March 2026. Malton. North Yorkshire.
Before I cross over the picturesque Derwent to my second pub,
I must reflect on Malton’s astonishing pub scene.
Ignore those grey Ps (unless in Wolverhampton); I make that fifteen (15) pubs for 4,888 people in a town mostly famous for cafes and bistros and hidden food courts.
Let’s explore Malton, where even the charity dog wears a flat cap.
It feels much bigger than 4,888 suggests, more Newmarket than Waterbeach.
Malton might be the only town other than Newmarket where you can call a pub “Filly & Flagon”.
There’s a very “trad North Yorkshire” collection of pubs,
particularly around the market place (ruined by its car park).
The gorgeous but basic Golden Lion has clearly lost trade to newer smarter bars like the Brass Castle Tap, OMNI and an Ossett pizzeria.
I’m not quite sure what tourists do here apart from eat, drink, and try to identify the artworks.
Two pubs with historic interiors, the Spotted Cow by the livestock market,
and the classic multi-roomed Blue Ball.
Something for everyone, probably, though I failed spectacularly in my attempt to find a local pie and ended up buying a chilled meal deal from Sainsbury’s. Big mistake, huge.
retiredmartin 
🍻
Almost every Market Square ruined with parking innit? 🙄
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Yes, and it seems to be a particular curse of North Yorkshire market towns like Thirsk and Ripon. No such problem in Cambridgeshire.
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Erm. Have photos of Thirsk “Market Square” / car park.
See also Devizes, Marlborough, Moffat and so on ad infinitum. Ok a couple of these might be High Streets rather than Market Squares.
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Oh yes, Devizes. Sort of forgave it after that night in the Dolphin.
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If you include Norton as well as Malton the population is 12,275.
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That’s almost word for word the opening line to my next blog, Jon !
They feel very different places, Norton has its own shops and pubs, though I expect a lot of Norton folk use Malton but rarely vice versa.
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It seems odd that the railway station is called Malton although it is located in Norton.
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Yes, I remember a visit to Malton too, the self-proclaimed Yorkshire Capital Of Food.
Why, exactly, is this?
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Not sure. Masham used to have a claim to such a title. It has a superb butcher that sells excellent pies and sausages and until a few years ago an excellent grocery, Reah’s, that sold Yorkshire delicacies like fat rascals and curd pies plus wonderful local cheese. Now about to be replaced by a “Victorian grocery” with staff in period gear to appeal to the tourists. 😱
I once had lovely pheasant in juniper gravy (none of your jus) in the Bay Horse, just down from Reah’s. Fond memories.
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Interesting comparison between Malton and Newmarket, with the former being a major centre for the training of racehorses, though obviously not a patch on the latter, which is huge. Nevertheless, surely racehorse owners must visit their stables from time to time, and presumably they will stay nearby and have the occasional meal or drink?
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