Guisborough

Guisborough is a town in North Yorkshire, England; it's a market town and commuter district for Middlesbrough and Redcar. The town had a population of about 7700 in 2011; with outlying villages this was 18,000. From 1974 to 1996 it was part of a new county, Cleveland; this was then abolished and Guisborough was re-assigned to North Yorkshire. The difference is nominal since it's part of Redcar & Cleveland unitary authority and not governed by a County Council.

The elaborate Guisborough Helmet, now in the British Museum, indicates Roman settlement, but the town grew up in the Middle Ages around the Priory, which is now the main visitor attraction. Guisborough is also on the edge of the North York Moors, a sharp edge indeed, with cliffs rising just south of town.

Get in

For long-distance routes, see Middlesbrough, which is on the London - Newcastle - Edinburgh main railway line. Guisborough doesn't have a railway.

Arriva Bus 5 runs hourly from Middlesbrough to Guisborough, 40 min. As X93 it continues south to Whitby and Scarborough. Don't take Bus X4 from Middlesbrough towards Whitby, as this follows the coast through Redcar and doesn't run via Guisborough.

By road from the south, leave A1(M) for A19 then take A172 onto A171.

Two hours free parking is available on the high street, though you need to buy a parking disc from local shops. There is ample street parking, as well as a coach and car park on Rectory Lane.

Get around

Town is compact and walkable, but you need wheels to explore the moors. Also, Redcar (for the races) and Saltburn-by-the-Sea are only five miles away, ten minutes by car, but with poor public transport links. There is an hourly bus between Guisborough and Redcar (number 81) or more frequent connections are possible by travelling into Middlesbrough and out again.

See

Gisborough Priory

• 1 Guisborough Museum, 36 Westgate TS14 6BA, ☏ +44 1287 203617. Apr-Oct: M-F 10:30AM-2:30PM. A small volunteer-run museum of local history. Free. (updated Jul 2020)
• 2 Gisborough Priory, Church St, Guiseborough TS14 6HG, ☏ +44 1287 633801. Mar-Oct: W-Su 10AM-4PM. An Augustinian priory founded in 1119, and built in Romanesque style. The Augustinians weren't cooped up as hermits, but acted as priests to the surrounding community. The priory burnt down in 1289 (careless workmen) and was rebuilt in Gothic. After the Dissolution much of the stone was raided for other buildings, but the great east window arch was preserved as a picturesque ruin. Free. (updated Jul 2020)
• 3 St Nicholas Church. It is the Anglican parish church next to the priory. It was built around 1500 but most of what you see is early 20th-century reconstruction. (updated Feb 2024)

Do

Highcliffe Nab

• 1 Guisborough Moor is part of the North York Moors. It rises sharply south of town, in a line of cliffs and bluffs such as Highcliffe Nab. The scarp is forested, with walking trails including the Cleveland Way, and the moor top is a plateau of heath and bog. In World War II the moor was a "starfish" site: during German bombing raids, fuel tanks were set ablaze up here to look like industrial Middlesbrough and misdirect the bombers.
• 2 Guisborough Forest Visitor Centre is the start of trails into the forest and moors that don't involve shinning up cliffs.
• The Cleveland Way starts in Helmsley and heads west to Sutton Bank above Thirsk. It then turns north along the edge of the moors through Osmotherley, Guisborough, Saltburn, Whitby, Scarborough and Filey. The whole trail is 110 miles.

Buy

• The Farmers Market is held on the second Saturday of each month. Regular market days are Thursday and Saturday.
• The retail strip is on Rectory Lane, one block south of Westgate. There's Lidl, Aldi, Sainsbury's and other big stores.

Eat

• Odd Socks is a cafe and laundrette at 10 Auckland St. It's open M-F 7AM-5:30PM, Sa 9AM-PMPM.
• Shurovi is a good Indian restaurant at 6 Market Place, open M-Sa 5-11:30PM, Su 5-10:30PM.
• Sergio's is cheap and cheerful Italian at 12 Chaloner St, open M-Sa 5-9PM.
• Cookfella's Eatery & Wine Bar, 63 Church St TS14 6HG, ☏ +44 1287 631100. Tu-Th noon-8PM, F Sa 11AM-9PM. Tapas and Med-themed place gets consistently good reviews. (updated Jul 2020)
• Tockett's Mill is a working water mill, but primarily a restaurant attached to a caravan park. It's on Skelton Road A173, two miles northeast of town towards Saltburn, and open daily 8AM-10:30PM.

Drink

• The pubs are mostly along main drag Westgate. East to west find The Monk wine bar, Harry's Bar, Fox Inn (has rooms, see Sleep), Black Swan, Mermaid Inn, The Three Fiddles, The Courtyard, The King's Head, The Ironstone Miner (JD Wetherspoon), and The Ship Inn.

Sleep

• Fox Inn, Bow St, Guisborough TS14 6BP, ☏ +44 1287 349503. The pub has 12 rooms. Bar is open Su-Th 11:30AM-10PM, F Sa 11:30AM-11:30PM with live music Saturday nights. Food served M-Sa to 8PM, Su to 6PM. Double (room only) £55. (updated Jul 2020)
• 1 Gisborough Hall Hotel, Whitby Road, Guisborough TS14 6PT, ☏ +44 1287 611500. A mansion hall in Jacobean style, built in 1856; it became a hotel in 2002. Swanky surroundings for a mid-budget price. B&B double £110. (updated Jul 2020)
• 2 Fox & Hound Hotel, Slapewath TS14 6PX (on A171 three miles east of town), ☏ +44 1287 635280. A simple hotel, clean and welcoming. Double (room only) £50. (updated Jul 2020)

Connect

As of Oct 2022, Guisborough has 5G from Three, and 4G from EE, O2 and Vodafone.

Go next

• Middlesbrough: don't just rush through holding your nose. It's industrial but has lots to see and do. Best of all, you get to eat authentic Parmo.
• The coast is industrial from Middlesbrough through Redcar then improves at Saltburn-by-the-Sea. The best stretch is from Whitby to Scarborough.
• The North York Moors rise south of Guisborough. Helmsley and Pickering are the best bases within the moors.