Masham, Yorkshire Dales: what to do and where to go

Visit Masham for a pleasant mooch around the market square, take a riverside stroll, and taste a pint or two fresh from the town’s two breweries.

By Helen Moat

Published: Saturday, 11 November 2023 at 18:27 PM

Your 60-second guide to Masham, a beautiful yorkshire town famous for its beer

The waters of the Ure drift slowly beneath Masham Bridge. Image: Getty

Where is Masham?

Sitting on the eastern fringe of the Yorkshire Moors National Park, Masham is just 20 minutes from the cathedral city of Ripon. Approaching from the east, the arched Masham Bridge (pictured above) delivers visitors over the meandering River Ure, then the tree-lined Avenue into the heart of the village. This is Yorkshire at its gentlest.

What to see in Masham

All life centres round the unusually large Market Place: its church, quaint school, handsome town hall and more modestly scaled individual stores and cafes.

The spire of St Mary's Church in Masham towers over the graveyard
A church was first built at Masham in the 7th century; St Mary’s church was later rebuilt in the medieval era. Image: Getty

Head first to St Mary’s Church with its Saxon Cross by the entrance. The cemetery contains fifty-eight exhumed skeletons, stumbled upon during pipe-laying work in the 1980s near the square: an Anglo-Scandinavian burial site.

Where to eat in Masham

But never fear, Masham is a friendly, ghost-less town. Inside the church, admire the colourful stain-glass windows, effigies and paintings, then retire to the Kings Head Hotel for lunch or Johnny Baghdad’s Café in the Square with its outside seating – where you can check out the historic buildings around the marketplace.

What is Masham famous for?

Masham is all about the beer. Don’t leave town without visiting Theakston Brewery, home of Old Peculiar Ale and Black Bull in Paradise. Tour the brewery and follow the brewing process from fermentation to tap. Nearby Black Sheep Brewery also offers tours with a free pint at the end.

With a belly full of ale and pie, it’s time to walk it off. Take a gentle ramble through Marfield Wetlands and along the banks of the Ure.

Where to stay in Masham

For a slice of luxury, overnight at Swinton Estate with its 17th century castle and two-hundred-acre parkland.

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