By Emily Hartley
Where is Welbury? After 21 years of trying to answer this question, I am accustomed to trying to describe to people where I live. Most people have never heard of Welbury before, so I’ll start off as I always do, by saying that it is a village 8 miles north of Northallerton. If you are still none the wiser, don’t worry, it isn’t an uncommon response! Welbury is a tiny village in the middle of North Yorkshire, roughly somewhere halfway between Leeds and Newcastle.
What’s going for it? The village is situated within metres of the Coast to Coast cycling and walking routes and is in a very rural area, so has beautiful walks, scenery and nature – the perfect place for self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic!
A beautiful spot to visit is St Leonard’s, a 9th century church, and it is remarkable to think that we are even able to stand in, let alone use the same church the Anglo-Saxons used, over a thousand years ago.
In the heart of the village is a traditional, country-style pub and restaurant, The Duke of Wellington. With locally-sourced produce and home-cooked meals, it is the ideal place to stop for food which can always be accompanied by a selection of real ales. If you are travelling from afar or just fancy an escape, The Courtyard Rooms are located within the grounds of the pub, offering excellent value accommodation.
Welbury used to have its very own railway station, just south of the village which opened in 1852 and closed to passengers in 1954. However, the line is still open and some Trans-Pennine express routes and freight trains still pass through regularly.
(Top left) One of the many public footpath signs around the area; (Top right) St Leonard’s Church; (Bottom left) The Duke of Wellington and (Bottom right) the railway crossing and former railway station.
The case against It is very rural and remote but whether you take this as a positive or a negative aspect is purely down to preference. If you want to go clothes shopping or shopping for anything other than necessities, you are going to have to drive for at least 15 minutes – thank goodness for online shopping! If you don’t mind the odd waft of manure from one of the many farms in the area that can sometimes catch you a little off-guard, and other than the slight lack of convenience for shopaholics, Welbury is an amazing place to live!
Population and house prices According to the 2011 UK census, Welbury is home to just over 250 people so it really is quite small in terms of population. The average house price in this area is £723,750, based on data produced by RightMove.