in Helmsley for afternoon tea?

You’ll find a good mix of cafés in Helmsley and coffee shops in Helmsley, from traditional tearooms on the Market Place to the Vine House Café at Helmsley Walled Garden, which serves freshly baked scones, homemade cakes and a range of speciality teas and coffee with views of the garden and castle

What shops and clothes shops are there in Helmsley?

Helmsley has a mix of everyday shops and more characterful independents. In addition to the small Helmsley supermarket and Morrison’s Daily, there is a Co-op, a local butcher’s and the excellent Hunters of Helmsley Deli. The market square and side streets host clothes shops, gift and homeware boutiques, galleries, and regular market stalls, all set around the historic town centre.

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