Thirsk is a market town in the Vale of York, with a cobbled square and a racecourse. Alf Wight, the vet who wrote as James Herriot, practised here, and his surgery at 23 Kirkgate is now The World of James Herriot. The fictional Darrowby of his books is mostly based on Thirsk.
East of the town, the road climbs the escarpment of Sutton Bank onto the North York Moors. The view from the top is one of the finest in England, and the White Horse of Kilburn is cut into the hillside nearby.