Brilliant Bookshops: The Helmsley Bookshop

Helmsley is an attractive town in North Yorkshire on the banks of the River Rye with a bustling market square and plenty of independent shops. A beautiful ruined castle towers over the town; now managed by English Heritage, this is a fascinating place which over the centuries evolved from a medieval fortress to a luxurious Tudor mansion, a besieged Civil War stronghold to a romantic Victorian ruin. Well worth a visit!

The town is also home to a very lovely bookshop, aptly named The Helmsley Bookshop, which offers a fabulous range of books, many of which are cut price. Found just off the market place (which is the perfect place to park), this lovely shop is much bigger than it first appears. At the back of the ground floor room, steps lead up to two further rooms, each full of book-ish treasure.

We spent ages browsing the shelves here and left with quite a selection! The ladies were very helpful, chatty and friendly- and obviously fond of a read themselves. This is definitely a bookshop to go out of your way to visit- I just wish we lived nearer.

The Helmsley Bookshop
11 Market Place, Helmsley
North Yorkshire, YO62 5BL