Selby Voyage Tips and guide

This article is about the town in England. For the town in South Dakota, see Selby (South Dakota)

Selby is a market town in North Yorkshire 14 miles south of York, with a population in 2024 of 20,000. Its main attraction is the abbey, with a stained glass window depicting the original "Stars and Stripes".

Selby is on the tidal River Ouse, navigable by small craft up to York. It's the likely birthplace of Henry I (1068-1135), fourth son of William the Conqueror, and the reason for royal endowment of the abbey. As late as 1998 Selby had a ship-building industry: the replacement Greenpeace boat Rainbow Warrior was built here as a fishing boat in 1957. In the 1970s and 80s the town was the centre of a productive coalfield, feeding the power stations at Drax, Eggborough and Ferrybridge. These industries have gone and Selby is now a commuter town for York and Leeds.

53°46′37″N 1°4′8″W

Map of Selby

By road from the south follow A1(M) onto M62 east and exit at junction 34 for A19 north to town. From the north leave A1(M) for A63 east.

Trains run every 30 min from Leeds, taking 30 min to Selby and continuing for another 35 min to Hull. These start alternately from Halifax, or from Liverpool via Manchester Piccadilly.

An hourly train from York takes 30 min to Selby and continues to Hull.

Trains from London Kings Cross run every two hours and take just over two hours via Grantham, Retford and Doncaster, continuing to Hull. The East Coast mainline to York and Edinburgh originally passed through Selby, but in the 1970s was diverted west to avoid subsidence from coal mines.

Change at Hull for trains up the east coast to Beverley, Bridlington, Filey and Scarborough.

53.7831-1.06361 Selby railway station is 200 yards east of town centre, with the bus station on its west side. It has a staffed ticket office, machines, toilets, waiting room and coffee shop. There is step-free access to all platforms.

Arriva Bus 415 runs every 15 min from York, taking 50 min via Fulford, Ricall and Barlby.

Bus 64 / 164 runs hourly from Leeds via Garforth and Sherburn in Elmet, taking 90 min to Selby.

Arriva Bus 476 runs hourly M-Sa from Pontefract, taking 75 min via Ferrybridge and Kellington. Bus 401 runs four times M-Sa from Goole, taking a hour.

The town is compact and there's only the abbey to see. You need wheels to get out and explore the area around.

Bus 4 circles Selby, Brayton and Thorpe Willoughby four times M-F. Bus 8 runs three times M-Sa to Drax.

Taxi firms are Taxi 1973 (+44 7396 801973), Kwikcab (+44 7702 736671), Brayton (+44 7799 968385) and Selby Taxis (+44 7939 313053).

• 53.784444-1.0680561 Selby Abbey, The Crescent YO8 4PU, ☏ +44 1757 703123. Daily 10AM-4PM. A Benedictine church dedicated in 1069, one of the few medieval abbeys to survive intact. It was never promoted into a cathedral and successive archepiscopal inspectors found the abbot and monks to be a slovenly lot, carrying on with married women and not even saying their prayers afterwards. At the Dissolution it became a parish church. It suffered a trashing by Cromwell but the main threat was subsidence into the sandy soil. It was restored in the 19th century, then again after a fire of 1906, then again in 2002. The style is part Norman, part Decorated Gothic but its best known feature is the "Stars and Stripes" stained glass window, the 15th century coat of arms of the Washington family, whose descendant George Washington became first President of the United States. The abbey remains in use as an Anglican church. Donation.  (updated Jan 2026)
• Abbot's Staith is a 15th century warehouse by the river just north of the abbey. It's under restoration, no entry.
• The Toll Bridge carried the Doncaster - York main road, and until 1991 had a toll, causing queuing traffic to snarl up the whole town. That was somewhat relieved by abolishing the toll, and completely relieved in 2004 by the opening of the A19 bypass south and east of town, which spans the river by an ingenious swing bridge. The town's 1791 wooden toll bridge was replaced in the 1970s by a metal structure, which isn't much to look at itself, but you get views along the tidal river channel.
• 53.8277-0.99752 Skipwith Common is a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest: it's an expanse of lowland heath and woods untouched by modern agriculture. Danes Hill may be where the Vikings buried their dead after the 1066 Battle of Stamford Bridge, and there's a Bronze Age barrow.
• 53.7358-0.9963893 Drax Power Station. Time was that coal trains snaked across Yorkshire to feed this humongous citadel of complex engineering. Since 2023 it only burns biomass, such as wood pellets and the oily husks of sunflower, peanut, olives and rapeseed. That produces lots of CO2 but helps the sources (mostly US and Canada) reduce their emissions - there's a question over the net effect. Visits are only open to school / student groups.  (updated Jan 2026)

