Masham, which is home to the Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally and a famous sheep fair, is now the proud owner of the best pet-friendly pub in the country, the Kings Head
A quaint North Yorkshire town is known for its beer, sheep, and pet-friendly pub.
Set in lovely rolling countryside, the small market town of Masham is built around a large square and on (metaphorical) foundations of wool. For centuries, the town has thrived due to the easy access of the flocks of sheep from nearby Fountains and Jervaulx Abbeys.
Masham’s woolly heritage continues to this day in the form of a sheep fair which takes place every September and sees hundreds of the animals bought and sold.
Another big event in the town’s calendar is the Masham Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally, which takes place in mid-July. The event celebrates Britain’s industrial heritage with full-size and miniature steam engines, classic vehicles, fairground organs, heavy horse displays, and craft stalls.
The town is also famous for having not one, but two, family-owned breweries to visit. Theakstons and Black Sheep, both of which provide delicious beer to Masham’s many watering holes.
“At the very foot of Wensleydale, where the hills are rolling and the fields ripple with wheat in the summer, a church spire rises up among the trees and gives away the location of this traditional market town,” Visit North Yorkshire’s website reads.
“Surrounding the town is a landscape full of curiosities and follies, with hidden and ornate structures that have been scattered throughout the nearby Hackfall Woods or the mystical stones of the Druid’s Temple tucked into the woods by the nearby village of Ilton.”
This week the spotlight fell on Masham when Tripadvisor announced the winners of its annual Travellers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Restaurants, which celebrate the highest-rated dining destinations worldwide on the platform.
Top of the UK list and number in the world of the ‘pet-friendly’ category is The Kings Head, which serves up seasonal pub food. The Kings Head sits right on the edge of Nidderdale, close to the Yorkshire Dales, meaning it is a great spot for a pint after a walk through the hills.
It sits just a stone’s throw from the River Ure and has rooms so you can stay the night if your walk goes on a little too long or you have one too many jars. The pub also has free WiFi, disabled facilities and coach parking.
“Stopped for lunch after a local walk, had excellent food and would recommend a visit. The steak and ale pie, chicken burger and house special burger was the order for us all and there were clean plates all round. Dogs welcome with fresh water and treats on offer for them. Seating outside as well as in,” wrote on happy, pet-owning reviewer on TripAdvisor.
Another added, “Gail and Chris were also very attentive, and our dog loved the sausages they gave him.” A third wrote, “It is lovely to find such a dog—and people-friendly pub.”
Masham is a 20-minute drive from the A1, with Harrogate and Darlington only 40 minutes away. York, Leeds, Newcastle, and Teesside are just an hour away by car. The nearest train stations are Thirsk and Northallerton.