COFFEE, CAKE & PARKS: A FAMILY DAY OUT IN EASINGWOLD
If you’re after an easy family day out, Easingwold makes things feel refreshingly simple.
With free parking, independent cafés, shops to dip in and out of, a brilliant park for burning off energy and plenty of dog-friendly spots, it’s the kind of place where you pop in for an hour and somehow end up staying all afternoon.
We arrived early - partly organised, partly hopeful - and were immediately grateful to find the coffee already flowing at The Curious Coffee Company. Good coffee, a relaxed atmosphere and, crucially when you’ve got children in tow, nearby toilets and free parking. An excellent start.
Properly caffeinated, we called into Thornton’s Bakehouse & Butchers for picnic supplies. Pork pies, pastries and sausage rolls still warm from the oven - we left with considerably more than we’d intended.
Then it was time for the slow wander up to Millfields Park - scooters, small legs, dog lead and all. Around a ten-minute walk from Easingwold market square, it’s such a good family spot, with loads of open space to run around, kick a ball and a skate park full of children of all ages. Our younger ones were completely mesmerised, while the older kids showed impressive patience as tiny scooters occasionally wobbled into the mix.
When energy levels dipped, we headed back towards the high street. The kids made a beeline for Towlers, naturally, emerging with treats and a suspicious number of puzzles. Meanwhile, I managed a quick look around Hearts Boutique - always slightly dangerous if you’re someone who justifies impulse buys as gifts.
For a proper pick-me-up, we stopped at the Autism Plus Chocolate Café, where the hot chocolate absolutely lived up to expectations - rich, comforting and exactly what everyone needed after a few hours outside.
The café is part of Autism Plus, a charity supporting young adults with autism and learning disabilities through training and employment. The chocolates are made locally at Park House Barns, their artisan chocolate social enterprise, and there’s a small but very tempting selection to browse while you wait.
Naturally, one child ignored the hot chocolate memo entirely and went for strawberry ice cream instead — fair enough, it looked pretty good.
After another wander around the market square and a few more stops along the high street, we finished with a drink at The George Hotel, where everyone - dog included - was made to feel very welcome.
For a family day out, Easingwold really had everything we needed: good coffee, plenty of space to run around, friendly places to stop and enough to keep both children and adults happy for a few hours. Even the dog had a good day. We’ll definitely be back.
