Wetherby is a market town in West Yorkshire, best known for its racecourse. It's 13 miles northeast of Leeds, so it's a commuter town and part of that metropolis, as West Yorkshire is no longer a unit of governance. In 2021 its population was 11,700.
Understand
[edit]The first paved road from London to northeast England was built by the Romans, and from medieval times the Great North Road more-or-less followed its route. Stagecoaches made scheduled journeys so long that they had to be broken into stages, with changes of horses and rest stops for passengers and drivers. They sped faster as roads improved and coaches became sprung-suspension instead of dead-axle, so they were denounced by some as harmful to public health. By 1820 the journey from London to Edinburgh took 46 hours: Wetherby was midway and its main street was lined by coaching inns, several of which survive as pubs. The town also profited from road tolls. Highwaymen by that date had almost disappeared, for a mix of reasons. It was the golden age of stagecoaches, romanticised in a myriad Christmas cards and olde-worlde prints in which the coach drivers are always well dressed, the ostlers attentive, and even the waifs watching in the snow have a glow in their pinched cheeks.
Coaches disappeared once the railways arrived, except for short-haul feeder routes. The first railway station in Wetherby opened in 1847, but the main line ran further east through York, and income from road traffic and tolls plummeted. The town slumped until in 1876 it got a direct railway to Leeds, a burgeoning industrial city. But railways were in turn supplanted by cars and better highways, and the Beeching cuts of the 1960s brought an end to Wetherby's lines and three stations. The spiritual successor to its coaching inns is the A1 motorway service area east edge of town.
Get in
[edit]
Wetherby is on the historic Great North Road, now bypassed by A1(M).
Go Ahead Bus X98 / X99 bus runs from Leeds every 30 min, taking 45 min via Collingham.
Ebor Connexions Bus X70 runs every 30 min from Harrogate, taking 20 min via Spofforth. Harrogate Bus 7 also runs this route hourly, taking 30 min, and continues to Leeds.
Ebor Connexions Bus 412 runs five times M-F from York, taking 45 min via Rufforth.
1 Wetherby Bus Station is just a turnaround in Market Place.
Harrogate is usually the most convenient railway station, with the bus station adjacent. Leeds has better rail connections but the railway and bus stations are a mile apart. Pannal and Cattal are halts on the Leeds-Harrogate-York line that are somewhat closer to Wetherby but with no onward public transport.
Get around
[edit]You need wheels to explore the area.
Taxi operators are Nobles (+44 1937 381647) and Wetherby Cars (+44 1937 588611).
See
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- Town centre is along High St, Horsefair and North St. It's pleasant 18th / 19th century low-rise, but a busy thoroughfare.
- St James is the Anglican parish church, completed in neogothic in 1842. Before that, Wetherby was only an outpost of Spofforth parish.
- 1 Bramham Park. Grand 18th-century country house and landscaped park. Only open by appointment, which for the house requires a group of ten.
- Spofforth Castle is the ruin of a fortified 14th century mansion. It's a quarter mile beyond Castle Inn Spofforth (see below), open daily 10AM-6PM, free.
- Plumpton Rocks: see Harrogate for this gritstone outcrop two miles beyond Spofforth.
- Harewood House: see Leeds/North West for this palatial mansion 8 miles west of Wetherby.
Do
[edit]- Cinema: Wetherby Film Theatre is on Caxton St.
- Wetherby Leisure Centre is a council-run facility with gym, fitness classes and swimming pool. It's at 12 Lodge Lane on the south riverbank.
- 1 Wetherby Racecourse, York Road, Wetherby LS22 5EJ. This has flat-racing Apr-Oct and jumps racing in winter.
- 2 Stockeld Park, Harrogate Road, Wetherby LS22 4AN. June-Aug daily, Sep-May Sa Su 10AM-9PM. Theme park for younger children. Adult or child £17.50.
- Hike: use OS Landranger 104 "Leeds & Bradford" (1:50,000) for footpaths west of A1, and 105 "York & Selby" for anything east.
- Ebor Way is a 70 mile / 112 km trail from Helmsley via York to Ilkley. The local section is along the banks of River Wharfe, and soggy in winter.
- Golf: Wetherby GC is on Linton Lane, half a mile west of town. White tees 6663 yards, par 73.
- Lots more courses north side of Leeds.
- Football: soccer, rugby union and rugby league are all played at amateur level. Head into Leeds or Harrogate for a pro soccer match.
