A visitor to a town situated just a little over two hours away from Manchester has described it as the ‘surprisingly perfect’ spot for tourists.
Pateley Bridge, near Ripon in North Yorkshire, is just a two-hour drive away from Manchester or a three-hour train ride from Manchester Victoria station. Amongst its highlights include a sweet shop dating back to 1827, a museum once praised by National Heritage for ‘doing the most with the least’, and a ‘secret’ area of cafes.
The town, which has a population of 2,210, is also known for being home of the ‘country’s best hot chocolate’, but also the famed Pateley pasty – a type of minced beef and vegetable delight that is ‘like a Cornish pastry but better’, according to one local butcher.
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Not only that, but the town forms part of the route of the annual Knaresborough Tractor Run – an event held in March to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The 2024 event saw more than 400 tractors take part.
YorkshireLive reporter Samantha Teasdale recently visited the town, and described it as having ‘everything imaginable’. She said ‘it is suited to everyone’s needs and has a lot of friendly faces – what more could you want?’.
High Street in Pateley Bridge is home to a number of shops, bars, restaurants and tea rooms -Credit:Alan Murray-Rust / geograph.org.uk
Here’s what Samantha found in Pateley Bridge – and what she would recommend if you are to give it a visit.
The first thing that makes Pateley Bridge perfect is the parking. You can park in either long or short stay car parks for very little charge for a generous length of time.
There are plenty of spaces at either car park, as well as right next to the high street. This is perfect, because you can pop back any time to put your shopping in the car and go to another shop, attraction or restaurant.
There was no need for Google Maps as the businesses were set across each other on the side of the road and everything was easy to spot due to plenty of signage.
The town’s famous Pateley pasty – hailed by some to be better than a Cornish pasty -Credit:YorkshireLive
For those looking for fun things to do, you can visit The Oldest Sweet Shop which you could spend a fortune in, try the ‘country’s best hot chocolate’ at Cocoa Joes, visit the Nidderdale Museum and have a look in The Tordoff gallery that has movie posters ranging from £50 to £170,000.
This amazing gallery is the only one outside London that sells authentic posters from films – no wonder the owners were laughing when we asked about insurance being high and how many fire extinguishers were placed around the room.
The ‘Secret area’ of Pateley Bridge -Credit:YorkshireLive
Further down the hill, there were a range of different takeaways such as a fish and chip shop and pancake house. There was also a ‘secret area’ of more shops and more places to eat with seating areas surrounded by beautiful historic buildings.
Another thing that is great about Pateley Bridge, is that everything is local and it is celebrated. The Crown Inn use their own butchers for burgers and other produce and I found it be the same everywhere else. The butchers also celebrate their own items and designed a Pateley pasty that competes with a Cornish pasty.
Hundreds of tractors make their way through Pateley Bridge each March as part of the Knaresborough Tractor Run -Credit:PA
It really is a place where you can visit in all weathers as it has everything you could possibly need. I cannot say a bad thing about the beautiful North Yorkshire village as there were no litter on the streets, everyone was friendly and we were able to get a full day of fun before heading back home.
The next we will come will be during the summer, so we can tick off things that we did not get to do!