The beautiful little UK market town that's 'filled with incredible independent shops'

This charming UK town made it into Channel 5's All Creatures Great and Small, it's successful show recently concluding it's filming across Yorkshire for it's sixth series. Cocooned by the Northern Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales sits the small town of Thirsk, now celebrated for it's charm and "wonderful" nature. Conveniently located close to Harrogate and Ripon, the Thirsk can be accessed via the A19, near the main north-south A1.

The official Visit Thirsk website shared that it's selection of international visitors remain "impressed by the warm and friendly welcome of the residents of this gem of a town". York Press' tourism team added: "Thirsk has a charm of its own, essentially unchanged and uninfluenced by the world. It centres around a bustling cobbled market square, dominated by the town clock, with its Monday & Saturday markets" that date all the way back to the Medieval period.

Locals and tourists can source a selection of handmade souvenirs to fresh food on it's high street littered with "incredible, independent shops" and eateries, suggests Visit Thirsk Town. Catering to visitor's fancies, the town hosts popular cafes, restaurants and pubs, perfect for a traditional English breakfast, Sunday roast, or classic Northern brew. York Press's top choices include Yorks Of Thirsk, The Pantry and Tea Time Cafe for a sweet treat.

Not only a market town, Thirsk is home to author James Herriot (Alf Wight), most known for his literary series All Creatures Great and Small. Writing under the pen name of Wight, the series has now been adopted by Channel 5 in a effort to celebrate Yorkshire's diverse wildlife. And if that's not enough, Thirsk boasts a historic country racecourse, first founded in 1855 and described as a "beautifully maintained paddock [with] idyllic country charm," says the town website.

Walk down the Cod Beck River or challenge yourself to a hike on Hambleton Hills or moorland tracks of The Drove Road and The Swale Way that runs through Boroughbridge to Kirby Stephen. Spot the legendary White Horse of Kilburn stood on Thirsk's hills and admire the sandstone homesteads straight out of a novel.