- Leeds Festival is over the August holiday weekend in the grounds of Bramham Park. There are temporary road closures and one-way systems while it's on.
Buy
[edit]- Horsefair is the shopping centre, on North St. Morrison's within it is open M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM.
- Market day is Thursday 9AM-3PM in Market Place.
- Artisan Market is second Sunday of the month Feb-Nov in Market Place.
Eat
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- Ask, 1 Market Place LS22 6LQ (at bus station), ☏ +44 1937 589831. Daily 11:30AM-9:30PM. Inexpensive Italian chain restaurant.
- Wetherby Whaler is a fish & chips takeaway at 18 Market Place by the bus station, open daily 11:30AM-8PM.
- Bengal Lounge is at 31 High St, open daily 5-11PM.
- Maybe Later is at 37 High St, open M-Sa noon-3PM, 5-11PM, Su noon-8PM.
- Bengal Brasserie is off Victoria St, open daily 5-10:30PM.
- Kofi & Co is at 61 Market Place, open M-Sa 8AM-4:30PM, Su 9AM-4PM.
- Snug & Chatter is at 8 Bank St, open daily 10AM-11PM.
- The Mews, 16 Bank Street LS22 6NQ, ☏ +44 1937 580201. Su-Tu noon-9PM, W-Sa noon-11PM. Friendly gastropub.
- Swan & Talbot Inn, 34 North Street LS22 6NN, ☏ +44 1937 582040. Daily 11AM-11PM. Decent trad pub with grub.
- Spice 4U, 36 North Street LS22 6NN, ☏ +44 1937 583694. Daily 5-10:30PM. Reliable Indian restaurant.
- Moto Wetherby Services has coffee and fuel 24 hours, and fast food. It's on B1224 by A1(M) junction 46, so it's accessible to all traffic including pedestrians. It has lodging, see below.
Drink
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- The Red Lion, 19 High Street LS22 6LR, ☏ +44 1937 588023. Su-Th 11:30AM-10:30PM, F Sa 11:30AM-midnight. Pub with food served W-Su noon-3PM.
- The Angel, 30 High Street LS22 6LT. This is due to re-open as a Wetherspoons in Dec 2025.
- The Royal Oak, 60 North Street LS22 6NR, ☏ +44 1937 352181. Daily 11AM-11PM. Pub with beer garden, food and rooms.
- Bar Three (formerly Three Legs), 9 Market Place LS22 6LQ, ☏ +44 1937 221179. Su-Th 10AM-11PM, F Sa 10AM-midnight. Welcoming pub with food by the bus station.
- Black Bull, 53 Market Place LS22 6LN, ☏ +44 1937 582052. M-Sa 11AM-midnight, Su noon-midnight. Good reviews for their ales and food.
- Wetherby Brew Co is on York Rd Estate LS22 7SU. The taproom is open Th 3-9PM, F Sa 1-9PM, Su 3-7PM.
- Bosun's Brewery is at 15 Sandbeck Park LS22 7TW. The taproom is open W Th 4-9PM, F Sa 3-10PM, Su 2-7PM.
- Distillery: Priory make potato vodka, gin and rum at Syningthwaite Priory. No tours but it's sometimes an events venue.
Sleep
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- Wharfe House is a B&B at 25 West Gate LS22 6NH.
- 1 Days Inn, Moto Services, Jcn 46 of A1(M), Wetherby LS22 5GT, ☏ +44 1937 547557. Slick motel near the racecourse. B&B double £100.
- 2 Woodhall Hotel, Trip Lane, Linton LS22 4JA, ☏ +44 1937 587271. Plush hotel and spa two miles west of town. B&B double £300.
- 3 Castle Inn, 35 High St, Spofforth HG3 1BQ, ☏ +44 1937 590200. Cosy pub with rooms. B&B double £130.
- 4 Bridge Inn, Walshford LS22 5HS (Use A168, no access from A1(M)), ☏ +44 1937 580115. Upscale hotel with spa on the old north road. B&B double £110.
Connect
[edit]As of Dec 2025, Wetherby and its approach roads have 4G with Vodafone, and 5G with EE, O2 and Three.
Go next
[edit]- Leeds for big city amusements.
- York is a must-see for its medieval walled city.
- Harrogate is a genteel spa town with fine architecture and gardens.
- Knaresborough close by has an old centre and a hoaky "witches cave".
| Routes through Wetherby |
| Newcastle upon Tyne ← Ripon ← | N  S
|
→ Pontefract → London |
| Leeds ← | SW  NE
|
→ END |