Laurence Sterne wrote much of Tristram Shandy at Shandy Hall in Coxwold, where he was vicar from 1760, and the house he named still stands at the top of the village. Coxwold itself is a single handsome street below the Howardian Hills, worth a wander for its mellow stone cottages and the church with its odd octagonal tower. Thirsk is the nearest station, about 13km west, so you’ll want a car.