• Town Hall hosts the Arts Centre, but the Globe Cinema remains closed.
• Selby Leisure Centre has a gym and pool. It's on Scott Rd west side of town.
• Selby Superbowl is on Bawtry Rd half a mile south of the centre.
• Walking: use OS Landranger Map 105 (York & Selby). The Transpennine trail follows the east bank of the River Ouse down to Goole, then on towards Hull and the coast.

A trail north stays on the east riverbank to Riccall, then follows an old railway track (with a scale model of the solar system) into York.

The Transpennine trail west is diverted hither and yon by railways and rivers. You might prefer to follow Selby canal to the River Aire, then west towards Castleford and Leeds.

• Boating: the canal is navigable, connecting the Aire and the Ouse.
• Cycling: the nearby countryside is Dutch flat, but a few miles further east you ascend into the Yorkshire Wolds.
• 53.761-1.1191 Selby Golf Club is on Mill Lane, off A63 a mile west of the junction with A1041. It's 6377 yards, par 71.
• Drax GC is in Drax village.
• 53.75-1.0972 Burn Gliding Club is at the airfield along A19 four miles southwest of town.
• 53.79-1.2093 Sherburn Aero Club offers air experiences and flight training.

• Sainsbury's is by the canal just north of the abbey, open M-Sa 8M-9PM, Su 10AM-4PM.
• Morrison's and Tesco are a quarter mile south of it.
• Farmers Market is third Saturday of the month 9AM-2PM outside the abbey.

• La Palma at 71 Gowthorpe is open daily noon-11PM.
• Thai Sunshine at 3 Abbey Yard is open daily 4-9PM.
• Capri at 4 Abbey Place is open W-Sa noon-2PM, 5:30-10PM, Su noon-3PM.
• Barco Lounge at Market Cross is open Su-Th 9AM-10PM, F Sa 9AM-11PM.
• Jinnah at 12A Park St is open daily 5:30-11PM.
• Sapori on Back Micklegate is open Tu-F 2-10PM, Sa 4-11PM.
• Megna at 24 Church Hill by the river is open daily 5:30-10PM.
• Reshma Spice at 64 Ousegate is open daily 5-11PM.
• Caramba Steakhouse at 73 Brook St is open M-F 5:30-9PM, Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-8PM.

• The Giant Bellflower is a JD Wetherspoon at 47a Gowthorpe.
• The New Inn is at 4 Gowthorpe.
• Bar Paradise is at 1 Gowthorpe.
• Zuzu Lounge is at 12 Finkle St.
• The Griffin is at 42 Micklegate.
• Bay Horse Hotel is at 57 Micklegate.
• The Doghouse is a micro-brewery and pub at 8 Park St.
• Three Swans is at 23 Church Hill.

• 53.7857-1.0671 Abbotts Hotel, 81 Micklegate YO8 4ED, ☏ +44 1757 616916. Smart clean hotel near town centre. B&B double £130.  (updated Jan 2026)
• George Inn, Market Place YO8 4NX, ☏ +44 1757 707355. Old coaching inn next to Abbey, free parking. They no longer serve food. Double (room only) £70. (updated Jan 2026)
• 53.781-1.07552 Hazeldene, 34 Brook St YO8 4AR, ☏ +44 1757 704809. Cosy welcoming guest house, west side of town centre. Double (room only) £70.  (updated Jan 2026)
• 53.7659-1.06553 The Wishing Well, Oakney Wood Rd YO8 8LZ, ☏ +44 1757 704568. Budget chain hotel a mile south of town, mixed reviews for comfort, service and catering. B&B double £100.  (updated Jan 2026)

As of Jan 2026, Selby and its approach roads have 4G from Vodafone, and 5G from EE, O2 and Three.

• York is a must-see, a historic walled city full of attractions.
• Hull is a busy shipping port with fascinating industrial history.
• Leeds is the place for big city amusements.

York ←	N  S	→ (W) → Doncaster
Leeds (East) ←	W  E	→ (E) → Hull