Stone cottages, a cobbled square and independent shops make this small town a charming option for a weekend escape – and fans of a much-loved TV series may recognise it.
This town is perfect for anyone hoping to enjoy a more laid-back weekend break(Image: Getty)
The Cotswolds may well be one of Britain’s most beloved countryside retreats, but its sheer popularity can make a visit feel worlds apart from the tranquil rural getaway many tourists imagine.
The area is renowned for its picturesque villages, cobbled lanes and distinctive stone cottages – but that fame comes at a price.
For anyone hoping to enjoy a more laid-back weekend break, navigating through the crowds can quickly dampen the experience.
Fortunately, you needn’t abandon that quintessentially British charm altogether. One Yorkshire destination combines stone cottages and flower-adorned window boxes with independent shops and countryside walks.
Nestled within the Yorkshire Dales, it boasts a traditional cobbled centre surrounded by stunning countryside. Its square serves as an ideal starting point, with independent shops and eateries clustered along the historic streets.
Alongside its stone cottages, flower boxes and historic pubs, there’s another reason the setting may look familiar. It serves as the primary filming location for the fictional village of Darrowby in All Creatures Great and Small.
The high street is brimming with independent shops where you can browse handmade art and jewellery, indulge in sweet treats and pick up a good book.
Grassington holds particular appeal for visitors who want their break to blend sightseeing with walking. Visitors can spend time exploring the town before venturing out into the surrounding Dales.
If Yorkshire isn’t quite to your taste, the experts at Parkdean Resorts have another destination in mind that they believe offers Cotswolds charm without the overwhelming crowds.
Rye in East Sussex is another option for visitors willing to look beyond the usual summer hotspots.
The town is filled with historic streets and striking old buildings, while independent shops and eateries make it easy to while away a leisurely day exploring without a packed itinerary.
Its location adds to the appeal. Rye offers easy access to the Sussex coastline, meaning a short break can take in both a characterful old town and a day at the beach.
Visitors can wander through the historic centre in the morning before heading to the nearby coast – a compelling choice for anyone torn between a countryside break and a seaside getaway.
The city has been highlighted by Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Restaurants for 2026, which is based on first-hand reviews from millions of travellers over the last year
One UK city is.a standout when it comes to food(Image: Getty Images)
A charming UK city with medieval streets and a towering minster is also home to the country’s best restaurants.
While the silver-spoon-holding residents of foodie capitals London, Manchester, and Edinburgh may consider themselves to live in the UK’s culinary epicentre, they’re wrong.
The newly released Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Restaurants for 2026, which is based on first-hand reviews from millions of travellers over the last year, shows there is one UK city with a far higher concentration of great eateries than anywhere else, despite having a population almost 50 times smaller than London.
The city of 200,000 had the highest-ranked restaurants of anywhere in the UK, with Brazilian joint Casa Brazilian Rodizio ranking eighth worldwide. The family-run, authentic Brazilian rodizio-style restaurant aims to “provide an unforgettable authentic taste, service and experience for an unbeatable set price!” By all accounts, it has succeeded.
“Went out for a family meal yesterday, the food was absolutely amazing, the place was astonishing. The meat tasted rich, and the buffet had so many amazing options,” wrote one of Casa Brazilian Rodizio’s reviewers among the thousands awarding it 4.9/5 stars.
Other York restaurants performed really well in the UK rankings, with Buongiorno, Enoteca By L’uva and Damastique making the top 25 in the ‘best casual dining’ list. Legacy At The Grand also found itself at number seven in a rundown of the UK’s best date-night restaurants, and Melton’s reached the same spot on the ‘best fine dining’ rundown. And finally, the family-run Turkish outfit Kapadokya 50 was named one of the UK’s best hidden gems.
York’s rise to become the country’s premier gastronomy spot is an interesting one. The medieval city has always tempted in history buffs with its minster, Jorvik Centre and Quilt Museum, and it’s long boasted of having more pubs than days of the year to drink in them, a fact that seemed suspect when I lived there a decade ago and is almost certainly not true now. But the foodie revolution that’s taken place there is a more recent and quiet phenomenon.
A new crop of young chefs has been putting the city’s food in the spotlight, in backstreets from Micklegate to The Shambles. Among the gang is Tommy Banks, one of the youngest chefs in the UK to win a Michelin star, who leads Roots York in the city centre. His cooking relies heavily on homegrown produce, farm-to-table tasting menus, and unique preservation techniques.
Another is Ahmed Abdalla, head chef at Legacy inside The Grand hotel, who creates modern British tasting menus with classic Yorkshire ingredients. And Joshua and Victoria Overington run Restaurant Mýse, a place that specialises in local Anglo-Saxon culinary heritage.
The Michelin Guide lists 16 restaurants in York and its surroundings, three with stars and a Michelin Green Star, including Roots and Mýse.
Eduardo Caetano, owner of Casa Brazilian Rodizio, opened the restaurant 11 years ago. “The philosophy of the restaurant is casa, which means home. When you come in, you come into our home. You are my guest. If the food is not good enough for me, it’s not good enough for me,” he told the Mirror.
“The offering in York is an extremely competitive market, there are loads of places to eat. I love that there are so many family businesses here. For me, York is the only place in the world that feels like home.”
In terms of places in York he loves to eat, Eduardo recommended Delrio’s Italian Restaurant. “I love going there,” he added.
It’s not just in high-end restaurants that York is excelling; its casual dining scene is also strong. Recent additions doing well locally include authentic Neapolitan pizzeria Cresci Pizzeria, which has become a citywide favourite, while the gut-busting sandwiches of Browns in Heslington remain a cheap, filling option.
This all sits against a backdrop of the Shambles Market, York’s main daily open-air market, located at Silver Street in the heart of the city. Come early November, it is joined by the Christmas Market, with Alpine chalets filling up Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square. Whether you find festive fare charming or a logistical impediment, stallholders not only bring a real buzz to the city, but plenty of gastro-delights.
You can get loaded on artisanal hot cocoa, locally made gin, scratchings, high-end crumble and much more.
Similarly, the long-term culinary heritage of York is evident in its fantastic pubs, many of which also serve up delicious food. The House of Trembling Madness is a wonderfully wonky pub that pairs cheese boards and yards of ale, while Valhalla York on Patrick Pool is a Viking-themed ale house serving hearty meat and cheese boards alongside local mead and ales.
The success of York as a food city is no accident. The city has actively invested in growing this reputation through events such as York Restaurant Week, now one of the UK’s biggest events of its kind since its 2019 launch, with the most recent edition doubling to two weeks and featuring over 100 participating venues. The previous October’s event saw over 22,000 vouchers downloaded, bringing in nearly £400,000 for local businesses, a 70% jump from the year before.
