Mooching in Malton

Yesterday, when the rest of the world descended upon York for the St Nicholas Fair, Daniel and I escaped by train to the market town of Malton. What an exciting little town it is! We perused the market and bought cake and vegetables, and I went weak at the knees for some adorable guinea pigs and their funky fringes in the big local pet shop. Malton is incredibly old fashioned in its ways - there was a town crier, a livestock market, and an admirable recognition of the fact that meat is actually dead animal - displayed in a rather morbid fashion outside the butcher's:

Like York, Malton has its own Shambles, and it is lined with exciting and unusual shops. Piles of jumble everywhere, from floor to ceiling in every shop!





Of course, we couldn't resist buying a selection of books from Britain's smallest bookshop! It may be small, but it had a great selection; I need buy no more books until next year! (Of course, I probably will, anyhow)

We stopped for tea and muffin/pork pie nourishment in a prize-winning local deli, before heading off on a walking tour of the area. We came across 12th Century churches, Thai pubs housing ancient crypts which we weren't allowed to visit, breweries which didn't brew beer, muddy fields with mosaics, and much more. It was cold cold cold, and we walked for a good few miles, hands biting and visible breath. The visit ended with hot white chocolate/ale in a local establishment before we headed home. I am enjoying our new visiting places hobby - there are many more locations on the list, too!