Back Roads Great Britain (Eyewitness Travel Back Roads)

189

EAT AND DRINK IN YORK

Betty’s Café Tea Rooms inexpensive

One of a small, venerated chain of

Yorkshire tea rooms, Betty’s menu is a

unique mix of Swiss and Yorkshire food

• try Betty’s fruit cake with Wensleydale
  cheese or maybe a Gruyère rösti.
  Cooked meals and snacks all day.
  6-8 St Helen’s Square, YO1 8QP; 01904
  659 142; http://www.bettys.co.uk
  Café Concerto inexpensive
  This is an attractive, modern-European
  café-bistro, whose walls are papered
  with sheet music. Great coffee, wraps,
  salads, baguettes, club sandwiches,
  and more substantial dishes.
  21 High Petergate, YO1 7EN; 01904 610
  478; http://www.cafeconcerto.biz
  Melton’s Too inexpensive
  This is a cool café-bar-cum-bistro in a
  three-storey 17th-century building.
  Nice and informal, it serves all-day
  breakfast, sandwiches and tapas.
  25 Walmgate, YO1 9TX; 01904 629 222;
  http://www.meltonstoo.co.uk
  Melton’s moderate
  Excellent restaurant with a firm
  commitment to home-cooking and
  Yorkshire ingredients such as Whitby
  crab, Swaledale lamb and herbs.
  7 Scarcroft Rd, YO23 1ND; 01904 634
  341; http://www.meltonsrestaurant.co.uk

SHOPPING IN YORK

For beautiful soft knitwear, made from

the wool of rare-breed sheep saved

from slaughter, try Responsibly

Gorgeous (1 Peter Lane, York; 01904

675 987). The shop also sells other

ethical and fairtrade designer fashions.

2 Yorkshire Lavender
Terrington, North Yorks; YO60 6PB
This lavender farm and herb nursery
(closed Dec–Mar; http://www.yorkshirelavender.
com) grows hundreds of different
lavender varieties, creating a haze of
blue in summer on its south-facing
slopes. Admire the gardens, buy

Above left Pubs along the river Ouse, York

Above centre Yorkshire Lavender farm,

overlooking the Vale of York Above right The

magnificent stained glass of York Minster

DRIVE 18: North Yorkshire Moors & Coast

Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under £25; moderate, £25–£50; expensive, over £50

3 Castle Howard

North Yorks; YO60 7DA

Vast gardens surround this veritable

palace (open daily; http://www.castlehoward.

co.uk ) built over three centuries from

1699 by the Howard Family, who still

live here. In 1981, Castle Howard

became Brideshead for the TV series

of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited

(and again in 2007 for the film). The

sumptuous interiors and landscaped

grounds with fantastic fountains are

both open to the public. Admire the

Great Hall under the dome, wander in

the Rose Garden or Potager and visit

the striking Turquoise Drawing Room.

ª Return to the Malton Road and

continue east, passing through Malton

and sedate Old Malton; take the A169

to Pickering. Use the car park over the

roundabout in the centre of town.

plants, herbs, scented candles and

essential oils and feast on blueberry

and lavender jelly with herb scones in

the tea room.

ª Return to Terrington and take the

Malton Road, following signs to Castle

Howard (with car park).

Left Castle Howard, one of Britain’s finest

historic houses and gardens

Fairfax House 6 (open Mon–Thurs and
pm on Sun, also Fri by appt), home to a
world-class collection of furniture and
clocks. Walk down Tower St, right onto
Clifford St, then Coney St, then right
again into St Helen’s Square for yet
another York tradition – tea and cakes
in the Art-Deco Betty’s Café Tea Rooms
7. Cross Davygate and halfway up
Stonegate turn right down Coffee Yard
to Barley Hall 8 (May–Oct: open daily;
Nov–Apr:closed Mon, Tue except school
holidays), which recreates life in a 15th-
century house. Cross High Petergate
back to the Minster.
ª Take A64 north from outer ring road,
After 11km (7 miles) take the left signed
Castle Howard. Pass the monument
and branch left. Tourist signs lead
through Terrington to the farm.