3-star hotels in Bedale

Bedale is a working small town, not a resort. The market place has run since a charter of 1251 and fills with food and household stalls on Tuesdays, and the cobbled slope up to the market cross gives the centre its shape. The rest of the week there is a butcher, a bakery, a chemist, a Co-op and a handful of pubs; the Old Black Swan on Emgate is busy at nine in the evening while the square is empty. Kitchens stop between 8pm and 8.30pm, so eat early or drive the seven miles east to Northallerton. Bedale Hall, at the top of the market place beside St Gregory's church, holds the museum and opens weekdays, with a public park and the beck behind it.

These hotels sit in two rings. Waggon & Horses, The Green Dragon at Bedale by OYO and Three Coopers are on the market place and Emgate, right in the centre. The Reubens and The Corner House Hotel are at Leeming Bar, about two miles east, and Greyhound Inn is at Hackforth to the north; The Castle Arms Inn, The Garden Rooms, Pheasant, Exelby Green Dragon, The Dower House Cottage, Summer Farm Cottage, King's Cottage and Osprey Meadow Holiday Cottages are in the surrounding villages. The mix suits couples on a short break, families who want space and parking, and business travellers passing on the A1.

Getting there and around

Two miles east of Bedale is the terminus of the heritage line towards Leyburn; diesel and occasional steam services run on selected days in season and hardly at all in winter, so check dates before planning around it. A return takes most of the afternoon with a stop at Bedale's own restored station on Aiskew Bank. The Wensleydale Railway also runs from Leeming Bar on its running days. Northallerton is seven miles east and has more choice for eating when Bedale's kitchens have stopped between 8pm and 8.30pm. On Tuesday morning the market place cannot be used for parking, so use the Bedale Hall car park behind the church and walk down.

When to go

Tuesday is market day, running since 1251, setting up mid-morning and packing away mid-afternoon; it is a genuine food and household market rather than a tourist craft fair, which is why it is worth catching. The Wensleydale Railway runs on selected days in season and hardly at all in winter. The corn mill at Crakehall opens on selected afternoons in summer only, and Bedale Hall's museum keeps weekday opening hours. If your trip depends on any of these, check dates first.