Where to Stay
Where to stay near Bangers & Cash
Planning a trip around a Mathewsons viewing week? Here's how the villages around Thornton-le-Dale and Pickering compare, how long each takes to reach the yard, and how to time an auction weekend properly.
Village cottages in Thornton-le-Dale, minutes from the Mathewsons yard.
Bangers & Cash is filmed at Mathewsons, the family classic car auction house with its original yard in Thornton-le-Dale and its auction showrooms just outside Pickering. Both sit on the A170 along the southern edge of the North York Moors, so the good news for anyone planning a visit is simple: almost everywhere worth staying in this corner of the park is within about fifteen minutes of the cars.
The awkward bit is timing. Public viewing runs for a few days before each sale, the sale days themselves are closed to the public, and the whole village fills up when a big auction or the annual Mathewsons Live weekend lands. Book around the viewing dates, not the sale dates.
How far each village is from the yard
| Base | To Thornton-le-Dale | To Pickering showrooms | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allerston | ~5 min | ~10 min | Quiet single-street village, self-catering cottages |
| Thornton-le-Dale | Walkable | ~10 min | Pretty, busy in summer, pubs and tearooms on the doorstep |
| Pickering | ~10 min | ~5 min | Small market town, steam railway, most shops and food |
| Scarborough / the coast | ~25 min | ~35 min | Seaside base, more hotels, longer daily run |
Times are typical off-peak driving times on the A170; allow longer on summer weekends and during viewing weeks.
Our pick of the villages: Allerston
Allerston is the sensible compromise, five minutes from the yard, but a quiet village rather than a coach-park one, with parking that matters if you are arriving in something interesting. It is equally good for Dalby Forest five minutes up the road.
If you are travelling to a viewing day or an auction, prioritise off-road parking and an easy exit onto the A170, the lanes through Thornton-le-Dale get busy on sale weekends, and the village car park fills early.
Self-catering properties and inns nearby are listed via Sykes Cottages , Cottages.com , Booking.com and the North York Moors National Park accommodation listings. See also where to stay.
Timing an auction weekend
Viewing days are the point of the trip. They usually run across the days before a sale, and during them a free shuttle links Pickering, the showrooms and Thornton-le-Dale, so you can leave the car at your base for part of the day. Sale days are trade-and-phone affairs with no public access, so don't build a weekend around one. Dates move: check the Mathewsons website before booking, and see our guide to visiting Mathewsons for what the museum and gift shop offer on ordinary days.
Two nights is about right. One day for the cars, the museum and Thornton-le-Dale itself; one for the rest of the area.
What to do with the other day
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs steam from Pickering over the moors to Whitby, an easy day out from any of these villages. Dalby Forest covers walking, mountain biking and a dark-sky observatory. Enthusiasts should also read classic car country for driving routes across the moors, and our weekend itinerary if you want the whole thing planned.
Bangers & Cash accommodation FAQs
- Where should you stay for a Bangers & Cash auction viewing?
- Anywhere in the southern moors villages, Allerston, Thornton-le-Dale, Pickering or Wilton. Puts you within about ten minutes of both the Thornton-le-Dale premises and the Pickering auction showrooms. Allerston is the quietest of them and still only a few minutes' drive.
- How far is Allerston from Mathewsons in Thornton-le-Dale?
- Allerston sits on the A170 about three miles east of Thornton-le-Dale, roughly a five-minute drive. The Pickering auction showrooms are around ten minutes west along the same road.
- Which village is the best base near Bangers & Cash?
- Allerston, a few minutes from the Mathewsons yard, is the natural base for anyone planning a trip around a viewing week. Browse self-catering there via the usual booking channels.
- How early should you book for a viewing week?
- Viewing weeks and the annual Mathewsons Live weekend fill local accommodation quickly, so book as soon as the sale dates are published on the Mathewsons website. Often several months ahead for the summer sales.
- Do you need a car?
- It makes life much easier. The Coastliner bus links York, Malton, Pickering and Thornton-le-Dale, but the auction showrooms, Dalby Forest and the moorland roads are far simpler with your own transport.
- What else is there to do on the same trip?
- Dalby Forest is five minutes from Thornton-le-Dale, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs steam trains from Pickering to Whitby, and the coast at Scarborough and Whitby is under an hour away.
Auction and viewing dates change, always confirm them on the official Mathewsons website before booking accommodation.