Oh my word! Masham (pronounced ‘massam’ in Yorkshire is the home to not one, but two excellent breweries, and tap rooms. For someone who thoroughly enjoys a pint of English ale, this is a wonderful town to visit.
For motorhoming mutts, it’s super-accessible being only 20 minutes or so off the A1 (Junction 50 if coming from the North, as we do!) It’s a small market town but is eye-wateringly beautiful. We stayed at the Old Station Caravan Park, a 10 minute walk across a field and then the river to Masham. The park was good, if a little small, but the pitches were pretty decent and level. Ensure you top up your water on arrival, as most pitches have EHUs but no taps.
Walking around the town is a breeze. And walking to the town equally pleasant. On one day we decide to take a longer walk via the River, South of Masham on a 6-mile circular route. The following day we walked North, around the nature reserve and into the town via farmlands. This took us temptingly close to the White Bear and Black Sheep brewery, but we resisted, planning instead to take in the town, then return for food and ale later. Frank cadged a bowl of water though – the pub is very dog-friendly.
Later on that day, we went to the Theakston’s Brewery Tap Room. We got there 20 minutes before they closed for the day – at 5pm! So it was a very hurried visit. Dogs are not welcome inside the tap room but there are some outside tables (with blankets and heaters) so you can at least have a drink with your dog – and they provide dog bowls and water. To be honest it felt more like a shop than a tap room and wasn’t what I was expecting at all. The beer of course, is excellent, and is the home of one of England’s most celebrated beers, Theakston’s Old Peculier. (The name derives from an old English church legal office in Masham and refers to an old lawyer.)
By comparison, the next day we visited the Black Sheep brewery pub and bar. Completely different vibe here. Dogs are allowed in and the staff are super-friendly. Food is good and reasonably priced. It was so good we visited twice in 2 days! Lots of beers, staples and seasonal brews to choose from. I recommend allowing a good couple of hours to enjoy this experience to the most.
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