Explore a magical market town (From Gazette & Herald)

Explore a magical market town

THE recent glorious summer weather does occasionally leave us all wilting a little.

One undoubted advantage of the sunshine is that everywhere looks at its best, and North Yorkshire's more attractive towns, such as Easingwold, look even better.

Easingwold is a town which has both size and looks in its favour. Casual visitors will enjoy the cobbled square and fine Georgian buildings. At the same time, it has remained an attractive and small market town while being big enough to cater for everyone's needs, whether they are looking for stylish menswear, or experts in DIY. Specialist services range from a veterinary surgeon to a children's nursery.

Most local people feel that there's no need to travel to, for example, Clifton Moor or Monks Cross because there is plenty of choice in Easingwold, and neither will they be paying over the odds on their own doorstep.

As a market town, Easingwold can offer the best in the original version of one-stop shopping. Friday's market day helps to draw visitors' attention to the good variety of shops in the town and there is ample parking space.

The town has a high catchment area for shoppers. It regularly attracts visitors along the A19 from both York and Northallerton, and even Darlington, slightly farther afield, has its fair share of residents who make an occasional trip across to Easingwold.

If you have only driven through the town, the chances are that you will not appreciate its true qualities as its real charms, including the Market Square, lie off the main road waiting to be explored.

In the early 1990s, a bypass was constructed at Easingwold, making for a frustrating few months for motorists who found themselves faced with temporary traffic lights at either end of the town.

The upshot of the work was five minutes off the journey time for anyone driving from one side of the town to the other. More importantly, Easingwold itself became a less congested, more pleasant place for shoppers to visit.

Updated: 11:40 Wednesday, July 23, 2003